What Lies Ahead For My Student?

Dear Escalante Middle School Community,

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a conference about preparing students for postsecondary education, or education after high school. There was a time when the majority of jobs required only a high school diploma. Current statistics from the Colorado Department of Education indicate that the story is very different today. According to their research, 74% of job openings in the state today require some form of education after high school. Traditionally, we think of this as attending college or university, but it also includes technical schools, trade schools, and specific certifications that require continued study. The bottom line is that in order for our education system to consider itself successful, we need to graduate students from high school who are prepared to continue their learning after walking across that stage.

The story of the statistics gets even more complex. If current trends hold, these statistics represent the path that 9th graders across the state will take.

*Across Colorado, the current high school graduation rate is 78%.
*44% of current 9th graders will go to some kind of college or technical school.
*35% of current 9th graders will go on to a second year of college.
*23% will graduate college within six years of starting.
*18% of graduates will leave college with a job in their field.

So what are some strategies that will help us beat these odds? The greatest predictor of whether a child will extend their education past high school is parent expectations. I highly encourage parents to discuss future goals and the type of education necessary for those jobs. In addition, discuss the types of jobs that are in high demand in Colorado. The link below will take you to the top tier jobs in the Colorado job market right now that have high demand according to Colorado labor statistics:

This list is a great resource because it describes the education level necessary for that career as well as average salary that can make for great conversation starters.

At school, we have incorporated much more post-secondary thinking into Crew. Middle school is the perfect time for students to start thinking about what careers may interest them, discover how many careers exist in specific fields, and learn how important education is to pave the road to an independent future. Building this foundation is one of our primary Crew goals this year.

As always, thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Jeremy Voss, EMS, Principal

Top Tier Jobs

Published October 27, 2017 Print