The case for increasing vo-tech

By Emily Richmond

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

Last spring, Nevada's fourth graders scored at or above the national average in reading, language, math and science on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. But in the seventh grade, test scores dropped below the national average, and fell still further in the 10th grade .

That's proof, says Assembly Minority Leader Garn Mabey, R-Las Vegas, that the state's middle and high school students need more help now than kindergartners. And given the proven effectiveness of the state's career and technical education programs, that's where additional dollars should be directed, he says.

In fact, Mabey wonders why the state's 17 schools superintendents haven't asked for even more money for career and technical programs.

"I've seen nothing but positives about career and technical education," he says.

In 2004, MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social research policy organization, evaluated the effectiveness of so-called career academies, which offer students rigorous academic classes and training in smaller school settings. The offerings range from more traditional vocational programs in construction-related trades to preparation programs for careers in business and health fields.

Researchers focused on nine career academies in medium- and large-sized districts nationwide, and compared the students' achievements to their peers at the regular high schools. The majority of the students in the academies were black or Hispanic.

In the four years after graduation, young men in the career academies earned 18 percent more money than their peers at the regular high schools, the study found. (There was no significant outcome changes among women, perhaps owing to the greater likelihood of women attending school or taking care of children after graduation, the study concluded.)

Career academy students were as likely as their peers at the regular high schools to enroll in postsecondary education, said James Kemple, director of K-12 education for MDRC and co-author of the study. That shatters the "common criticism that it (career and technical education) makes kids choose between going to college and going to work," he said.

While career academies tend to attract motivated, high-achieving students, individuals who were considered likely to drop out of high school benefited most by career training, the study concluded. They had a lower dropout rate, better attendance and earned more high school credits than their peers at regular high schools.

Career academies, Kemple said, should make a greater effort to serve students at risk of dropping out, without lowering the overall academic expectations of the program.

The Clark County School District is a big fan of career and technical education training.

At Vo-Tech High School, the dropout rate is less than 2 percent, compared with the district average of just less than 6 percent. Vo-Tech students are also more likely to pass the state's high school proficiency exam on the first try, compared with their peers at comprehensive high schools. Minority students account for about 60 percent of the enrollment.

Vo-Tech Principal Richard Arguello fields more than 2,000 applications for just 400 openings each year, making the school among the most popular in Clark County.

None of these facts has escaped the notice of the School District, which is in the midst of a massive expansion of its career and technical education program. The new $88 million Northwest Career and Technical Academy will open in August, and three more campuses are planned for 2009.

In August, Vo-Tech will change its name to the Southeast Career and Technical Academy, in keeping with the district's shift away from vocational programs that once diverted students from a more academically challenging track.

James Stone, director of the National Center for Career and Technical Education at the University of Minnesota, said more districts are recognizing that "the traditional comprehensive high schools are not the best for all kids."

"You're providing these kids with a learning environment that's much more appealing," Stone said. "They have a reason to show up next Monday, they have a reason to pay attention."

But Stone was reluctant to choose between career and technical programs and full-day kindergarten.

"As much as I would like to be an unequivocal advocate for career and technical education, there's been some good research on the benefits of early childhood education, and not just kindergarten," Stone said. "In a perfect world we do it all. I empathize with anyone who sits on a school board or in a legislature and is trying to make good decisions."