Ensuring Students’ Right to Preparation for Competitive Employment: The New York State Constitution as a Foundation for Systemic Improvement of Career and Technical Education

Author: Center for Educational Equity (formerly Campaign for Educational Equity)
Published: December 2017

In this report, we situate the critical issue of preparation for the workplace in the broader context of students’ constitutional right to an education that provides the knowledge, skills, experiences, and dispositions that are the foundations to be a productive citizen. We tie the renewed concern among educators, policymakers, business leaders, and the public at large about preparing students for competitive employment with the growing interest in preparing students to be effective citizens capable of safeguarding our democracy and stewarding our nation toward a greater realization of its democratic values. We propose some necessary reforms to improve students’ access to existing New York career and technical education pathways. And we argue that high-quality career pathways, including “9-14” programs that bridge secondary and postsecondary education, serve our students best if they are constructed on a strong foundation of basic educational opportunity for all.
This report was prepared by Michael A. Rebell, John R. Sludden, and Jessica R. Wolff. We are grateful to the James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation for their support of this research.

Policy Brief

Safeguarding Students' Educational Rights

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