Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Dana Bash on CNN’S State of the Union that she would like to steer some elementary school children toward trade schools so they can start working faster.
BASH: Ask you about another move that you are, a- are pushing, and you’re not the only one. Uh, the whole question of whether or not it’s the right thing to push all students to college or whether it’s better for some people to attend a trade school, like plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, which you can get a job that pays very, very well.
But one of the things that it seems is happening is that there is, um, kind of a push to start students on a track as early as elementary school. Is that too early?
MCMAHON: I don’t think so, because I think what we can do is look at students. What are their interests? How do we direct them down a pathway that they’re gonna have an interest, you know, in school? And I believe that children need a well-rounded education, but I think we have focused too long for just that path to a four-year university.
And sometimes we ignore what the actual skill sets of those students are. And so, as I have looked at middle schools, and I’ve been to community colleges, and I look at the combinations, and how these community colleges are working with middle schools, they have dual credits, middle schools and high schools for skill trades. We are really making great advances to get our skilled workforce ready to go.
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