Differentiated Instruction: Should We Incorporate Vocational Education in Elementary and Middle School Curriculums?

Differentiated Instruction: Should We Incorporate Vocational Education in Elementary and Middle School curriculums?

By:  Krispen R. Williams

The idea of planning a career can be stressful for all individuals.  In a global society, added pressure is placed on students concerning the issue of picking a successful career for the future.  In most states, obtainable careers outside of traditional college preparatory track can only be explored in ninth through twelfth grades. In some cases, vocational education options for students can only be entertained in the tenth through twelfth grades.  Regretfully, the issue is that most students drop-out of school before they reach the ninth grade, or while attending the ninth grade. 

Primarily, the reasons students choose to withdraw from school is because no alternative education exists for them to at the present time.  Try to envision the scenario this way:  a student waits patiently for stimulating curriculum to build his or her foundation for a potential career, but no alternatives exists until the student reaches a certain age or grade level.  A limitation of favorable career options can be rather frustrating to a child. As a result, many students feel the school doesn’t view them as an independent thinker and author of their own economical destiny. Many students refuse the opportunities given to them to explore, so they simply drop-out of school. 

But, does not having an alternate track for students to explore really force them out of school?  Are our schools to blame for increased drop-out rates, and ultimately the effects of crimes felt throughout the nation? I digress, but the school does play a vital role in preparing and equipping every child with the opportunity to explore new educational horizons-not all college based or age appropriate programs. Obviously students understand that college is not the route for them, due to little or no parental concern in higher education, or due to little or no interest from the student. 

Our society is reflective of various careers that do not require a college degree, but in most schools in America we only offer students a high school diploma after successful completion of the state’s or district’s desired units. Afterwards, many of those same students pursue a college degree at a two-year or four-year college.   On the other hand, if a vocational track is offered to students at a younger age group (3rd-8th) they will be able to gain needed exposure in various disciplines related to vocational education, while avoiding the traditional “forced” routine of choosing college or the workforce-one or the other. If schools expanded their instructional program students explore various areas before making a serious commitment.  For instance if a 4th grade student, interested in nursing could experience the fundamentals of allied health, then the student would have about four years before he or she would have to make a decision on pursing certification from a vocational school or exploring the options in college preparatory courses. Even after gaining more exposure, there is no definite that the student will choose the field of his or her choice, but the school would have done a substantial service in providing every student with equal an opportunity and a level playing field.

Image the increase of productivity our society can experience if we exposed students to forms of alternate education before they reached the high school level?  In addition, we would experience a decrease in adolescent drop-out rates through the nation. The deduction in teen drop-outs will lead to a dramatic decrease in:  teen pregnancy, criminal acts, infant mortality rates, and suicide, just to name a few.  If we believe that our educational system is capable of producing a society of independent thinkers, we should trust that they will choose a career beneficial to their mental, emotional, social, and spiritual development.  Students should be allowed to make a choice between vocational education and college preparatory courses as soon as they are able to imagine the possibility of a career of their choice. As educators we should offer students a range of choices.  In addition, we must believe that every child can be successful if given a chance, and we should leave no stone unturned in our quest to provide opportunities for success for every students.