As our young people prepare to become workers and citizens, schools must prepare them for the new expectations of our economy and society. Many students in the United States still attend high schools that were designed to fit the industrial model of the mid-20th century. Although in the 20th century, a large percentage of youths were able to succeed with just basic skills and a good work ethic, that era is a distant memory. Today, all students need to acquire both academic knowledge and technical skills, and yet, too many are not receiving this type of high-quality education and development.

• “Every year about a million young people who started high school with their peers don’t graduate from high school at the same time as their peers.” (High School Graduation Rates in the United States, Jay P. Green, The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, September 2003)
• Approximately 11 percent of young adults ages 16-24 are out of school and lack any high school credential (including the GED).
• Students from economically disadvantaged families are considerably more likely to leave high school than students from families with high incomes.  
• Seventy-three percent of employers rate the writing skills of recent high school graduates as fair or poor, while 63 percent express dissatisfaction with graduates’ math skills.  

“The new jobs require, in the great majority, qualifications the blue-collar worker does not possess and is poorly equipped to acquire. The new jobs require a good deal of formal education and the ability to acquire and to apply theoretical and analytical knowledge. They require a different approach to work and a different mind-set. Above all, they require a habit of continual learning.”

–        Peter Drucker, Management Expert and Author

Today’s youth—living and working in the 21st century—need solid academic preparation—not just for the Ivy League and other universities—but for the trades, automotive repair, high-tech manufacturing, and other jobs that provide self-supporting income. They also need skills to manage their personal lives, guide their families, and actively exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. They need Work Based Learning…..Learning for Life!

-      Dr. James Walker Todd