Vocational boom: Enrollment surges at career technical schools as students seek skills, jobs, financial stability

In an effort to eliminate suspensions that disproportionately affect Black and brown students, Dallas Independent School District created on-campus reset centers where staff mediate conflicts between students and help them reflect on their behavior. Disciplinary action has declined since the centers were implemented, and the percentage of students being repeatedly disciplined fell from 28 percent to 13 percent.

Young people are graduating from high schools and not ready for college level work. Liz Willen describes different initiatives around the United States that have provided solutions for improving secondary education. She addresses the importance of STEM, role models for students, and project-based learning.

YouthBuild focuses on a tough demographic: 18- to 21-year-old drop-outs who are eligible for neither regular high school nor adult education. The program mixes classroom learning and vocational education, qualifying them for entry-level jobs or college.

The ecosystem of D.C. charter schools that has evolved over the last two decades represents a cornucopia of creative and nontraditional approaches to education, in addition to fairly traditional college-prep schools, and is now producing some of the highest graduation rates, college acceptance rates, and average test scores in public schools in the nation.

A nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools, delivers a first-class education to the children of illegal immigrants, helping to break the cycle of poverty and provide them a path to advance in life.

Educational nonprofit OneGoal has proven that its model of education helps provide low-income students in Chicago and Houston with the tools needed to pursue a college degree. Now, the nonprofit hopes to improve the college graduation rate in New York City by assisting high school students in understanding the basic techniques to achieve success.

The Phoenix School of Discovery is an alternative school designed for students with learning and social challenges, with roughly half of students on an individualized education plan, or IEP. The school prioritizes hands-on learning, has multiple teachers in each classroom, and offers accommodations like sensory-friendly lighting and a space for “quiet lunch” for students who find the traditional cafeteria over-stimulating.

Brilliant Footsteps International Academy implemented an integrated education model that combines Islamic studies, vocational training, including barbing, calligraphy and culinary arts and hands-on STEM learning. The school uses problem-based, student-led projects to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, while also focusing on gender inclusion in a region where girls are typically excluded.

The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative pools the resources of nine rural school districts to give students better access to career and technical education, with programs focused on building trades, hospitality and tourism, health sciences, education, and the environment. The Collaborative also connects students to local businesses for job shadowing, internships, and career fairs.

The Knowledge, Solutions, Skills and Kreativity school (KNOSK) enrolls low-income students at a much more affordable tuition rate than other public and private school options, giving children who would otherwise drop out access to education. The school currently serves 151 children with its first group of graduates set to finish in 2025.