Title
Authorizing City Council's Committee on Education and Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold joint public hearings to examine the best practices for the Philadelphia School District for career and technical education and how improved technical education will benefit our City's local economy.
Body
WHEREAS, Students in career and technical programs in the Philadelphia School District have a higher rate of attendance, a higher percentage of students earning a 3.0 GPA, and a dropout rate less than one-third of the rate for non-vocational students; and
WHEREAS, The Lehigh Career & Technical Institute works closely with company CEOs and responds to companies requesting graduates from its programs for immediate employment because the curricula adhere to current industry standards including tests for over 90 official certifications required for private employment; and
WHEREAS, Students who graduate from career and technical programs can immediately gain high-demand, technically skilled employment with reported wages as high as $80 per hour for students graduating from the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute; and
WHEREAS, 41% of Philadelphia School District students scored below proficient in math and 48% scored below proficient in reading on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test; and
WHEREAS, 76% of all Philadelphia School District high school graduates in the year 2003 did not enter college within the first year of graduation and 90% of all Philadelphia School District high school graduates did not earn a college degree by the summer of 2009; and
WHEREAS, The national economy is in a state of recession, making employment harder to find and increasing competition for opportunities which increases the value of education and credentials; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia School District in 2011 only offered 14 career and technical education programs in 36 out of 57 high sch...
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