It is has been tried and it didnt work. It is the way schools were
structured when I was in high school in the early sixties. Group
intelligence tests were administered and those with the higher scores were
enrolled in chemistry, physics, English literature, geometry, and
trigonometry. The students with lower scores took auto and wood shop,
business math, typing, shorthand, and home economics. In their senior year
they participated in programs which allowed them to work half of the school
day in local businesses. No one noticed, or if they did, was much
concerned that those in the latter group seemed to come mainly from the
lower socio-economic classes. Later when schools were desegregated it
became difficult to ignore the fact that most of the students being
directed into the vocational track were African Americans. This is why
many schools have moved away from these forms of groupings towards
preparing all students for academic careers. Educational reform through
standards and high stakes accountability, also forces schools to prepare
for the same academic tests.
If there is a problem with requiring all students to prepare for college,
there may be a greater problem with structuring high schools so that they
prepare all students for non-college careers and this is what is promoted
by nationally mandated school to work programs. In New Jersey there is a
great deal of controversy about a proposal set to be implemented next year,
that would require all students to select a career from a list 14
government-sanctioned career possibilities by the end of 10th grade. The
list of jobs, which is to be determined by a local Workforce Investment
Board includes such tantalizing titles as "waste management,"
"administrative services" and "manufacturing, installation and repair."
These boards are created to link schools to the workplace by establishing
partnerships with local businesses and industries. All students would be
required to work no less than one day per week in the workforce and along
with their parents enter into a contract with the school and the employer.
Kentucky (my state), like New Jersey has participated in the sharing of the
1.1 billion in grants administered through the 1994 School to Work
Opportunities Act. At an open meeting on the subject, a parent asked STW
official how these programs would effect her daughter who planned to go to
college and then attend medical school. She was told that it is not the
role of public schools to prepare students for college and if this was her
interest, she should consider enrolling her daughter in a private school.
A favorite argument in support of STW is in the form of a rhetorical
question. What career would you prefer for your child? That they earn 22
dollars an hour as a plumber with a high school diploma or work in a book
store for 8 dollars an hour with a college degree. It is in the form of
rhetorical question because it is believed to require no answer. They find
it inconceivable that anyone would choose the latter option.