A Harvard law professor argues that home schooling is a form of authoritarian control but believes forcing all children to go to a government-run school is not. I wish this statement was a strawman. But it is not. Elizabeth Bartholet, professor of law at Harvard University, advances this exact argument in an interview in the...
More than 1 million Texans have filled for unemployment since mid-March. There will be many more individuals who will file in the coming weeks. This is a signal that something is very wrong—and it’s a novel virus. But this novel virus has also created a novel recession, and we can’t prepare to treat it with the same...
Who is “essential,” and what does that mean? I’ve been thinking about that lately. I get a lot of email these days; I’m sure we all do. It’s basically of three varieties: hey, we’re still open, please get take-out; hey, we’re closed, please buy a gift card; and, hey, COVID19 is going to affect our...
An article in the Wall Street Journal says there’s growing demand for college degrees, even for manufacturing jobs. It’s a trend that will have negative consequences for American workers and American businesses. The Journal’s analysis of federal data found that “U.S. manufacturers have added more than a million jobs since the recession, with the growth going to...
Texas has a lot going for it—low unemployment, population growth, and a favorable regulatory environment. People want to come here, and it’s not just for our brisket and breakfast tacos. But our prosperity is unevenly distributed, with some regions experiencing a disheartening “tale of two cities” dynamic. Port Arthur is one such place. With the enormous...
‘Did you need to go to college to become a welder?” I asked. Jeff Jenkins answered with a chuckle. “No, no I didn’t.” Jenkins, owner of an HVAC company and a welding firm in Austin, educated me for the next 25 minutes on what it takes to get into — and succeed at — the...
Career and technical education (CTE) used to be called vocational education but was successfully rebranded with the reauthorization of the Perkins Act in 2006. The push to rebrand at the time had to do with the twin issues of declining enrollment in these programs as well as a social stigma associated with a correct perception...
Remember shop class? If you’re under 40, you might not. Ask your parents or grandparents about it, and you’re likely to hear nostalgic tales of band saws, welding goggles, and wobbly birdhouses. But vocational education back in the day earned another, less rosy reputation. High school teachers and counselors often encouraged — or even compelled...