Targeting Sectors to Narrow the Gap

Today’s labor market relies on post-secondary education or certificates. Since 1973, America has created close to 63 million new jobs, but at the same time the demand for jobs that require a high school diploma or less has dropped significantly. These new jobs require at least “some college” or post-secondary education, and in the near future, The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, in 2010, predicted that 63 percent of all jobs will require at least some college in 2018, up from 59 percent now. Given the increasing demand for more advanced analytical and reading skills in the 21st century job market, dropping out of school after primary or during secondary education will lead to significant disadvantages later in life including unemployment and persistent poverty (Pathways to Prosperity, 2011).

While the College-for-All model has been helpful in nationalizing certain benchmarks for grade levels, it has also created the data that proves this model is not quite reaching the students with the most need. This accountability effort has highlighted the fact that most of our schools are failing to teach students even the basic math and reading skills they will need to participate in voting, helping their kids with their education and/or finding jobs above minimum wage.