Vocational High Schools Need Our Support

Graduation rates are higher and dropout rates are lower in New York City’s vocational education high schools than in our general education high schools. Yet vocational high schools are allocated about $750 less per pupil annually. These are some of the highlights from a recent report on vocational high schools issued by New York City’s Independent Budget Office, conducted in response to questions about the schools by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.

About 110,000 students in the city’s public high schools are enrolled in vocational education classes. That is about 38 percent of all high school students, down from 58 percent in 1990. Most take courses in general education high schools. But almost 28,000 are enrolled in the city’s 22 public high schools that focus on what is now called career and technical education (CTE).

The success of CTE high schools is crucial. In New York City, we have an educational system that has utterly failed many of its students. In a school system of overwhelmingly students of color, barely half of incoming high school students graduate and less than 10 percent of Black and Latino students earn a Regents diploma, the mark of academic achievement.

Pipeline to Jobs

The idea behind CTE is to combine academic and vocational studies to prepare students for jobs in occupations that do not require a college education. CTE offers a pipeline to employment by creating curriculums that directly connect to employment after school. Most of the 22 vocational high schools provide a broad curriculum of CTE courses. But several focus on specific occupations, such as automotive repair, art and design, graphic arts, computers, performing arts, and the fashion industry.

Our local economy is moving toward service and technical jobs, which means that there are a shrinking number of jobs that do not need specialized training. We need to invest in vocational courses that reflect the realities of the changing economy.

This year, the city opened a new CTE school, the High School of Construction Trades, Engineering, and Architecture, that was born out of the mayor’s Construction Industry Opportunities Commission. The plan is for graduates of this school to enter pre-apprenticeship programs leading to well-paying jobs.

Success of CTE
is crucial

The class of 2005 at CTE high schools had a graduation rate of 63 percent within four years, five to 15 percentage points higher than the citywide rate, depending on who is doing the counting. About 10 percent of the class of 2005 dropped out, compared to 15 percent of all high school students.

Students at CTE high schools must meet the same academic standards as other students. According to the State Board of Regents, CTE students out perform general education students on English and math Regents exams. This is true both in New York City and statewide.

CTE high schools have a higher proportion of Black, Latino, and male students enrolled than the general education high schools: the CTE student body is 43 percent Black, 44 percent Latino, and 58 percent male; the system as a whole is 35 percent Black, 37 percent Latino, and 51 percent male.

Likely Dropouts

Recent studies have shown that Black, Latino, and male students are more likely to drop out of high school than White, Asian, or female students. This is reflected in the chronically high jobless rates among Black and Latino men in New York City as well as the nearly 200,000 mostly Black and Latino youths ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor in the workforce. Effective technical and vocational education is a resource that could help save many young people who are unprepared for most jobs in our labor market.

There is plenty of public support for vocational education. In CSS’s recent survey of low and moderate-income New Yorkers, more than nine out of 10 respondents supported technical and vocational education programs in high schools.

Challenges Facing CTE

Yet there are major problems confronting the CTE programs, including underfunding, difficulty in recruiting certified teachers, and the lack of state approval of many of its programs. Over the past several years, funding for CTE high schools has declined, although the city’s Department of Education contends that a new funding formula will soon raise funding levels at some of the schools.

CTE programs are funded primarily by the city with some federal help. Funds from the federal Vocational and Technical Education Act provided about $14.4 million in the latest school year. That is not much considering that the total school budget in 2007 for just the 22 CTE high schools was more than $216 million.

Currently, only 29 percent of programs at CTE schools are certified by the state. The city is not required to get state approval of CTE programs, but only state approved programs can offer industry certification. This would help CTE graduates going out into the workforce qualify for entry-level jobs.

A combination of under funding and a historic lack of priorities in promoting vocational education have led to difficulties in hiring and retaining certified CTE teachers. Also, some certified teachers may decline to teach courses that are not state certified. The Department of Education is now working to get state certification for more of its CTE programs.

Well-funded and supported CTE programs are one viable and critical route for young people to get the skills necessary to hold jobs that pay enough to support themselves and a family. The results would strengthen the economic life of our communities. The city’s workforce would be stronger and better able to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global economy.

From the New York Amsterdam News
August 23 – 29, 2007