The Need for a Career, College and Life Readiness Culture in Schools

Through most of the 19^th and 20^th centuries America’s economy was industrial based.  As a result, a high school education and college education for that matter was not necessary.  In America’s economy there was opportunity for a person to find a decent paying job to provide a sufficient wage to support a family.  As many Americans have learned during the “Great Recession” this is no longer the case.  America’s and the global for that matter has shifted to a knowledge and/or service oriented economy.  Some blue-collar jobs remain, but the transition to an information and service economy has made a post-secondary education absolutely necessary to be prepared to effectively compete for a good paying job.   Long gone are the days of blue-collar, single income homes affording families the ability to fulfill the American dream: purchasing a home, earning vacations and a standard of living with leisure income.  Competitively preparing our students for the 21^st century and beyond has required a revamping of our educational expectations for students to have greater college choice and attain a post-secondary education.  Post-secondary education is to include trade training, certificates, 2-year degrees, 4-year traditional degrees and beyond.