In the past students bound for the workforce needed dramatically different preparation than those bound for college. But times have changed. A growing body of research shows that the skills needed for success in college and good jobs are converging, particularly jobs that pay well and allow for career advancement.
An ACT study examined results from high school juniors who took both the college admissions test and the Work Keys tests, which measure the academic skills needed to perform various jobs. Researchers honed in on training programs for occupations that offer a salary sufficient to support a family of four and that include opportunities for career advancement. They found that those programs require the same knowledge foundation as colleges do.
The American Diploma Project interviewed college professors and employers from around the country and found that the skills needed to succeed in freshman-level courses are the same as those needed for living-wage entry-level jobs and careers. To be successful all high school students need advanced reading, writing, communications and mathematics skills. Their curriculum should consist of four years of grade-level or honors English and mathematics classes through at least Algebra II.
Arkansas’ Smart Core Curriculum now requires four years of English and mathematics (including Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry and a higher-level math), along with three years of science and social studies. This rigorous curriculum is necessary to prepare our students for both the workplace and the university classroom.
Not only white collar jobs, but blue collar ones demand higher skills today. Due to advancements in technology, the level of education required to get blue-collar jobs is higher than ever before. Tool and die makers must have four or five years of apprenticeship training after high school. They need to master the content and skills covered in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, along with advanced technical reading skills.
It is true that service sector workers like cashiers and food service workers can get jobs without taking a rigorous curriculum. But these jobs typically provide low pay, few benefits and little room for advancement. If their education prepares students only for the lowest rung of the economic ladder, they are doomed to few employment options.
Earning potential increases dramatically the more education young people receive. The typical bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn 62% more than a high school graduate, who earns 43% more than a high school dropout.
When high school students are polled, more than 80% say they plan to go to college. Sadly, not all of them have taken a curriculum that prepares them for college. Too often, students are tracked into low-level courses that lead to dead-end diplomas, and this is particularly true for minority and low-income students. One national study found that although 74% of minority girls want to take advanced math courses, only 45% of their schools offer the courses.
The result is high college remediation rates and low college completion rates, particularly for low-income and minority students. One student expressed it this way, “They showed me how to fill out a McDonald’s application in my Life Skills class. I think that they should have at least taught me how to fill out a college application or told me what the college requirements are.”
These kinds of concerns have been addressed by the Arkansas laws that require all schools to offer advanced courses and make Smart Core the default curriculum for all students.