One might be extending the period of public schooling to include substantial worksite education and training. The amounts now provided are paltry in comparison to the billions being discussed for traditional college financial aid. A word of caution is in order, however. Otherwise, the promise of qualification for postsecondary education will not be met, and fears of tracking could become a reality. The bind is that the economy needs advanced occupational and technical skills.
Shortages abound in some occupations.
The challenge to creating desirable pathways is considerable, but such new pathways are badly needed, both by young adults and the economy as a whole. Disparities in K-12 Education A tracing of the sources of inequality in access to higher education would be incomplete without commenting on its emergence early in the family and schooling experience. Increasing equality in obtaining college degrees is, in part, dependent on increasing the equality of educational attainment in elementary and secondary schooling, for those nearer the bottom are not going to get into college, or complete it, financial aid or not. Inequality in terms of educational achievement at early ages is embedded in the American system, rooted deeply in family, school resources, and school effectiveness. President Clinton also recognized shortcomings in K-12 education in his State of the Union message, and advanced corrective actions.