FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2006 | CONTACT: Megan Reiter
(703) 683-9312; mreiter@acteonline.org |
ALEXANDRIA, VA—In light of the current and future challenges facing the nation’s youth, high school redesign and reform has become a rising issue of importance, capturing national attention. Today, ACTE released its position statement on high school reform, “Reinventing the American High School for the 21st Century,” outlining the organization’s vision on what high schools should be and how career and technical education (CTE) can contribute to reform and redesign efforts.
ACTE advocates for clearly focusing American high schools on the new purpose of preparing every student for full participation in a spectrum of postsecondary education opportunities, meaningful work, career advancement, and active citizenship. In its position statement, ACTE promotes a number of CTE strengths and resources that will help improve the nation’s high schools and help prepare students for post-secondary education and the 21st Century workforce.
ACTE executive director, Janet Bray comments, “A common misperception is students must choose between CTE and academics. It would be a mistake to pit academic course taking against access to rigorous career-oriented and interest-based programs. Students need to be taught in a way that is rigorous, relevant to their areas of personal interest and career aspirations, and that creates a supportive environment of relationships.”
The Association suggests a three-fold purpose of CTE at the secondary level. ACTE believes CTE should; support students in the acquisition of rigorous core knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes needed for success in postsecondary education and the high-skilled workplace; engage students in specific career-related learning experiences that equip them to make well-informed decisions about further education and training and employment opportunities; and prepare students who may choose to enter the workforce directly after high school with a level of skills and knowledge in a particular career area that will be valued in the marketplace.
The paper outlines nine recommendations for reinventing the nation’s high schools for the 21st century. The recommendations are:
- Establish a clear system goal of career and college readiness for all students
- Create a positive school culture that stresses personalization in planning and decision making
- Create a positive school culture that stresses personalization in relationships
- Dramatically improve how and where academic content is taught
- Create incentives for students to pursue the core curriculum in an interest-based context
- Support high quality teaching in all content areas
- Offer flexible learning opportunities to encourage re-entry and completion
- Create system incentives and supports for connection of CTE and high school redesign efforts
- Move beyond “seat-time” and narrowly defined knowledge and skills.
Each of the recommendations includes suggested local, state, and national responses, as well as examples of promising practices.
ACTE president, Connie Smithson states, “ACTE is publishing this paper because it recognizes that a new working model for the American high school is long overdue. The new model can’t be created just to fix the problems of the past. It must be created with the future in mind, and be designed around preparing students to succeed in the 21st Century Economy.”
For more information about ACTE’s position statement or to download a copy, visit the ACTE web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/high_school_reform.cfm. A full audio transcript of the briefing will be available on the ACTE web site 48 hours after the event. Click here to get to the audio file.
The Association for Career and Technical Education is the national professional association for the field of career and technical education. Now in it’s 80th year, ACTE’s membership numbers more than 30,000 teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels.
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