Let’s Talk
A monthly column for parents and educators.
Paving the Way for Success
Summary: For your child to succeed in a technology-driven marketplace, they need several specific skills. These include being able to speak critical languages, and having strong mathematics and science skills.
Summer is usually a time when students—and their parents—are happy to let go of all thoughts of school. But, you might want to take advantage of the break to think about the direction your high schooler is heading in and if it will prepare him or her for college or work.
Much has been written about the increasing demands of our global economy and the fact that America’s schoolchildren need to be able to compete in a technology-driven marketplace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the long-term shift from a goods-producing to a service-providing job market will continue in our country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that of the 18.9 million new jobs that will be created here from 2004 to 2014, approximately 18.7 million will be in service industries. The overwhelming majority of those jobs will be in the fields of education, health, professional, and business services.
Another sobering fact is that educational attainment has an enormous impact on both average weekly wages and unemployment rates. The Department of Labor reports that individuals with some high school education but no diploma will earn an average of $396 a week (in 2003 figures) and experience an unemployment rate of almost 9 percent. In contrast, high school graduates earn an average of $554 a week and have a 5.5 percent unemployment rate. Average salaries jump to $622 a week for people with some college; $672 a week for those with an associate or two-year degree; and $900 for those with a bachelor’s or four-year degree. Unemployment drops significantly the higher up on the education scale you go: from 5.2 percent unemployment for people with some college to 3.3 percent for college graduates.
What impact does this have on your high school student? To be competitive, our young people not only need to finish school but also take courses that will prepare them for the 21st century workplace. The U.S. Department of Education is calling on community and business groups to take the following steps:
- Encourage high school students to take critical language courses such as Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Currently, fewer than half of American students are enrolled in any foreign language class and less than 1 percent study critical languages. Find out which language courses are offered in your local schools and lobby your school district to provide critical languages if they aren’t readily available.
- Advocate for more rigorous math and science requirements. Although the landmark 1983 education report, A Nation at Risk, recommended that high school students take a minimum of three years each of science and math, only 22 states and the District of Columbia require at least that amount. Today, the U.S. Department of Education recommends four years of math and four years of science in high school. Find out what your state’s math and science requirements are for graduation.
By helping students invest in their education now, you’ll help them prepare for a brighter future and a stronger America.
This column, by Rhonda Barton, is provided as a public service by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, a nonprofit institution working with schools and communities throughout the region.
| Index |
