Workforce-ready students should be priority over college prep, Colorado says
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High school students need to be prepared to get a job more than succeed in college, Colorado voters say.
Driving the news: The sentiment is evident throughout a recent Magellan Strategies poll that looked at how voters view education.
- 44% of registered voters want school districts to make "preparing students for the workforce" a priority, compared to 18% who picked "preparing students for college," the survey found.
- Asked if high schools should put more emphasis on career and technical education, 61% said yes, while 19% said college prep should rank higher.
Between the lines: The high cost of college and questions about whether a degree will lead to jobs weighed on voters' minds, pollster David Flaherty told our education reporting partners at Chalkbeat.
- "You can feel that skepticism about the availability of a white-collar job at the other end," he said.
Of note: The recruitment of quality teachers and higher salaries for educators ranked at the top of the priority list.
- A number of respondents identified other interests, including avoiding "woke" education and keeping politics out of the classroom.
The intrigue: The dismal outlook toward a college degree came despite the fact the majority of respondents held at least a bachelor's degree.