Text 2 • Magazine Article

Learning That Works

by Joe Klein
1 Clyde McBride is one of those superintendent arrived in town a few
everyday saints who, without much years ago, McBride parked himself
fanfare, go about the work of on the guy’s doorstep. “He came in
changing, and sometimes saving, and gave me the ‘I have a dream’
the lives of children. He teaches speech,” says superintendent Harry
agricultural science on the Navajo Martin. “I told him I’d think about
reservation in Kayenta, Arizona. it, but he wouldn’t let me think about
He’s a memorable-looking fellow, it. He was bugging me three, four
with his cowboy hat, horsehide tie, times a week about it.”
and a body like a giant sack of f lour McBride’s dream was a state-of-
perched on tiny toothpick legs. His the-art agricultural-sciences building
most notable characteristic, though, is with two veterinary operating
his persistence. When a new school theaters—one for small animals

Students in Kayenta, Arizona, assist

in a veterinary operating theater.

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 and one for large ones—to train assist in both operating theaters,
Navajo kids to be veterinary aides prepping animals for surgery and
and technicians and perhaps even to learning how to suture, draw blood,
start a few of them down the road to and give injections. The veterinary
becoming veterinarians. “I thought clinic has become a valued resource
it was a waste of money and time,” on the reservation, but more than
Martin told me. “I’m an old English that, the academic results have
teacher. I was very skeptical about been spectacular. “Nearly every
vocational education. We needed to one of these kids passed the state
be drilling them on basic skills. But comprehensive test we give to
McBride said he’d make a believer out 17-year-olds in Arizona,” Martin
of me. And he did.” told me. “Less than about 40 percent
of my non-vocational-education
students passed.”
“It’s an alternative 2 Vocational education used to be
way to teach them where you sent the dumb kids or the
supposed misfits who weren’t suited
math, science, and for classroom learning. It began to fall
reading. They out of fashion about 40 years ago, in
love it.” part because it became a civil rights
issue: voc-ed was seen as a form of
segregation, a convenient dumping
Two years later, with the ground for minority kids in Northern
$2.4 million agricultural- and cities. “That was a real problem,”
technical-sciences building up and former New York City schools
running, Martin says, “It’s without chancellor Joel Klein told me. “And the
doubt the best program we have. voc-ed programs were pretty awful.
It’s an alternative way to teach them They weren’t training the kids for
math, science, and reading. They specific jobs or for certified skills. It
love it. They’re attentive, working really was a waste of time and money.”
hard, hands on.” McBride imports Unfortunately, the education
veterinarians from around the establishment’s response to the
country to visit the reservation and voc-ed problem only made things
work with the 226 students, who worse. Over time, it morphed into

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 the theology that every child should on to higher education are brutal:
go to college (a four-year liberal-arts four-year colleges graduate only
college at that) and therefore every about 40 percent of the students who
child should be required to pursue a start them, and two-year community
college-prep course in high school. colleges graduate less than that, about
The results have been awful. High 23 percent. “College for everyone
school dropout rates continue to has become a matter of political
be a national embarrassment. And correctness,” says Diane Ravitch, a
most high school graduates are not professor of education at New York
prepared for the world of work. University. “But according to the
The unemployment rate for recent Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than
high school graduates who are not in a quarter of new job openings will
school is a stratospheric 33 percent. require a bachelor of arts degree.
The results for even those who go We’re not training our students

Vocational Education Opportunities

About 4% of high schools are career and technical high schools.

