There are two big issues that are now affecting Industrial Arts Education in the classrooms. One is the largest reorganization of the CTE programs throughout the 600-school Chicago district. Part of the retooling, as it's called, is the closure of existing programs in general high schools, meaning many schools throughout Chicagoland area will have no CTE classes whatsoever to offer students. In many cases students will only have a single choice or exposure to CTE instruction in a school.
Chicago's shop classes, such as the carpentry shop above, are being reduced again. Substance photo by John Kugler.
The idea of the past practice to expose teenage youth to a variety of career opportunities within one school setting will not exist anymore. Part of the retooling is that themed or focused CTE learning centers (i.e.: Construction Trades, Heath Professions, Technology, Travel/Service Industry) will be established that students will have to apply for admission and these will be scattered throughout the city.
Students installing network system in a laboratory to save costs and get practical experience.
What this means is that students will have to make decisions before they get to the high schools as to which trade or career study they want to pursue, then apply to get into school, get accepted into the school, and then hope that their vocational choice was correct because they will spend the next four years going to that school, rather than explore a career first, in a general setting and then choose a specific vocational track for training and certification.
Students unloading a lumber delivery having fun while working hard. No standardized tests here just splitters and muscles.
The second issue hitting Chicago hard is the establishment of a non‐experienced managerial/administrative apparatus to oversee the traditional Industrial Arts and CTE programs throughout Chicago schools. For example the new program director over the entire CTE program in Chicago public schools has no industry experience in a CTE field but has an MBA from Harvard.
Aarti Dhupelia
Project Manager, Office of Specialized Services, Chicago Public Schools
The Broad Residency Class of 2007‐2009
MBA, Harvard Business School
BA, Economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, Northwestern University
Previous Employers: Marakon Associates; Citizen Schools
as a manager at Marakon Associates, where her projects focused on identifying revenue growth and cost management opportunities for clients in a variety of industries, including aerospace, industrials and healthcare.
http://www.broadresidency.org/...
For an old shop guy like me, I see no relation between an MBA and a student that wants to be a carpenter or chef but I guess that's just my subjective observation after working 20 years in the construction trades and heavy industry in the Chicagoland area.
Another era in Chicago's alternative vocational trade school programs and facilities is meeting the wrecking ball. Seen here on the southwest corner of South Kedzie Avenue and West 31st Street, is the former Washburne Trade School wich was owned and operated by the Chicago Public Schools.
http://eddiesrailroad.blogspot.com/...
http://www.substancenews.net