How a NYC public school prepares graduates for careers, and higher education.
In today’s world, having a high school diploma is rarely sufficient for a diverse and rewarding career. Because most high-demand jobs require advanced skills, ensuring that all students have access to postsecondary education has become an equity issue. Those who are not prepared for college will unfortunately lose out. Yet not all students want to go directly on to postsecondary education. Some can’t afford it, and some are more interested in transitioning directly into technical and career pathways.
Career and technical education (CTE) offers a solution that addresses equity concerns. CTE programs give high school students opportunities to learn the technical and vocational skills needed for career pathways that interest them, while also providing them with an intellectually challenging curriculum that prepares them for postsecondary education. By the time they’re ready to graduate, students have completed the coursework and exams required for higher education, and they’ve earned a certificate that qualifies them for a career. In addition, CTE programs provide students with skills, knowledge, and work habits—such as persistence and time management—required for success in the workplace and in college. Because CTE programs prepare students for both career and postsecondary education, they differ from the vocational training of earlier eras where students selected a vocational track that could exclude them from the possibility of pursuing higher education.
Successful CTE schools and programs develop close working relationships with industry, higher education, and community partners. They also have support from their district. Industry and higher-ed partners collaborate with the district and school to create an appropriate curriculum that aligns with the school’s CTE focus, as well as provide work-based learning, internships, and mentoring opportunities for students. In addition, higher-education partners give students access to college classes and course credit. Community partners provide service-learning opportunities for students, as well as additional industry-related experiences. And the district ensures that the overall CTE program receives the necessary guidance, resources, and developmental support to produce the desired outcomes. The stakeholder partnerships and the collaboration and communication with students, parents, staff, and partners are key to CTE success.
The Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights, a New York City public school located in Queens, exemplifies the power of partnerships for CTE schools. IHPCH, created in collaboration with the Institute for Student Achievement and now in its second year, introduces students to particular health professions and provides a rigorous, college-preparatory instructional program. During their high school career, students have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications such as an EMT, or emergency medical technician designation. At the same time, students take an inquiry-based, Common Core–aligned college preparatory course of study that qualifies them for admission to a two- or four-year college or other postsecondary institution.
Through IHPCH’s partnership with the North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Center for Learning & Innovation, hospital faculty guide students through unique learning opportunities, including CPR training, EMT courses, simulated surgeries, and more. This partnership introduces students to careers in the health professions such as nutritionist, radiology technician, and nurse anesthetist. North Shore was also integral to the development of the Institute’s internship program, participation in which is a graduation requirement. Students at the institute have volunteered at local elementary schools and at Queens Hospital—an internship that led to a part-time job for one student.
The school’s partnership with Hofstra University provides students with authentic college experiences. By attending classes at Hofstra, students get a feel for the demands of college, and being on campus helps them see themselves as belonging there.
The school integrates its health theme into the core curriculum. For example, in a 9th-grade social studies unit on early civilizations, students learned about medicines used in ancient Egypt. In a 10th-grade world history class, students created a simulated talk show and had Enlightenment thinkers as “guests” to discuss the connections between medicine and the place of humans in the universe. Offerings in art include medical illustration courses, and students have opportunities to integrate the arts and their health curriculum learning. One project asked students to use Picasso’s Cubist style to draw representations of the eyeball.
As this Queens school demonstrates, CTE experiences can engage students in a rich academic experience that prepares them for college while also teaching them specific career and technical skills that ready them for a career pathway and certification. With the support of committed educators and active community, business, and higher-education partners, CTE programs can provide students with the opportunity to graduate with the skills, technical knowledge, rigorous academic foundation, and real-world experience that support college success and access to high-skill, high-demand careers.
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