Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy

Abstract

As the language of “college and career readiness” continues to permeate American public education, the fixation on preparing students for college and careers is potentially harmful for students, particularly urban students of color. In promoting “college and career readiness”, certain assumptions are taken for granted: that American schools are sites of egalitarian meritocracy and not spaces of social reproduction; that tomorrow’s job market desires more individuals with formal education, and that the jobs market will be viable for tomorrow’s willing workers. Here, we argue that as “college and career readiness” continues to be the dominant approach in American schools, it ignores the realities that the workplace of tomorrow is growing harsher as corporations continue their efforts to maximize profits by keeping labor costs low by reducing worker participation and seeking cheaper labor. Simultaneously, American students of color are more vulnerable to tomorrow’s workplace in that they continue to experience racial discrimination coupled with the growing tenuous nature of the future domestic job market. Thus, students who are being schooled in “college and career readiness” have to contend with the possibility that, though they are more formally educated, the economy of tomorrow may still deem them expendable.

Understanding college success through the lens of first-generation students in China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

“…Participants recognized the importance of learning practical professional knowledge alongside theoretical concepts and highlighted the need for developing practical skills beyond the curriculum. These findings are in line with existing literature on career readiness and employability skills, which emphasize the importance of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills for successful career outcomes [ 46 , 47 ]. Moreover, the findings emphasized the significance of networking, socializing, and building professional relationships in facilitating career advancement and gaining diverse perspectives.…”

“I Don’t Really Feel Prepared for This Now That We’re Talking about it”: What is Educating for College and Career Readiness in an Urban District?

“…The expectations of private business are given primacy over the public responsibility of educating the collective for personal development and contribution within a democratic society. Subsequent bipartisan federal education policies like No Child Left Behind (2001) [5] and Race to the Top (2009) [6] placed great emphasis on students, regardless of race and income background, becoming "career and college ready" and employing mandatory implementation of standardized testing to prove students' preparedness and schools' effectiveness in doing so.…”

“…As previously discussed in Unpacking the Shortcomings of "College and Career Readiness" as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools in Preparation for Tomorrow's Economy (Benson & Owens, 2022) [1], Leah Z. Owens and I explored the contradictory nature of educating masses of students for "college and career readiness" in a neoliberal economy whose primary function is profit maximization by accessing cheap labor through globalization, automation, computerization and increased usage of artificial intelligence. These combined and complementary approaches serve to reduce domestic labor costs and ultimately reduce human participation in the domestic workforce, all while the American citizenry becomes more formally educated.…”

Efficacy of school-based career guidance interventions: A review of recent research

“…Students and employees are facing more pressure than ever (Tham, Thuc, Phuong, & Giang, 2022) as they have to reassess their professional lives and make critical career decisions due to the massive shifts in the workplace (Maree, 2020). Evidence suggests that youths' environmental experiences throughout their school predetermine their future career path (Benson & Owens, 2022;Ekmekci & Serrano, 2022;Reed, Kaplita, McKenzie, & Jones, 2022). Young learners can be aided to facilitate their learning achievement, self-concept and interactional development enabling them to make essential life-changing decisions (Sim-Sim et al, 2022).…”