Our Voice: College isn’t the only path after graduation

Hundreds of Mid-Columbia high school seniors celebrated their graduation this weekend with that unique mix of relief and joy that comes from realizing that, finally, all those years of studying have paid off.

A good number of them have made their parents proud with their academic achievements. Many earned scholarships, awards and other honors, and will head off to college in the fall.

This is the group that was served well by our current education system, and we wish them well.

But in an ironic sense of timing — as we applaud the valedictorians and salutatorians of every graduating class — both Gov. Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal have recently suggested that pushing all teens toward college is a mistake, and that we need to re-think our definition of educational success.

Reykdal, the new head of OSPI, has unveiled his vision for K-12 education, and part of that plan is creating more pathways for high school students.

He said “we have created an almost singular university-for-all path to graduation that is not serving us well” and he wants to build more avenues for students based on their interests.

This means more emphasis on vocational education and getting teens ready to work or head to a technical college or apprenticeship program after graduation.

He said “every pathway should be valued equally” and he wants to add more opportunities for students to earn dual credits so they can satisfy a math requirement, for example, while also learning a technical skill.

We are fortunate in the Tri-Cities to have the Tri-Tech Skills Center, which offers vocational education to students from Kennewick, Richland, Pasco and other school districts in the region.

But it is only one of 11 such skills centers in the state, according to its website. And many school districts have cut back on their technical offerings in order to meet additional academic requirements for graduation.

Reykdal’s report said that the state spends about $3 billion a year on grades 9-12, but only half of those students are on a path that aligns with where they want to go next.

His report also notes that 50 percent of high school freshman will never enroll in a college or university — which emphasizes the need to create a wider variety of learning options for students.

In addition, the Washington Roundtable, a nonprofit economic policy group, released a report earlier this year that showed only 31 percent of high school graduates in our state go on to earn a college degree or some other post-secondary credential by age 26.

Roundtable officials have said our education system isn’t producing enough qualified candidates for the jobs being created in our state. Washington ranks near the top in the country for technology-based careers, yet near the bottom for preparing enough students to take those jobs.

Inslee announced on Wednesday a new task force to help with this dilemma. He is launching a new Career Connect Washington Initiative aimed at funneling more high school students into good-paying jobs right after they graduate.

“We have to stop telling our kids that a four-year degree is the only path to success,” he said. “Most of them will require education and training after high school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a four-year college degree.”

His summit on the issue was planned as an event for a few hundred people, according to the governor’s office. But instead, it attracted more than 1,200 participants from 27 sites around the state.

Clearly, attitudes about career choices are changing.

There always will be a need to prepare students for college, but that should not be the only path encouraged.

We do our kids, and our state, a disservice if we limit their choices while they are in high school.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Our Voice: College isn’t the only path after graduation."