Last year, during his State of the State Address Governor Larry Hogan discussed many successes made by the state with educational issues. Among them Hogan boasted the establishment of P-TECH schools within Baltimore City. P-Tech Schools were developed as a result of a collaboration between the New York City schools and IBM. Johns Hopkins University magazine offers more details on what these schools mean for students in Maryland: “The P-TECH program—Pathways in Technology Early College High School— creates a school-to-industry pipeline for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.” Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels says “P-TECH Schools offer transformational opportunities for Baltimore's youth and a chance to prepare our city's workforce for the jobs and careers of the future”. All that being said P-TECH schools at their core were designed to motivate and enable more students to earn a college degree and successfully transition into the workplace, with the preparation and skills needed by employers (ptech.org). The implementation of P-TECH schools, especially in inner cities, will both prepare and enable Maryland students with many opportunities such as, higher education and jobs within highly sought-after fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
P-TECH Schools major philosophy stems from the belief that children need early and engaging experiences with the world of work, to make the academic work in high school and college meaningful and to fully prepare them with the workplace skills required by employers (ptech.org). P-TECH also believes that increased high school and college dropout rates are driven by the lack of a clear, transparent connection between student’s studies and tangible opportunities in the labor market. This belief draws on Labaree’s Social Efficiency goal of schooling. Labaree’s Social Efficiency goal concentrates on training workers and preparing students for the “next step” whether it be college or the work force. Within P-TECH school’s students graduate with not only a high school diploma but also an associate’s degree in a STEM field. Private sector employers are an essential partner in P-TECH schools. Employers help bridge the gap between course work and real-world workplace expectations by incorporating key skills needed for entry level jobs within their company into a unique 6-year curriculum for students. The integration of these skills into a new curriculum also gives students top priority for jobs within STEM fields, as explained by Governor Hogan "Successful P-TECH graduates will be first in line for jobs in the private sector, or they can apply their skills and their knowledge to go on to college". P-TECH model schools will also offer paid internships and mentorships within the private sector to students, ultimately, giving these students a better opportunity at higher education and a higher paying job in the future (The Baltimore Sun).
According to the P-TECH website the P-TECH model begins with a partnership devised between the school district, college, and employer. P-TECH schools are public schools, governed and supported by the local school district. Local community colleges work closely with the school district and employers to develop the relationship between school and work, while employers bring insight to the skills and qualities sought after in prospective employees and a commitment to foster those skills and qualities in students (ptech.org). This style of school emphasizes Labaree’s Social Mobility goal. This goal benefits the private good or in this case the private businesses that are investing time and money into the schools in exchange for trained workers with a college degree. Governor Hogan has already stated that companies like IBM, Kaiser Permanente and, John Hopkins are interested in building partnerships with school districts and community colleges. John Hopkins University President, Ronald J. Daniels noted “that John Hopkins is keenly interested in deepening our long-standing partnership with Dunbar, and opening a health-focused P-TECH school right here, in Baltimore”. IBM vice president of corporate affairs, Stanley Litow, said his company is committed to partnering with a school and also will provide support for the P-TECH network as it becomes established in Maryland (The Baltimore Sun). P-TECH schools would do more for the students of Baltimore city than teach important skills; these schools would offer students a direct path into the STEM fields.
According to the John Hopkins University College of Education and the National Center of Education Statistics, 60% of students from higher socio-economic status backgrounds graduate from college while, only 16% of students from low income homes graduate college. And only 6% of these low-income students graduate with a degree in a STEM field. P-TECH style schools aim to close this gap by offering higher education to the underserved youth of first generation college students from lower socio-economic status families. De’Rell Bonner, a Education Program Manager at IBM recently spoke about how IBM is helping underfunded, inner city school. Bonner stated “external partnerships are imperative to bridge the gap between cash and resource-strapped districts. The current public-school funding system makes it possible for students with extra needs to not receive the requisite services and supports they need to enter college or the workforce prepared.” Bonner also stated “Student success, and equity, is about equipping young people with opportunities and allowing them to choose a pathway.” (newsone.com). Former Baltimore mayor Rawlings Blake told The Baltimore Sun she believes P-TECH will help students in the city gain an understanding of what it takes to be productive workers in major companies such as Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins. "We are going to level that playing field, and we are going to create pathways so that our young people are truly prepared for college career and life," she said (The Baltimore Sun).
In conclusion, P-TECH schools are work wonders within inner city schools at the moment. Of the original 97 students enrolled in the Brooklyn Pathways in Technology Early College High School over 10% graduated early and are either working at IBM or continuing their education at a four-year institute. And 60% are currently on course to graduate on time, double the national average of community college students, according to The National Center for Education Statistics. Overall, the aim of P-TECH schools is to close the achievement gap amongst socio-economic groups. The P-TECH website recognizes that minority students and low-income students are massively underrepresented on college campuses. They also have far lower college graduation rates than students from other backgrounds. This gap persists, despite obvious the benefits of enrolling in and completing college. P-TECH schools plan to bridge this gap and support these students by responding to their needs through free public higher education geared to prepare these students for life after schooling.