2019 February Paso Robles Magazine

Is University the Only Route After High School?
James J. Brescia Ed.D
SLO County
Office of Education
Superintendent
“Education is the most powerful weapon which
you can use to change the world.”
- Nelson Mandela
The question we should be
asking is “How do we best
prepare students for life
after high school graduation? Last
year I was fortunate to be invited
to present some of my current educational
research at a symposium
hosted by Cambridge University
in the United Kingdom. In 2015,
I lectured at Oxford and was reminded
of how similar our educational
challenges are both internationally
and domestically. At this
conference I was co-presenting
with my colleague, Dr. James Gentilucci.
Our research on “Successful
Recruitment Strategies for Teachers”
was commissioned by the California
County Superintendents
Educational Services Association.
We addressed an audience from
America, Europe, Asia and Africa
on the importance of thoughtful
recruitment and retention of educational
employees. London is facing
a similar shortage of educators
as we are in California. One path
the European, African, and Asian
countries have already implemented
is aggressive Career and Technical
Education (CTE) in secondary
schools that include teacher
education. Just a month prior to
the Cambridge symposium, I attended
a local conference hosted
by the California Department of
Education on the importance of
CTE pathways in our schools.
My attendance at this conference
and the 2015 Oxford symposium
served to further strengthen my
commitment to our county-wide
efforts in securing CTE funding
for local schools throughout our
county. I am honored to have our
local assemblyman Jordan Cunningham
and state senator Bill
Monning also supporting these
efforts in the state legislature.
Education in the United States,
and across the globe, continues to
experience challenging times. We
would be wise to remember that
according to current data one out
of three Americans (33 percent)
report attaining a bachelor’s degree,
and 12 percent reported and
advanced degree such as a master’s,
professional, or doctorate degree.
Almost nine out of 10 Americans
(88 percent) attained a high school
diploma or General Equivalency
Diploma (GED). Educational attainment
continues to vary by age,
sex, race and Hispanic origin, nativity,
and disability status. While
we here in America continue to
navigate our way through federal
and state mandates that impact
our classrooms, our leaders must
include CTE as a piece of the educational
puzzle.
Ask a puzzle master and you will
be advised that instead of taking a
wild stab at the puzzle, see if you
Continued on PAGE 41
Future Careers. Locally Grown.
"It's been really great learning new
things, and having a teacher who is
willing to bring us opportunities like
this."
Grace - Student, Templeton High
School
www.SLOPartners.org
Watch the Video @San Luis Obispo County Office of Education YouTube
40 | pasomagazine.com PASO Magazine, February 2019