When I was mayor in 2000-2001 Cambridge was considering allowing our technical students to leave to go to regional technical programs. I met with every 8th grader, because I wanted to know the students I would be handing diplomas to, but I also asked them about the technical programs. What I found was the students who clearly articulated a desire for tech ed were mostly of lower income background and predominantly Black and Brown, male and female. Meanwhile, the School Committee conducted a survey on the need for a comprehensive technical program. The study showed students wanted a technical training and path to employment after high school, and that about 40 percent of our students were exact candidates for some form of technical education.
As a result, we chose to revitalize technical education, add programs and recapture space that had been taken away from technical programs. At the time graphic arts, engineering and biotechnology were big steps and they were proven wise. But in retrospect, more construction trades should have been added. The advent of the internet and “apps” has in the last 15 years also created a surge of “entrepreneurship” which is another area we should be delivering more instruction on.
Technical education is at another crossroads in Cambridge. While RSTA (Rindge School of Technical Arts) has good programs, the overall quality and volume of trade and technical offerings, including entrepreneurial courses, does not meet demand. Superintendent David Murphy recently said that almost half of CRLS students take courses at the technical school – but there is a fine line between good intentions and neglect.
I believe two things are true about technical education in Cambridge: Its use of space and funding means it is considered a threat to traditional 4-year liberal arts education; 2) this is the cyclical neglect of technical education is absolutely a race and class problem.
What I’ve seen over the years is the typical “political” answer to a class and race problem in Cambridge schools is to whitewash changes so they are palatable to two groups: higher income, active parents and the teachers union. In the case of technical education, CRLS administrators have said college prep is their focus for nearly two decades. This clear and convincing message appeals to parents who want their children focused on admission to a liberal arts college. For the union, expanding traditional technical education means rethinking space and schedules – technical education requires bigger rooms and spending on specialized equipment, and longer blocks of learning time. It means hiring teachers who come from different backgrounds than is typical for teachers, and sometimes working outside the normal school day. Each discipline requires an external advisory board to ensure it is up to date with the trade or discipline. When I started the Cambridge Harvard Summer Academy, we had much work to do with the union, but we did it, so these obstacles can be reasoned through. The challenge of making white-collar parents comfortable with technical education is more nuanced and problematic.
One approach is to look at what keeps kids in school. Superintendent Murphy recently highlighted the alarming 36 percent average chronic absenteeism at CRLS. That number would be a hard stop in Lexington or any other high performing district. What kind of school culture can you create with this level of absenteeism?
Absenteeism numbers are a direct result of a long-time written policy that prohibits teachers from using attendance in grading. This allows students to say ‘I don’t have to go to school’ and be technically correct. But tracking absenteeism and addressing it and holding students accountable is a lot of work. It means keeping kids back and at minimum summer school. It sheds a light on our failures mostly with low-income students. Instead, let’s put that energy and time into reframing technical education as a way to re-engage these students.
Absenteeism is often a derivative of the disconnect with school for students who have openly displayed a desire for technical, entrepreneurial, job-based and life skill learning. If a student knows they cannot afford a 4-year liberal arts degree, or just does not love school, how do you think they will react when all they hear is that school is about college? Probably with insecurity, a lack of connection, feeling “less than” –– all major drivers in not coming to school. Kids are far smarter than many give them credit for. Until we let them know there is a place for all students to succeed, absenteeism (penalized or not) will continue.
I also have coached sports for many years and I know one size does not fit all. Regardless of demographics, most students face challenges to find their way. They confront mental health and family issues. Almost everyone is nervous about the cost of college and uncertain about what kind of jobs will exist in the future. The numbers show that most kids want to experience technical education classes. We need to create a message to kids that success is not measured only by going to college. I have faith that interim principal Gehant and superintendent Murphy understand that “equity” is just a word if we do not equitably allocate funds, messages and teachers. Attendance, climate and technical education will benefit students on a 4-year college track as well as those who are not.
The writer is a former Mayor of Cambridge, School Committee chair, and chair of the Massachusetts Senate Higher Education Committee. He also volunteers as an instructor at the Construction trade program at the MIT Job Connector.
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I was one of those 8th graders in 2001 that left Cambridge to go to Minuteman Vocational school for high school. I loved it. So many of my classmates are now using their technical education for their jobs. I would love for my son to have the same opportunity as I did when he gets to high school. I really hope Rindges tech program continues and IMPROVES by the time he gets to high school.
I strongly support trades. Growing up I struggled with traditional learning, but quickly realized that working with my hands made sense to me. I was able to learn plumbing, masonry, and even land surveying as a teenager. This helped build my confidence and eventually I did end up going to, and graduating from, Cornell University. I studied finance and entrepreneurship, and a lot of professors would ask why I understood the technical issues businesses faced beyond my peers, and I would say it’s because I learned from life not just a textbook. I think both are very good options and both traditional schooling and trades should be options once you get into high school.