The U.S. is investing money and hope in an attempt to build a work force that can successfully compete for good jobs in a global economy. High schools and community colleges are undertaking career-oriented reforms, while the federal Workforce Investment Act is funding expanded programs for young people and for workers dislocated by economic change.
It sounds good, but unfortunately, much of the money and hope will be wasted - unless current myths are replaced with facts and common sense.
Myth #1: "We are headed for an hourglass economy, with all scientists, mathematicians and software designers at the top end and hamburger flippers and the homeless at the bottom." True, technology and international trade will continue to diminish routine jobs. But Harry Holzer of Georgetown University and Bob Lerman of American University have found that "roughly half of all employment today is still in the middle-skill occupations" - in areas such as health, construction, police and environmental work.
One adverse result of myth #1 has been the elimination of math applied to these and other middle-skill occupations in community colleges; it has been replaced by abstract math that many students fail as a prelude to dropping out.
Myth #2: "Lack of knowledge of academic content is the biggest barrier to earning a decent living." This view ignores the common-sense observation that relationships between individuals and their bosses and teachers play a large role in success on the job and in school. Those setting national school standards should be aware that successful entrepreneurs are disproportionately learning disabled and likely to do poorly on tests.
Myth #3: "'Soft skills' cannot be taught and assessed." In fact, 13 community-based organizations (CBOs) have successfully tested a process to teach, assess and award a certificate, called a "verified resume," under a recent Kellogg Foundation grant designed to help CBOs issue alternative credentials. One of the CBOs was Wide Angle here in Baltimore, where 27 students improved their performance by 28 percent in behaviors such as responsibility and skills such as interpreting information. Employers almost universally deem such "noncognitive" skills as critical, and most Baltimore employers surveyed in a small sample think that youths who have a verified resume attesting to these behaviors and skills will have a leg up in getting a job interview.
