Young people need “faster, cheaper” career paths, starting in high school, writes Bruno V. Manno on Education Next.
Here provides examples from the district, charter, and private school sectors.
A Cristo Rey student in Columbus, Ohio works one day a week at a bank.
Wiseburn School District in Los Angeles County has partnered with Da Vinci Charter Schools, which works with businesses and nonprofits to offer students “internships, mentorships, workshops, boot camps, consultancies, and other programs.” Students may pursue college degrees through classroom or online instruction.
In Boston, nonprofit Match Education oversees Match Public Charter School and Match Beyond, now known as Duet, which helps high school graduates complete college and build careers.
Cristo Rey, a network of 35 Catholic schools, “integrates four years of academics with work experience through its Corporate Work Study Program.” High school students work one day a week for a corporate partner, earning some of their tuition.
“These innovations create new opportunity networks and social capital for young people, helping them integrate school and work and education and career, while preparing them to make better decisions about their future,” writes Manno. “They just may be the seeds of the nation’s next great educational transformation.”