Washington state and Clark County have a very good, progressive K-12 school system. It rewards its students for obtaining a high degree of achievement through Head Start, STEM courses, etc., and soon the new bioscience He-La High School in the Evergreen district.
This is all good. But what about those students not planning on attending college?
In the 1950s, my high school had a system called 4-4. It allowed students in grades 11 and 12 with a 2.25 GPA to attend school four hours a day and work four hours a day. School hours required mandatory classes for graduation with the four hours of work credited as an elective.
To promote this concept today would require a system where a local employer would arrange with a local school for students to enroll into a four-year apprenticeship program, paying $10 per hour. The student would receive $5 per hour with the school receiving $5 per hour for administering the program. Upon graduation, the student would have completed half of the apprenticeship program. This system may help reduce the dropout rate while giving these students the path to pursuing the American dream.
Please, your backing is needed.
John A. Nyberg
VANCOUVER
