KELLER, Texas — Public School Review found a 90% average graduation rate in Texas public schools last year. But a college and career readiness company reported in its recent national survey that 75% of high school graduates are not ready to make college and career decisions.
Last week, WFAA told you about Keller ISD’s Center for Advanced Learning (KCAL); students attend classes on that campus to earn technical certifications before graduating high school.
But skills learned at KCAL go beyond what’s earned on paper and their teaching strategy is a good reminder to start shaping your high schoolers interview and professional skills long before they graduate.
"Here you get credit for trying, you get credit while you learn and decide for yourself," says Micheal Bradley.
Bradley teaches construction at KCAL. He’s worked in construction since his own graduation.
"I wanted to work in construction, I wanted to build things with my hands," he said. "Had I had a program like this I would have been more employable, I would have earned more money, I would have had a better sense of what I was doing the minute I entered the field. That’s one of the benefits of having these programs."
KCAL is unique; students attend high school and come to the campus to take career and technical education courses.
"Look for careers other than the ones people tell you should have; find the ones that speak to your heart," says Bradley.
"You have these students here in the building that they’re learning what they want to do when they grow up and for so many of them, that isn’t college. But they can go out into the real world and the workforce and they can make great money and continue their education through those hands-on apprenticeships. So I think it’s great that these students have so many options available to them," says KCAL Principal Lindsey Rudnick.
According to Rudnick, all student options center around professionalism.
"Our students have mock interviews, employability rubrics, we have professional dress Thursdays. Our students are treated like professionals," she says. "Our teachers here come from industry; 90% are from industry and decided to teach. So, it’s natural for our teachers and students to feel like they’re going to work."
In fact, the campus feels more like a community college.
"As a kid, I wasn’t taught these things. I learned hands-on, in construction, being yelled at by old men who didn’t have a lot of patience," Bradley says. "So, for me, it’s wonderful to be able to teach the kids all the things I wish I had known but also prepare them for a career."
Staff often bring in guest speakers to expose students to career opportunities they would never know otherwise.
"Construction is not just about tools. They have accountants, they have office managers, they have clerks, they have people who track safety and teach safety. There are many other positions that don’t involve tools or getting dirty," says Bradley.
While students may not know what options they have when they walk through KCAL’s doors, they certainly do when they leave.
"I just wish more young people knew about all those opportunities out there because let’s say you want to go to a two-year college and get an associate degree and take one of those jobs. It’s perfect and you make great money," says Bradley.
There are dozens of career and technical campuses across North Texas school districts. Keller ISD students start choosing a path in 8th grade, so talk to your kids about alternative options as soon as possible.
Other local education news: