Degree Inflation

Dr. Spielvogel’s CAS 138T Spring 2016

In our changing world economy, is a Bachelor’s degree necessary or even sufficient for a meaningful lifelong career?

The Big Picture: Is post-secondary education a requirement for a successful career in today’s society? With so many pursuing bachelor’s degrees, how can the inflation of required credentials be avoided? A Changing Attitude

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n recent years, it seems that attending college has become an increasingly common and necessary life choice for high-school graduates. In October 2011, 68.3% of 2011 high school graduates enrolled in college. Furthermore, college enrollment has increased 46% from 1990 to 2013, signaling a rising opinion among those enrolled that college is necessary to be successful in modern society. With this influx of people holding college degrees entering the workforce, employers are raising their standards for applicants. For example, only 19% of executive secretaries hold a bachelor’s degree, yet 65% of open positions for executive secretaries require one, portraying the sudden need for a degree in the workforce. Fresh high school graduates are further swayed towards college due to the widely diffused stigma against vocational school, once a popular alternative to college. In many social contexts, vocational schools are viewed as a route to a less successful career for those who didn’t qualify academically for college, when, in reality, a technical education can be more

fruitful and sophisticated than many college degrees. As high school graduates experience these overwhelming forces that push them to earn an expensive, time-consuming, and arduous degree, many public figures have addressed the growing need for a degree. Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses this growing need, stating that the government should provide free tuition for anyone willing to put in the work to earn a degree. TV Personality Mike Rowe strongly disagrees with Sanders’ approach, stating that college isn’t the right choice for everyone, and that further inflating the workforce with college graduates would blow employers’ expectations of job applicants out of proportion, forcing everyone to earn a degree. The debate over higher education today often ignores a critical point that Mike Rowe addresses: degree inflation.

A Deliberation on Degree Inflation

The Problem

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egree inflation, or excess credentialism, is the increased demand for college degrees by those enrolling in higher education, the excess demand for these degrees in the workforce, and the subsequent devaluation of these degrees. Credentialism began in the 19th century in order to select job applicants with proper qualifications; applicants with degrees were hired because they were a better investment and would be more productive. Since then, employers began hiring degree-holders, not because they were a better investment--job-tasks were unrelated to any training received in college--but because they needed to screen an excess number of applicants. This is called the screening effect, and its why most hopeful secretaries, policy analysts, and logistics professionals need to earn a bachelor’s degree before beginning their career, whereas, 20 years ago, the degree wasn’t necessary. Over the past 60 years, the number of jobs requiring degrees has increased heavily due to the screening effect, forcing many new hires to become much more qualified than necessary. While degree inflation does carry a negative connotation, there are some positives that come with degree inflation. One of these positive effects is the idea of competition. Employers today only want the best for their companies; this includes the best new employees. With a rising importance in college degrees, more and more people attend college to receive such degrees. With this, employers have more prospective employees and take only the one’s they see as the best. With that being said, succeeding in college becomes a must and recent grads have to work harder to get the more esteemed jobs. However, degree inflation is not solely a positive. Degree inflation is making the high school diploma almost useless. Students who do not see college as right for them struggle to find well-paying jobs. Even graduating with a bachelor’s degree in a field is almost not enough

Spring 2016 in today’s world. Today, having a master’s degree doesn’t even guarantee a well-paying job in some fields. Degree inflation also has very specific stakeholders. The US government and the economy in general are very strong stakeholders in this issue. More specifically, employers and the overall workforce hold a large stake in the issue of degree inflation. Finally, colleges hold a stake in degree inflation mainly because they have to deal with the huge influx of college applicants.

The Approaches

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here are three potential approaches to solving this every increasing problem of degree inflation. A first potential solution would be to increase the value of a vocational or non-college degree. This would involve placing the real burden of degree inflation on the government. Also included with this approach would be to encourage employers to hire graduates with vocational degrees. A second approach to this problem would be to pair vocational training with a university degree, helping to alleviate the stigma against vocational schools and providing students who choose a vocational career with a college-like experience. This would mainly place the burden on the college or institution and make them the larger stakeholder. A third and final approach to this problem would be to leave the burden on the students. This approach would involve encouraging students to make themselves better potential employees and become more involved with their field of study while still in college; this could be in forms of more internships related to their field of study.

