Ed465 094 - Beyond Empty Promises

Research indicates that the llcollegefor all\“ policies encouraged by well-intentioned but misguided educators are preventing many students from getting crucial information about how they are doing, seeing the full range of their desirable options, assessing the appropriateness and likely outcomes of available options, and identifying actions that can improve their career outcomes. Educators and students must be made to understand that \"college for all\” policies stem from popular misconceptions about the desirability of college for everyone and the undesirability of jobs after high school. Educators and students must also understand that .changing economic and labor market conditions have led to new rules of college and the labor market (skill demands have increased dramatically, earnings for those with less education have declined, college is more available, and community colleges have open admissions). It is particularly important to realize that students can improve their chances for getting good jobs by having better academic achievement and better noncognitive behaviors, taking vocational courses, getting job placement help from teachers, and working to improve their employment prospects before leaving high school. New policy actions to give students and educators better information and help students make more effective career plans must provide specific guidelines about selecting specific college and labor market options, useful evaluations in the form of tests and ratings, and trusted communication channels that provide authoritative information. (Contains 72 references.).