Yesterday Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Schools in California, released a plan for the future so a smarter, stronger California can emerge – and reclaim its role as a leader in public education. The plan was developed with shared thinking from 59 leaders from across California including teachers; parents and community; labor, and business leaders. You can find the full report Here.
The plan focuses on nine strategies, including a focus on Higher Education and Secondary Alignment that I think is particularly important for students interested in careers in computer science and the Information Technology Sector. We must work together to strengthen the pathway to high school graduation and post-secondary degree completion. This will mean embracing policies and strategies that will drive a more productive alignment between the secondary and higher education systems, and a focus on the kinds of learning that will pay off in college and career success. Absent any improvements, California’s labor market is projected to be short one million college educated workers by 2025, leading to the most severe drop in per-capita income in the nation.
The need for more college level instruction is clear. A recent forecast by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that most of the growth in jobs between now and 2018 will be in white collar jobs in the professional, service, administrative, and sales areas. The more than 40 million new jobs in these areas compare to fewer than 10 million new jobs in traditional blue collar fields. The BLS forecasted the types of degrees required to meet these job requirements. As shown in the below table, the largest proportional increases in employment are expected in jobs that require at least an associate’s degree, and most require a bachelor’s degree or more.
Projected (2008-18) Percent Change in Employment, by Education or Training Category
| Associate degree | 19% |
| Master’s degree | 18% |
| First professional degree | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 17% |
| Doctoral degree | 17% |
| Postsecondary vocational award | 13% |
| Bachelor’s or higher degree, plus work experience | 8% |
| Moderate-term on-the-job training | 8% |
| Work experience in a related occupation | 8% |
| Short-term on-the-job training | 8% |
| Long-term on-the-job training | 8% |
Under the Higher Education and Secondary Alignment section of the plan, the report calls for the California Department of Education to:
- Work with the University of California, California State University, andCaliforniaCommunity Collegesto establish and defineCaliforniaCollegeand Career Readiness Standards, along with performance goals and reporting systems, and align assessments for K-12 accountability, college admissions, and college placement.
- Remove regulatory and fiscal barriers to dual enrollment of high school students in college coursework to engage in rigorous curricular pathways in aligned sequences leading to bachelor’s degrees or career-technical education credit.
- Establish, with other agencies, a longitudinal data repository that links databases from community colleges, K-12 (CALPADS), higher education (CPEC), and the Employment Development Department in order to track degree attainment, job placement, career path, and workforce success of students.
- Create strong Linked Learning pathways to college and careers by evaluating and investing in innovative, personalized high school models that engage students in academic and applied learning, and by modernizing A-G requirements while revamping high school assessments. Implement key recommendations from the AB 2648 Multiple Pathways to Student Success Plan published in 2010.