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First Approach

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ocational schools are already being introduced and promoted in high schools, but there is still a stigma that limits range of effectiveness of the advertisement. As one of the current Republican presidential candidates Senator Marco Rubio put it, “society has a tendency to limit the options offered by vocational schools to low income or to less intelligent students” (Berry). Moreover, there is a clear socioeconomic divide in the acceptability of vocational school as an alternative source of higher education. According to Otto Behrens, former director of technical and occupational education for the Putnam/Northern Westchester district in New York, the expectations of parents for their children are different depending on their backgrounds: “...in upstate New York, mom and dad would be pleased to have their youngster become a foreman of the factory, but in Westchester, mom and dad want their youngster to become the owner of the factory” (Brenner). This pattern conflicts with the reality of the modern economy, as the work force needs more students ready for a vocational career, such as electricians or plumbers, immediately out of high school. One way to solve the problem of degree inflation would be to decrease the amount of students going to a college or university. In order to achieve this goal, a monetary burden must be placed on the government. For example, the government could provide subsidies for high school students to attend vocational training instead of pursuing a liberal arts degree as their form of higher education. In fact, Senator Marco Rubio has proposed that, “a [student] who wants to become an auto mechanic or machinist go to high school in the morning and then use the Pell Grant to attend trade school in the afternoon” (Berry). This training could extend from the traditional vocational fields and would not only teach the

Spring 2016 students in the trade fields but would also apply to people looking for administrative positions. These government subsidies would continue to trade and vocational colleges, assisting and providing incentive for the student to pursue an alternative path to the societally demanded route of a college degree. Another method to achieve this approach would involve providing corporations with subsidies and funding to hire vocational students or high school graduates without a college degree. The federal funding would be utilized by the company to train such employees to work in the corporation as secretaries or other positions in the administrative field, allowing the employer to sculpt an employee as one would an apprentice. Similarly, it would allow for positions that do not necessarily require a college degree to be easily filled by people who are just as capable as those with degrees. Mr. Murphy, a father of two college aged students and holder of both a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA looks for skills in technology as well as critical thinking in new hires. Applying and teaching relevant technological skills vocationally could prove to be a very effective addendum to vocational training.

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A Deliberation on Degree Inflation

Benefits

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y removing responsibility of choice from the individual and transferring it to the government, this approach will generate a systemically more well-prepared and wellrounded workforce. Providing an alternate path to education than the standard college degree will entice future students to pursue otherwise stigmatized careers in vocational fields, and providing subsidies from government funding will create monetary incentive for students to actually follow through. There are other countries that have already implemented this approach to varying degrees of success. However, many of these countries are run under governments that are generally more socialist than ours. For example, China and India both have plans for programs similar to the proposed. China in particular has plans to not only upgrade its current vocational schools but is also considering converting nearly 600 universities that are already in operation into vocational colleges to, “offer education and skills training of more edgy and sophisticated professions” (“Governments”). Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Malaysia are also following suit in the hopes to better prepare their workforce for the ever-changing climate of the global economy as more and more technical occupations are demanded. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, the opposition Labour Party has called for a drastic change from the traditional thought that one must, “follow the conventional academic route: to do General Certificates of Secondary Education, A-levels, a traditional academic subject at university, and then on to career,” because the aforementioned route does not work for everyone (“Governments”). Finally, other European countries, especially in Germany and Switzerland, three-year apprenticeships, which are funded by the government, are “a serious option for all young people,” as they provide high-quality specialization of education (“Governments”).

Spring 2016 Another pro is that the work force receives more job-ready employees sooner because vocational schools teach students, “job specific skills designed to enable a student’s advancement in… high skill, high paying professions,” by focusing primarily on the, “practical, as opposed to the academic, education” (“Advantages”). Students will be able to enter the workforce specially trained for their career, which can range from automotive technology to dental assisting to engineering technology to graphic communications to masonry to computer technology, while still having developed the soft skills, such as interpersonal skills and other communication skills, necessary to have a successful career (“Vocational”). Needless to say, more people working will allow for more consumer spending, which will in turn expand the economy.

