What would lead Brookings to set such an ambitious challenge for the already struggling public school system? The report’s author Martha Ross examines the DC area’s employment landscape and notes a failure of the educational system to “prepare a significant portion of its youth for success in careers or colleges.” The District’s Class of 2008 had an overall graduation rate of 43%.
To determine why the District is failing to meet the needs of its students, Brookings surveyed the current program offerings for DC youth. They noted the presence of many organizations in the public, private, and philanthropic sectors that offer services to prepare youth for college and careers. But the organization also found a lack of coordination and insufficient capacity to fully meet youth needs. “In general, these programs operate in their own silos, and without taking advantage of opportunities to leverage funds and coordinate services,” Ross writes.
Another problem: the lack of relationships with employers that could ensure that the supply of the youth workforce meets demand. The disconnect between employers and the youth workforce goes deeper, though:
Education and training providers typically judge their value by measures such as the number of participants who complete the program…Employers, however, typically are interested in a different set of questions… Will this service help me find candidates with the skills I need…Will this program save me money or time or allow me to use staff or other resources more efficiently?
The differing mentality between employers and training and education programs must be addressed head-on. As Ross pointedly notes, “Workforce development programs cannot rely on employers’ charitable instincts if they are to meet their stated goals of connecting participants with employment.” Nor, Ross writes, can we afford a “College for All” approach. “Only about 30% of Americans earn a four-year degree by their mid-twenties…While post-secondary education is clearly a gateway to economic opportunity, two-year degrees and certificates can also lead to family-sustaining wages.”Ross argues that cities need well-developed frameworks to define the pathways of career training and education, which lead to good jobs, careers, and wages. Collecting data to determine where youth fall off these pathways and ensuring strategies are in place to reengage them are both key to achieving the 2022 goal.
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