100%
100 All high schools
90%
Career and technical
80% high schools
83
79
PERCENTAGE OF SCHOOLS

70%

60% 65
61
50%

40%

30%

20% 24
10%

0
Career and technical Work-based learning Specialized career
education courses or internships academy
VOC-ED OPPORTUNITY
Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2008

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 for the jobs that actually exist.” Arizona opt for the tech-ed path,
Meanwhile, the United States has and they are more likely to score
begun to run out of welders, glaziers, higher on the state’s aptitude tests,
and auto mechanics—the people who graduate from high school, and go
actually keep the place running. on to higher education than those
who don’t. “It’s not rocket science,”
says Sally Downey, superintendent of
the spectacular East Valley Institute
About 27 percent of Technology in Mesa, Arizona,
of the students in 98.5 percent of whose students
graduate from high school. “It’s just
Arizona opt for the finding something they like and
tech-ed path, and teaching it to them with rigor.”
they are more likely Actually, it’s a bit more than that:
it’s developing training programs
to score higher on that lead to jobs or recognized
the state’s aptitude certification, often in partnership
with local businesses. Auto shop at
tests, graduate East Valley, for example, looks a lot
from high school, different from the old jalopy that
kids in my high school used to work
and go on to higher on. There are 40 late-model cars and
education. the latest in diagnostic equipment,
donated by Phoenix auto dealers, who
are desperate for trained technicians.
In Arizona and more than a few “If you can master the computer-
other states, that is beginning to science and electronic components,”
change. Indeed, the old notion of Downey says, “you can make over
vocational education has been stood $100,000 a year as an auto mechanic.”
on its head. It’s now called career Arizona has another, rather
and technical education (CTE), unusual advantage. Its state education
and it has become a pathway that superintendent, John Huppenthal,
even some college-bound advanced- went to high school in Tucson on the
placement students are pursuing. voc-ed track. “It was considered the
About 27 percent of the students in path for losers, but I didn’t know any

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 better,” says Huppenthal, a Republican from high school with a certificate of
who was elected to the statewide post. technical expertise in a field like
“I came from a family of machinists. auto repair or welding are certainly
I didn’t know anybody who’d gone more likely to find jobs.”
to college, and I was happy in wood Still, Huppenthal finds vocational
shop. I remember making a chess set, school is a tough sell to the state’s
a very complicated project that really education establishment. “It doesn’t
made mathematics come alive for have the prestige of a college-prep
me.” He also happened to be a state- course,” he says, “and it costs a lot more
champion wrestler with pretty good than two-dimensional education to do
test scores, and his coach encouraged it right.” Traditionally, Democrats have
him to study engineering at Northern tended to be opposed on ideological
Arizona University. “I really believe grounds. They’re the strongest believers
that some form of CTE is essential in college for everyone. Republicans
for a world-class education,” he says. are reluctant to spend the money
“Most students respond better to a on state-of-the-art equipment like
three-dimensional learning process. the veterinary center on the Navajo
It’s easier to learn engineering by reservation, although some concede
actually building a house—which that CTE programs that prepare
my family did when I was a kid, by students for actual jobs are a good idea.
the way—than sitting in a classroom “It’s like walking in a hurricane,” says
figuring out the process in the Huppenthal. “You know where you
abstract. Some students can respond to want to be going, but the winds keep
two-dimensional learning, but most pushing you off course.”
respond better when it’s hands on.
But CTE is beginning to produce
Every surgeon needs to know how to
its own weather systems—human
sew, saw, and drill.”
tornadoes like McBride and Downey,
3 Precise statistics are sparse; it’s the superintendent at East Valley, who
difficult to keep track of students after is smart and passionate and extremely
they leave high school. But Carolyn pushy, constantly working the business
Warner, a former Arizona schools community in Phoenix for help in
chancellor, says tech-track students starting training programs. There are
“are more focused, so they’re more 38 programs on her campus, with
likely to graduate from two- and four- more coming. There are firefighter,
year colleges. Those who graduate police, and EMT programs; a state-of-
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 the-art kitchen for culinary-services “Look at this,” Downey says as
training; and welding (which can pay she shows me a fully stocked medical
$48 per hour), aeronautics, radio- laboratory. “We got $1.5 million from
station, marketing, and massage- Veterans Affairs to run a program
therapy instruction. (“We have a lot for surgical assistants, and they
of resorts around here,” Downey gave us a teacher to teach it.” The
explains, “and our students often premedical and -nursing students
work part time as masseurs to earn here are dressed in scrubs. Downey
money for college.”) Almost all of barges into a classroom and begins
these courses lead to professional polling the students. “How many of
certificates in addition to high school you are going on to some form of
diplomas, and many of the students higher education?” Almost everyone’s
are trained by employers for needed hand goes up. “How many of you are
technical specialties. None of her taking advanced-placement programs
3,200 students are full time. They in your home high schools?” A
spend half a day, usually afternoons, scattering of hands. “How many
at East Valley and receive academic of you have had to make sacrifices
training at 35 different home high to come here?” Again, a forest of
schools in the mornings. hands. Most of the sacrifices involve

