If Democrats want to change their fortunes in future national elections, they would do well to start by recognizing that the public education system is disconnected from the modern workforce. President-elect Donald Trump won 56% of voters without a college degree, a reversal of a historical trend in which Democrats were the clear choice of the working class. Those who choose not to attend a four-year college or who cannot afford it have fewer opportunities.
To win back working-class voters, Democrats will reimagine public education and replace the current one-size-fits-all approach with a dynamic workforce model that prepares young people for good-paying jobs and membership in the prosperous middle class. must be migrated. Or maybe you’re not attending university?
On the economic front, Democrats are focused on job creation, child tax credits and other aid. That’s great, but these efforts usually don’t get noticed by young voters. When critics claim that we have become a party of elites, they mean that we have come to define success, especially for young people, as an unsatisfying binary choice. Maybe it is. Go to college and get a traditional higher education degree, or there’s nothing that’s too good for you.
But when teens struggle in school, in part, because they don’t understand how the subjects they take relate to jobs, the seeds of dissatisfaction are planted. Young people also know that our public school system is not set up so that those who educate and employ young people work together on behalf of students. Today’s disaffected 16-year-old is tomorrow’s floating vote.
Providing equal opportunities for young people requires broader reforms to public education that go beyond discussions about charter schools and adding a few vocational courses. It is also a key element of the strategy to rebuild a revitalized Democratic coalition.
It’s not just about bringing back car factories and wood factories. We must design and teach our core disciplines in ways that are relevant and relevant to high-growth employment sectors. Those interested in a career in criminal justice can learn the advanced science of DNA analysis. Mathematics and science can be taught with a focus on nutrition and agriculture, useful for students looking to pursue careers in the culinary and hospitality fields.
Japan’s educational standards should require that all disciplines have multiple teaching methods linked to career paths. Each content is rigorous and relevant enough to allow students to choose a university or an apprenticeship with a program or employer that will help prepare them for a good job in their chosen profession. There must be. High schools should also have centers that can help students find paid internships and jobs in a variety of professions.
The United States lags behind many other developed countries in preparing young people who do not attend college for the workforce. In Switzerland, for example, more than half of 16-year-olds have worked year-round for pay in sectors such as banking or construction. Industry works with public educators to develop courses that meet high academic standards and prepare students for careers in a variety of professional fields.
California is on this path. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to reduce barriers to employment, including a bachelor’s degree, a prerequisite for most state jobs. The state is one of at least 10 other states moving in this direction and applying skill-based standards to state employees.
Since 2015, California has invested more than $3 billion in public high school pathway offerings. As of last year, 23% of students at schools offering these programs were enrolled in some career course, up from 18% six years ago.
Opportunities offered by the state’s high schools include preparation for a career in agriculture on a 20-acre farm in Madera County, logistics and maritime instruction along the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and media and film work in Southern California. There is.
But there is still much work to be done. Three-quarters of California high school students do not have a career pathway program, and those that do need to be scaled up. Most major academic courses are still taught using standard textbooks. State standards should change to require creative teaching of these subjects to better prepare students for life after high school.
California’s efforts could serve as a model for other states and Democrats. As our state continues to expand its programs, the party can look to what it has already developed to set the national education and workforce agenda. If Democrats choose to seize it, their chances are huge.
I hope our party continues to attack, learn from our mistakes, and resist the inevitable injustices President Trump attempts. But I also hope that as Democrats seek to redefine themselves to voters, they won’t be limited to tactical adjustments or repackaging old ideas. Focusing on the education and economic well-being of the working class is also the right thing to do, because it benefits the party as a sound political move and gives more Americans the opportunities they deserve.
Darrell Steinberg is the outgoing mayor of Sacramento, former president of the California Senate, and author of the 2013 California Career Pathways Trust, the state’s first $500 million investment in career and technical education. .
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