Tradeoffs

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ne of the tradeoffs of this approach is that it could take career choice from the individual student and put it in the hands of the government. One could argue that forcing vocational education down from capitol hill is an egregious overstep that infringes on our rights as citizens. For example, in Germany, middle schoolers are subjected to a test of aptitude that determines which secondary education they receive, whether that be an

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A Deliberation on Degree Inflation accelerated program for university preparation or a vocational one for apprenticeships or something in between. Opponents of introducing such a system in the United States argue that it will put students, “on life paths that may foreclose their options,” limiting personal choice and growth (Bidwell). Moreover, this approach would also decrease the amount of students getting a college degree, which might limit the ability of students who want to pursue a higher education through the traditional university route. Competition for the mere ability to attend college would increase, and while that has the potential to increase the quality of graduates with baccalaureates, it also has the potential to increase the demand of a college degree while decreasing the supply, inflating tuition prices and creating an even larger disparity between socioeconomic classes. Conversely, the decrease in college degrees might have the opposite effect: people may choose to attend trade schools instead of college despite their desires because of the incentive of subsidies. This would decrease the demand for a college education, and our entire system could collapse. While this is an unlikely outcome, it is still a potential that is important to consider (Pannoni). Finally, these ideas would raise taxes to pay for the subsidies. As of 2015, the United States Department of Education already spends three-quarters of its budget on financial aid for students in college, along with funding for special education and high-poverty schools (“The President’s”). The funding for these already expensive endeavors is provided by taxpayers, so if this approach were to be implemented, those taxpayers would feel even more of a burden.

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Summary Framing Questions  Is it the government’s responsibility to provide subsidies for those who wish to pursue education through trade school?  Who should pay for a student’s education?  Is it the responsibility of the government to balance the workforce? Benefits  Allows for a more balanced and prepared workforce to compete in global economy  Other countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, and China have already proved that this system works  Expansion of the economy Tradeoffs  Limiting of personal choice  Destabilization of the university system  Raise in taxes

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Second Approach

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igher Education has long been said to have unlimited value. Often times, people adopt the misconception that obtaining a college degree will inevitably result in a lucrative career. Unfortunately, although a college degree may offer greater variety of employment, it does not automatically guarantee a job in any field that one so desires. Judy Jenner out of the University of Nevada states, that although college graduates may have better access to higher-level jobs, graduates of vocational schools usually are in an excellent position to land an entry-level position. And with degree inflation rising, this fallacy continues to grow. Studies show “For young college graduates, the unemployment rate is currently 7.2 percent (compared with 5.5 percent in 2007), and the underemployment rate is 14.9 percent (compared with 9.6 percent in 2007).” Many colleges and universities pride themselves on having such an abundance of available majors, and potential students are lured by all the options at their disposal. But neither party focuses on the reality that, without further schooling (i.e. graduate school), their degrees might be useless. Too many degrees lack the requirements to satisfy the needs of the modern day worker, and a large majority of students graduate without adequate knowledge about working in a technical field. Furthermore, smaller state-sponsored four-year, public universities degrees are often times overshadowed by world-renowned research universities such as Ivy League, or big state schools like Penn State. Whether this is true, or not there is a huge negative stigma that surrounds smaller universities. This in turn leads to the growth in individual student debt as more and more look towards expensive secondary education in an attempt to combat rising difficulties in today’s job market.

Benefits

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n an effort to stifle this crippling need for technical knowledge by students of smaller universities, those universities could incorporate technical skills into various degree programs. Many students could potentially benefit from the ability to combine vocational skills with academic training. Which would in turn create new degrees to meet the needs of various manufacturing and skilled labor occupations throughout the global market. This then adds tremendous value to degrees that would otherwise lack sufficient substance for which students to work with. Students will also be much more exposed to different career paths that are available and as a result become much more tolerant of non-academic jobs. This will tremendously reduce the stigma against students that choose to go into non-academic fields. Another highlight is that generally speaking vocational degrees are much more affordable compared to a university degree. The NCES reports that four-year institutions had an average annual cost, including tuition and room and board, of $20,154 in 2008-2009 while twoyear institutions cost $8,116.

