Workforce Preparation Missing in Action

Obviously the current draft of the Master Plan is totally lacking in a discussion of Workforce Preparation at the secondary level, instead recommending that the UC A-G curriculum form the basis of all high school curriculum.

No recommendations advocate for the type of hands-on skills training necessary to prepare the vast majority of high school freshmen who will never pursue higher education for a self-sufficient and financially rewarding life.  Career Technical Education programs are the only curricula that can do this.

With California's high school graduation rate at an all-time low (some estimates place it at 40%), policymakers must address this issue, first, before attempting to compel all high schoolers into UC/CSU-bound coursework.

Fred Jones
Home Economic Teachers Association