Parenting and Learning Issues

Many public high schools are focused on preparing students for the rigors of a traditional, four-year college education. However, are other students, especially those interested in joining the workforce immediately upon graduation, being neglected in the process?

In recent years, funding issues and budget cuts have forced high schools to drop career-oriented elective courses. However, proponents of vocational education believe that the loss of these career programs has prompted many students to lose interest in high school in general.

Thankfully, there are public technical high schools throughout the country that specialize in vocational training – much to the delight of students who are interested in entering the workforce immediately upon receiving their high school diploma!

Vocational Programs: Preparation for the “Real World”

While most high schools offer on-campus vocational courses, some districts have collaborated to create district and county-wide vocational institutions. For example, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, located in Upton, Massachusetts, gives high school students the opportunity to pursue an array of career-based courses, such as culinary arts, cosmetology, plumbing, healthcare, and dental assisting.

As Blackstone’s mission asserts, the high school is designed to foster “integrated academic and vocational technical skills, empowering each student to achieve world-class educational excellence, diverse career opportunities, and individual success in an ever-changing global society.”

There are, of course, similarities between Blackstone and the typical high school. Blackstone students must follow a core curriculum, such as math,

Entering into the medical field no longer means demanding college lab classes, medical school, and residency programs. In fact, you can start your medical career right at your local public school. Indeed, some public high schools are offering medical vocational programs that prepare their students for the medical industry – right after earning their high school diploma.

The NCES report, Vocational Education in the U.S. reports that "Most public high school students participate in vocational education. In 1992, almost all public high school graduates (97 percent) completed at least one vocational education course, and 87 percent completed at least one occupationally specific course (table 1). On average, graduates completed the equivalent of almost four full-year courses in vocational education (3.8 credits), with two and a half of these courses in occupational program areas."

Medical Training during High School

While many public schools across the country offer their own unique versions of vocational training, schools in the Western Colorado region are earning great acclaim for their healthcare profession programs, which are held in conjunction with the local community college.

As the Daily Sentinel reports, eligible juniors and seniors from the area’s seven high schools can apply for an advanced medical training program hosted at Western Colorado Community College. Focusing on the profession of healthcare, “The courses whet students’ appetites for careers in health care by offering a broad introduction to the field.” High school students in the program receive advanced

Turning 16 in America means reaching the quintessential teen milestone: obtaining your driver’s license! However, what if your grades could prevent you from getting your driver’s license?

Indeed, many public high schools, school districts, and even states across the nation have implemented rules that require students to maintain a specific grade point average in order to legally obtain and carry a driver’s license.

In an effort to encourage better academic performance, public high schools are applying the “carrot and stick” philosophy to their student’s licenses – and the results have been intriguing.

This video reports on how Tennessee dealt with grade restrictions on student driver's licenses.

Driving up Student Success

Linking student grades with driving privileges is a relatively new practice and one of the most recent states to mandate student driving laws is West Virginia. According to The Intelligencer, the West Virginia Legislature recently amended its current teen driving law, granting the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles the permission and authority to revoke any student’s driver’s license due to poor grades or attendance. Although the law does not currently outline a minimum GPA that students must maintain to preserve their driving privileges, the revised law states that students must uphold “adequate academic progress.”

Most high school students pursuing classes full-time will take eight credits each semester, and therefore, many West Virginia school leaders plan to report students with

Many teens are attracted to the glamorous appeal of high-fashion style, runways, and celebrity trends. Fortunately, through innovative public school course offerings, students can begin to develop the skills needed to pursue a career in the fashion industry. While many public schools offer fashion design courses, some students can even enroll in public high schools devoted strictly to fashion!

Innovative Public Schools Dedicated to Fashion

If you live in New York City and have a serious passion for fashion, consider enrolling in New York’s Fashion High School. While it may sound fictional, Fashion High School (FHS) is an award-winning and widely celebrated public school for fashion-forward teens.

Considered one of the top schools in New York, FHS provides teens with “Challenging, creative, and effective vocational, technical and academic” opportunities. In fact, FHS has even garnered national media attention. In fact, both the U.S. News and World Report and the New York Times have published articles celebrating the school’s success. Furthermore, after evaluating more than 18,000 schools, experts from leading institutions awarded FHS as one of the best schools in the country.

This video reports on a day at the Fashion Industries High School.

FHS aims to provide students with an educational experience that is personally, socially, and professionally sound. Specifically, educators guide students through lessons that center on core issues such as:

• Students work together collaboratively

Children are often caught in the crossfire of a divorce, and separation results can wreak havoc on a child’s academic performance and behavior at school. In fact, as Planet Divorce and Parenting Wizards' expert counselor asserts, “Children exposed to divorce are twice as likely to repeat a grade and five times likelier to be expelled or suspended from school.”

Researchers have found that many children experience behavioral changes in the immediate months after a divorce. Subsequently, divorcing parents can help their children maintain their performance in public schools by understanding these issues.

This video explains how divorce impacts children's mental health.

What Happens to Children after a Divorce

In the months following a divorce, children tend to demonstrate more disobedient, less affectionate, and more demanding behaviors. As children carry their personal problems from home into their school atmosphere, some of the changes seen in their school behavior include:

• Withdrawal
• Dependency
• Inattention
• Unhappiness
• Reduced work ethic and effort
• Increased acts of violence
• Physical boundary problems

Due to the dramatic upheaval in a child’s environment, divorce can impact students in an array of grade levels and at various ages.

Preventing Long-Term Problems: Public School Resources for Family Support

Studies show that over half of the reported divorces in the United States involve children and/or teens. Subsequently, Early School Years argues, “It is important to remember that divorce does affect children, and it’s