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Summary Framing Questions  How could vocational degree integration in higher education decrease degree inflation?  Should universities carry the majority of the weight to make degrees useful?  Are lower level university degrees less valuable? If so, would the option of a paired vocational degree raise the value?

Tradeoffs

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owever, the chance of potential tradeoffs arise quite easily due to the fact that these programs would simply accentuate many shortcomings that already exist. Many employers would see this as an attack and devaluation of degrees since much the academic quality has now been stripped and replaced with technical skills that many would see as frivolous and unnecessary. It could also hurt many vocational schools’ profits and see attendance rates drop. Not to mention it would raise the cost of tuition for many universities that have to pay for these new teachers, classrooms, laboratories and other necessities for these programs in the school. Which would result in the increased expense of a vocational degree which are generally seen as more affordable, thus downgrading one of its benefits. It should also be noted that individuals with a bachelor's degrees on average tend to earn more than individuals with a vocational, or associate's degree. A study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, stated that in 2009 “individuals with a bachelor's degree had a median weekly income of $1,025, while those with an associate degree earned $761.”

Benefits  Exposed to more opportunities in college - expanding the term general education to also include working with your hands and nonacademic occupations can also widen individual creativity.  Attendance in a CTE (career & technical education) program more than doubles the rate of college entrance for minority students.  Helps degree inflation because it putting more types and individualized degrees into the labor market. Tradeoffs  Could increase costs of a vocational degree, which are inherently less expensive and possibly increased workload.  Hurts the overall legitimacy of a bachelor degree by stripping it of several academic qualities and courses that would now be replaced by technical classes.  The argument is still valid that statistically those with a bachelor's degree tend to earn more than those with an associate's and/or trade school degrees.

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A Deliberation on Degree Inflation

Third Approach

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ccording to Cesar Chavez, founder of the National Farm Workers Association, “Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves and be free” (qtd. in Ogbozor). Approach 3 to the problem of degree inflation responds to this call for industrious students: the government and colleges should take a hands-off approach to the problem of degree inflation, imposing upon students the responsibility to maximize their own career prospects. Colleges and universities offer students a plethora of resources to enhance their appeal to potential employers. It is up to individual students to take advantage of such resources, as well as internship and co-op opportunities, so that they can stand out in the competitive job market. Mr. Murphy, a father of two children who holds both a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA was interviewed and recommends that students differentiate themselves by selecting a college and a major that provide numerous employment and career opportunities. He also recommends taking advantage of internships and coops. Adopting this approach would entail no changes to the existing higher education system and, consequently, no cost. Students would remain responsible for making the most of their degree, given the current resources provided by their universities. At Penn State, students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities for personal and professional development outside the classroom. Such opportunities, termed Experiential Learning by the university, include study abroad, undergraduate research, clubs and other organizations, and internships and other work experiences. The Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services offers students “individualized assistance in identifying and participating in meaningful, hands-on, inquiry based experiences, gaining research skills, and transforming educational

Spring 2016 and work experiences to achieve goals” (Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences). By taking the initiative to exploit these services, students will be guided toward opportunities that will refine their skills and increase their marketability to employers.

Benefits

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y assuming the burden of maximizing the value of their degree, students will develop into hard-working, motivated individuals. In December 2009, a Penn State University panel explored the topic of “Student Success: Who Is Rsible for Student Success?” Composed of representatives of various departments of the university, the panel came to the conclusion that students, given the wealth of resources Penn State provides, possess the tools for achieving success; it is thus up to students to exploit these tools to secure such success. One obstacle that often hinders graduates is the burden of student loans. To help students overcome this obstacle, Penn State’s Office of Student Aid “counsels students on options such as loans, the availability of work study, the connection between academic success and their ability to receive aid, and the financial consequences of dropping classes or withdrawing from Penn State” (Penn State Office of Planning and Assessment). By taking Page | 8

