Duncan, Perez Endorse K-14 Model For Workforce Development.

In commentary in the Philadelphia Inquirer (9/8), Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez write that the US education system “must do a better job of teaching job-ready skills and equipping the next generation to thrive in the global economy.” To be prepared for the jobs that will exist in the coming decades, they write, students will need critical thinking skills, “a solid foundation in the basics,” and “technical know-how to match the technology they’ll inevitably work with.” The secretaries praise high schools that are “offering instruction in robotics, computer programming, even nanotechnology,” and single out Brooklyn’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH), calling it “a unique arrangement among IBM, the City University of New York, and the New York City Department of Education.” The writers note that the school has a six-year program which “allows students to graduate with a high school diploma, an associate’s degree and the industry experience they need to compete for high-demand jobs,” and recommend that this “K-14” model be replicates across the country.