RETHINKING EDUCATION FOR CHANGING TIMES.

• Author: Ramos, Randy
• Position: EDUCATION

"The education system that gets the best results for everyone likely will feature a much greater emphasis on middle and high school career training and a hybrid approach to in-person classroom and distance learning." THE WAY we prepare young people for the workforce has needed rethinking for a while. As technology accelerates rapidly, employer needs are shifting in tandem. Schools have been working hard to make the needed transition, but now there is a new urgency. With the pandemic exposing vulnerabilities in the current system, major budget cuts hitting school systems across the U.S., and more families worried about paying for college in today's economic climate, it is clear education is on the cusp of a paradigm shift.

The upheaval caused by COVID-19 makes now the perfect time to figure out how all of the pieces fit together. In a way, the pandemic has been the final ingredient in a perfect storm. Sometimes events force our hand and push us to take a quantum leap into the future--and this is one of those times.

As we navigate this intense transition, we would be smart to take a step back and ask: What can we learn from what we are going through right now? How can we optimize the high school years? How can we better prepare our young people for the work world of the future? The education system that gets the best results for everyone likely will feature a much greater emphasis on middle and high school career training and a hybrid approach to inperson classroom and distance learning.

For middle, high, and post-secondary students, career skills development along a pathway to employment is essential. While in school, that pathway needs to provide achievement credentials that can be applied to continued/advanced education and/or employment opportunities. Both could have a "laddering model."

So, why is now the right time to rethink how we educate our kids? There are several reasons. Increasingly, the workplace demands a "justin-time" skill set. Technology changes are outpacing academic churn, and that is creating a worrisome skills gap. High schools need to make sure the skills they are teaching students are the ones that matter in the work world. That means partnering closely with industry to ensure that curriculum truly is up-to-the-minute.

We already have a great infrastructure in place. Career and technical education (CTE) programs are well established (and increasingly popular) in school systems across the U.S. In fact, they now are a...