Is post-high school education and training critical for securing a family wage job and avoiding unemployment?

The answer is yes.

December nationwide unemployment among workers with some college education was 3.7 percent, and just 2 percent for those with at least a four-year degree.  Overall unemployment was 7.2 percent.  And even with increasing unemployment, the bulk of job openings require some amount of post-high school education and training.  Yet a majority of Washington high school students graduate needing remediation in math and other subjects before they can enter training program or college.   And about 30 percent of our students don’t even graduate from high school.

Now more than ever we should be improving classroom instruction and raising our academic standards.  And instead of eliminating or delaying graduation tests, which measure a student’s mastery of essentially 9th and 10th grade skills, we should be raising expectations to a level that honestly prepares students for post-high school success, as Minnesota and other states are doing. These states are taking the lead on adopting college and work ready assessments that measure the vital skills (problem-solving, math skills, literacy and science reasoning) that students will need to succeed in on the college campus or in today’s knowledge economy.  

Recognizing that today’s students will be competing for jobs with the best and brightest from around the world, Massachusetts and Minnesota are going a step further to benchmark their students’ performance internationally on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) exam. More importantly, both states have invested in rigorous standards, deep professional development and an unwavering commitment to math and science. These commitments are paying off in a big way.

According to the results of the 2007 TIMSS, Massachusetts 4th-graders ranked second worldwide in science achievement and tied for third in mathematics. The state's 8th-graders tied for first in science and ranked sixth in mathematics. Massachusetts even bested technical powerhouse nations like Japan. In Minnesota, gains in 4th-grade math from 1995 to 2007 were among the largest of any of the countries that participated in the study in both years. Only four nations posted significantly higher scores than Minnesota in 4th-grade math, while five countries topped the state in 8th-grade math.  

Anecdotal evidence from economic development leaders in both states suggests that companies are looking to relocate because of the strong showing on the international math and science exams.  And, with threat of layoffs from Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks at our doorstep, Washington would do well to follow their example.