Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy
As the language of “college and career readiness” continues to permeate American public education, the fixation on preparing students for college and careers is potentially harmful for students, particularly urban students of color. In promoting “college and career readiness”, certain assumptions ar...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-05-01
|
| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/5/357 |
| _version_ | 1797500340964163584 |
|---|---|
| author | Keith E. Benson Leah Z. Owens |
| author_facet | Keith E. Benson Leah Z. Owens |
| author_sort | Keith E. Benson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the language of “college and career readiness” continues to permeate American public education, the fixation on preparing students for college and careers is potentially harmful for students, particularly urban students of color. In promoting “college and career readiness”, certain assumptions are taken for granted: that American schools are sites of egalitarian meritocracy and not spaces of social reproduction; that tomorrow’s job market desires more individuals with formal education, and that the jobs market will be viable for tomorrow’s willing workers. Here, we argue that as “college and career readiness” continues to be the dominant approach in American schools, it ignores the realities that the workplace of tomorrow is growing harsher as corporations continue their efforts to maximize profits by keeping labor costs low by reducing worker participation and seeking cheaper labor. Simultaneously, American students of color are more vulnerable to tomorrow’s workplace in that they continue to experience racial discrimination coupled with the growing tenuous nature of the future domestic job market. Thus, students who are being schooled in “college and career readiness” have to contend with the possibility that, though they are more formally educated, the economy of tomorrow may still deem them expendable. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:00:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ff4a2be5428247b7a0e660dc77f309dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:00:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff4a2be5428247b7a0e660dc77f309dd2023-11-23T10:46:06ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-05-0112535710.3390/educsci12050357Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s EconomyKeith E. Benson0Leah Z. Owens1Political Science, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08103, USAUrban Education, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USAAs the language of “college and career readiness” continues to permeate American public education, the fixation on preparing students for college and careers is potentially harmful for students, particularly urban students of color. In promoting “college and career readiness”, certain assumptions are taken for granted: that American schools are sites of egalitarian meritocracy and not spaces of social reproduction; that tomorrow’s job market desires more individuals with formal education, and that the jobs market will be viable for tomorrow’s willing workers. Here, we argue that as “college and career readiness” continues to be the dominant approach in American schools, it ignores the realities that the workplace of tomorrow is growing harsher as corporations continue their efforts to maximize profits by keeping labor costs low by reducing worker participation and seeking cheaper labor. Simultaneously, American students of color are more vulnerable to tomorrow’s workplace in that they continue to experience racial discrimination coupled with the growing tenuous nature of the future domestic job market. Thus, students who are being schooled in “college and career readiness” have to contend with the possibility that, though they are more formally educated, the economy of tomorrow may still deem them expendable.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/5/357college and career readinessurban educationneoliberalismsocial reproduction |
| spellingShingle | Keith E. Benson Leah Z. Owens Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy Education Sciences college and career readiness urban education neoliberalism social reproduction |
| title | Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy |
| title_full | Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy |
| title_fullStr | Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy |
| title_short | Unpacking the Shortcomings of “College and Career Readiness” as an Educative Approach in Urban Schools as Preparation for Tomorrow’s Economy |
| title_sort | unpacking the shortcomings of college and career readiness as an educative approach in urban schools as preparation for tomorrow s economy |
| topic | college and career readiness urban education neoliberalism social reproduction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/5/357 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT keithebenson unpackingtheshortcomingsofcollegeandcareerreadinessasaneducativeapproachinurbanschoolsaspreparationfortomorrowseconomy AT leahzowens unpackingtheshortcomingsofcollegeandcareerreadinessasaneducativeapproachinurbanschoolsaspreparationfortomorrowseconomy |