Schools To Put Kids On Early Career Track School-To-Work Plan Starts In Middle School, With Classes Based On Choices By Junior Year

A plan to get students more involved in the working world won unanimous approval Wednesday night from the Spokane School Board.

Children will begin focusing on specific careers as early as middle school and select classes based on those choices by the time they’re juniors.

Teachers will venture into the business community more, too, not just for field trips but to find out how best to prepare students for jobs and careers.

Advocates say the plan, referred to as school-to-work or school-to-career, will help kids understand why they need a strong education.

So far, the district has spent about $190,000 training teachers to incorporate the concept into classrooms, said vocational facilitator Ruth Bragg.

The plan is expected to kick in at District 81 schools next year.

Kids will choose from five career categories: business, marketing and hospitality; fine arts and communication; manufacturing and technology; health and human services; and science and the environment.

By seventh grade, they’ll choose “tentative” career paths, according to the model approved Wednesday.

They won’t take specialized classes until high school, but they’ll find other ways to incorporate their “paths.” Children on the business path, for instance, could choose a business topic for English research papers.

They’ll be allowed to switch paths as their interests change, said Fran Mester, educational services director. Middle school teachers will also give more attention to tests that assess the students’ interests and abilities.

Students will delve deeper into their chosen fields until high school, when they’ll make career plans for after graduation.

“Right now at grades 11 and 12, kids just aimlessly take courses that appeal to them, but they don’t know how it’s connected (to a career),” Mester said.

School-to-work plans have sparked controversies in other districts where critics worried teachers would “track” children without leaving ample room for individual preference.

Mike McGuire, assistant principal at Rogers High School, said that won’t happen. Most students won’t settle into a career path until the end of their sophomore year, he said.

“The freshman and sophomore years are overviews. You’re still not pinned into a track. The pathways are very wide and students can go in between.”

Sharon Straub, a teacher at Ferris, agreed. “We still believe a child needs a holistic education,” she said.

“It’s a direction, help and guidance piece more than forcing them into an arena at this point.”

, DataTimes