American Education and the American Dream

*Why reform of America's vocational education system - unchanged since
1917 - is past due.*

By Carol D'Amico

Assistant secretary for vocational

and adult education

U.S. Department of Education

"Only the educated are free," wrote the Roman philosopher Epictetus. It
is not enough to be born into a land of liberty and opportunity. True
freedom means the presence of real options, the ability to decide one's
own path in life, and the personal power to put that choice into
execution. Education is what gives an individual options, the knowledge
to act and choose independently, and the power to turn dreams and
aspirations into reality. Education, in other words, is really what
determines how much freedom we have.

What we call the American Dream, the founding fathers called the pursuit
of happiness---and until every child has equal access to it, the
American Revolution that began in 1776 is not over. The facts are too
stark to deny any longer: the quality of education a child receives is
directly linked to success and fulfillment in life. If we as adults
aren't fully aware of that reality---our children are.

An impressive 90 percent of high school students say they aspire to
attend a two- or four-year college. Ninety percent of our youth
apparently recognize that without the skills and knowledge conferred
through a high quality education, freedom is fragile, economic success
unlikely, and control over one's own life and future a mere myth. It is
between their aspirations and their ability to achieve them, that
failure enters the picture, because only 67 percent of students actually
enroll in a college curriculum. Of those 67 percent, only half complete
a degree program.

As a result, employers reported in 1999 that a whopping 38 percent of
applicants lack the skills for the positions they are seeking. And that
is exactly double the number of underqualified applicants reported in
1996. In almost four out of every 10 jobs, applicants lack the skills to
do the work they choose, to prosper in their chosen career, and have
their fair shot at the American Dream. And the number is rising.

Our approach to vocational education no longer works in the new, highly
competitive, technology saturated, global economy. Since 1917, the
federal government has made a major investment to prepare students for
the workforce. In the past, Americans with lower-level academic skills
could fare relatively well in the economy if they possessed a solid work
ethic and some training. Jobs requiring low- and medium-level skills
were plentiful and many paid sufficient wages to support a family.

But in recent decades, the workforce has changed dramatically, demanding
that all students graduate from high school with strong academic skills
that will allow them to pursue high-paying jobs or pursue further
education to do so. The number of skilled positions needed in our 1950s
economy was only 20 percent of the total; unskilled workers, on the
other hand, could fill 60 percent of the positions. In today's
knowledge-based economy, that proportion is just the reverse.

The importance of academics can be seen in law enforcement programs.
High school career academies organized around a law enforcement theme
have become increasingly popular, particularly in urban areas, but it is
academic skills, not technical expertise, that will determine whether
the students wear a badge. Most urban and suburban jurisdictions require
applicants for law enforcement jobs to pass a basic skills exam, and a
disturbing number of aspiring police officers fail to clear this hurdle.
The Hartford, Conn., and Oxnard, Calif., police departments, for
example, have reported that two‑thirds of their police academy
applicants fail their 10th grade level basic skills exams.

Rigorous, academic based education may have been a luxury in the past.
Today, it is essential, especially when considering the requirements of
postsecondary institutions. If that 90 percent of young people are to
have any hope of achieving their dream of college, then high schools
need to do a better job of preparing all students.

To reverse these dire trends, President Bush is proposing a \$1 billion
Secondary and Technical Education Program. States will use formula
allocations to make competitive grants to secondary schools and
community and technical colleges. The proposed new Secondary and
Technical Education Program would shift from providing traditional
vocational education to an entirely new focus on supporting academic
achievement at the high school level and on providing high-quality
technical education at the community college level that is coordinated
with local high schools. It would also promote stronger accountability
for results by linking grantee funding to success in achieving student
outcomes. Funding would provide states, local educational agencies,
community colleges and schools with the resources to strengthen academic
and technical education at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Education must expand our choices, not limit them---that is how it
promotes freedom. The cost of this freedom is an education that demands
strenuous effort. Not every student will need or want to earn a
baccalaureate degree. Not every student will want to enter an associate
degree or certificate program immediately after high school. But,
ultimately, most will need some education or training beyond high school
to land a good job that pays family-supporting wages. If we raise the
bar, they will rise to the challenge.

> This article first appeared in the *Community College Times*, Vol. XV,
> No. 9, April 29, 2003. The *Community College Times* is published by
> the American Association of Community Colleges