High school students in San Diego,

California, use the latest technology
to diagnose engine problems.

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 hours of travel and having to give up what I’m doing in the afternoon, and
extracurricular activities. “And how when I explain it to them, they say,
many of you were discouraged from ‘Wow, you’re doing all that cool stuff,
doing this by your local high schools?” and you’re going to college. Why
About half. The home high schools didn’t I know about that?’”
tend to have the standard biases On a recent chilly morning at the
against vocational education—that Navajo reservation, McBride was
it’s a waste of time, that it takes away giving Huppenthal and me a hands-on
from the academic experience. tour of his veterinary facility. Husband-
“The public school system also and-wife veterinarians from Pittsburgh
has a civic purpose,” says Jonathan had volunteered their services for a
Zimmerman, an education historian few days and were spaying a dog in the
at New York University, citing a small-animal operating theater, with
common academic argument against the help of students in blue surgical
vocational education. “You’re not
just preparing people to work.
In 2009, 18 percent
You’re preparing people to be of high school
citizens. In a democracy, you need graduates earned
citizens who can think critically.” at least one credit
in consumer and
But people with jobs, especially culinary services.
skilled jobs, tend to be better
citizens than those without them.
And the teamwork involved in the
training programs at East Valley and
on the Navajo reservation tends to
help create a sense of community.
“In my home high school, you’re
sitting in a room with 30 other
students who don’t care, trying
to pay attention to a teacher who
doesn’t care,” says Aaron Pietryga,
who is training to become a
firefighter. “But [East Valley] is like
my family. Most of the kids at my
home school don’t have any idea

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 scrubs. “They’re very good,” says teaching the Navajo the technical
Sharon Wirtz, one of the vets. “They skills. These students also knew how
have an exceptional feel for this, to make an impression; they had
especially with the larger animals,” learned the soft skills necessary to be
like sheep and horses. Students were good employees. They looked you
suturing bananas and injecting oranges in the eye, introduced themselves
with red dye for practice. Recently a and shook your hand (which was
pack of wild dogs attacked some sheep universally true at East Valley as well).
on the reservation, and McBride took This was striking, given the history
some students to care for them. “Some of depression and despair on the
of these kids suture better than I do,” reservation. “These kids are thirsty.
he says. “It brings tears to my eyes.” All you’ve got to do,” McBride says,
But his real triumph wasn’t in eyes brimming, “is let them drink.”

Student Participation in Vocational Education

Overall, 94% of public high school graduates in 2009 earned
credits in career and technical education.
50%
48
45%

40%
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS

35%
34
30% 33
30
25%

20% 21
18
15%
14
13
10% 11 11
10 9 10
8
5% 7

0 Fam Keyb C ar e A gri Busi C om C om C C E H

p u t e on s t r uc on s ume ng ine e r e al t h s c an uf ac
M Mar k P ubl R
il y & o ar d er pr c ul t u ne s s mun ic s e e p air &
c ons ing e p ar re ic at i r sci t r&c ing ienc t ur in e t ing r v ic e t r an
ume at ion ons enc e ion ulina es g s spor
r sci s r y se t at io
enc e r v ic e n
s s

CAREER/TECHNICAL AREA
Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2009

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