Prepare every student for college, work and life.
Create opportunity with college and workforce training.
As a society we can no longer afford a system that leaves many students behind with a poor or mediocre education. Rigorous graduation standards, a strong foundation in math and science and quality career and technical education opportunities, taken together, will ensure every student who works hard will be ready to pursue college or skills training, or land a living-wage job after high school. To maximize opportunities for all, our state must keep college affordable.
Improvements
- The State Board of Education adopted the CORE 24 framework, aligning high school graduation requirements with college and workforce standards, and calling for more opportunities for students to take career and technical education (CTE) and world language courses.
- Gains in college participation rates with significant improvements among African Americans.
- The Legislature invested $9 million to create four new Skills Centers and expand two existing centers to serve an expected 2,125 additional students.
- A slight increase in CTE programs, including 700 new slots.
- Navigation 101, an effective student guidance program, expanded to 225 schools in 103 districts.
No Change
- No change in bachelor’s degree completion rates for first-generation, full-time students.
- No significant change in overall college remediation rates.
Going Backward
- Annual student debt has increased by 20%, compared to two years ago.
- College going rates among Latinos and Native Americans have decreased.
- Businesses across the state reported increased difficulty finding qualified workers.
Strategies
- Implement and fund new graduation requirements that will prepare students for life after high school.
- Address career and technical education (CTE) teacher shortage by recruiting and hiring more
teachers. - Address the opportunity gap by creating strong academic counseling and guidance in every school, including programs like Navigation 101.
- Expand eligibility for the State Need Grants.
- Expand Opportunity Grants for adults who pursue job training in high-demand fields.
- Ensure the state’s data system follows students from early learning through higher education
to better assess student endeavors in post-secondary education.
Indicators
Family Affordability:
Percentage of income that Washington’s poorest families paid for college over and above financial aid in 2008: community college: 55.1%; public four-year colleges and universities: 70.4%; private four-year colleges and universities: 194.1%. (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education)
Student Debt:
In 2008, Washington students borrowed an average of $4,572 per year during undergraduate study, a 20% increase since 2006. (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education)
Completion:
In 2008, 63% of first-generation, fulltime students completed a bachelor’s degree within 6 years from college entrance, the same as in 2006. (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education)
Economy:
In 2007, 60% of firms surveyed reported difficulty finding qualified job applicants, compared
to 51% in 2005 and 45% in 2003. (Washington State Workforce Training Board)
Readiness:
37% of the Class of 2004 who attended a Washington two- or four-year college within a year after high school graduation enrolled in remedial courses. (HECB)
Dual Enrollment Programs:
In 2006-07, about 22% of high school juniors and seniors participated in dual enrollment programs, an increase of 3% from 2004-05. (SBCTC)
- Enrollment in Running Start, Tech Prep and College in the High School programs has increased 60% since 2001-02. (SBCTC)
- Enrollment in Running Start has increased by 20% since 2001-02. (SBCTC)
- Enrollment in Tech Prep has increased 126% since 2001-02. (SBCTC)
- Enrollment in College in the High School has increased 56% since 2001-02. (SBCTC)
- Running Start for the Trades was established in 2006, serving nine school districts. The program has expanded to 14 school districts. (OSPI)
