Jerry Patterson, District Administrator in the Appleton Area School District in Appleton, Wisconsin, talks about the technical preparation program as a combination of academics and real world hands-on experience. Excerpted from the video series Schools That Work: The Research Advantage, videoconference #7, Preparing Students for Work in the 21st Century (NCREL, 1992).
"In the traditional academic model, students were geared towards college preparation or they had the choice of vocational training in very narrow disciplines. That gets to be either or thinking, either you choose this or you choose that. What we're trying to do is link those concepts with 'and' thinking, you can take academic courses 'and' get hands on practical experience in the real world and you can pursue simultaneously something with academic rigor and get the kinds of hands on experience employers are looking for."
This Critical Issue was researched and written by Sarah Mason, Outreach Specialist, Center on Education and Work, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Date posted: 1996