A Deliberation on Degree Inflation advantage of these resources, students can establish a sound foundation to their finances and thus enter the real world on a solid footing, rather than crippled with debt. The 2009 panel also recognized that success entails not only academic achievement but also involvement and experiences outside the classroom. Penn State’s clubs, numbering over one thousand at the University Park Campus alone, provide students with virtually unlimited opportunities to refine their skills, explore their interests, and enhance their appeal to prospective employers (Penn State Office of Planning and Assessment). A laissez-faire approach to degree inflation gives students the flexibility and freedom to pursue the opportunities they desire. Rather than forcing students to prioritize their careers, the approach leaves the decision up to students. Students concerned with attaining a holistic education, rather than training for a vocation, can tailor their experiences to their interests and cultivate a well-rounded perspective. On the other hand, students aiming to maximize the value of their degree can focus on opportunities that relate to their career interests and enhance their marketability to employers. By allowing students to customize their college experience, Approach 3 forces students seeking careers to be assertive, thereby preparing them for the workforce. According to personal career manager Corinne Mills, "The workplace is like the playground. … It's a rough and tumble environment and you need to stick up for yourself” (qtd. in Young-Powell). Approach 3 demands that students take control of their own education so that they are ready to take control of their careers.

Tradeoffs

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lthough this approach has many benefits, the lack of intervention by universities and the government also involves tradeoffs. Students focused on maximizing their career prospects need to now stand out in their

Spring 2016 major. As a result, they are pressured to refrain from branching out to other areas or taking classes outside their major. Students are becoming highly specialized and are not as well rounded as students in the past due to the fact that they need to be the best in their field, to stand out to future employers. But this high degree of specialization in fields leads to problems within the field. Such as with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner which had been hailed as the height of subcontracting, however when all the pieces were being put together it was not as seamless as had been assumed. Problems ensued because the designers had not conferred with one another (https://hbr.org/2011/07/the-big-idea-theage-of-hyperspecialization/ar/1). Hyper specialization leads to issues with employees and for employers in the long run, if the employees do not know enough about the other areas involved with their work they will not be able to work together cohesively.

Unemployment and underemployment are serious problems in our society today, students who receive degrees often are not utilizing them to their full potential and are not employed in their fields. Here at Penn State the unemployment rate for graduates is 42% three months after graduation, but the 58% that do have jobs doesn’t exclude those who are underemployed. Nationwide 37% of students Page | 9

A Deliberation on Degree Inflation are underemployed, while 19.5% are unemployed. The cost of this is economical for the most part, those who are underemployed are often working in positions at fast food restaurants or in other hourly wage rates that do not pay very well, and lead to graduates living with their parents for longer stretches of times to help pay for the cost of their degree. Approach 3 is failing to address the deep-rooted issues of unemployment and underemployment that have become ingrained in our society. Approach 3 also fails to address the actual degree inflation, where jobs which have never required degrees now do as a screening process and the escalated number of degree holding individuals in our economy searching for jobs.

Spring 2016 Benefits  Freedom - giving people the choice to prioritize their career or follow their dreams  Shape students into hard-working, motivated individuals  No cost to implement Tradeoffs  Lack of variation in skills o More pressure to stand out to future employers, to build resume  Underemployment also occurs frequently due to the need to pay off student loans, and no other options due to job market.  Not addressing the issue of unemployment/underemployment

Summary Framing questions  Is degree inflation really a problem in our economy or is it creating more initiative in students and those entering the workforce to diversify themselves?  Should students have a choice to pursue their passions or do they owe it to the nation to contribute to the economy?  How can students find a balance between securing a career and pursuing passions?

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Conclusion

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o summarize, we raised three different possible approaches that could potentially help solve the problem of degree inflation. The first approach would be to increase the value of a vocational, or non-college, degree, putting the responsibility for solving this issue in the hands of the government. The government could provide high school students with subsidies to attend vocational training instead of pursuing a liberal arts degree in college, pushing young students to immerse themselves in the trade field. Something else that can be done is to provide corporations with subsidies and/or funding to hire vocational or high school graduates without a college degree. This would fill positions that don’t necessarily require a college degree by those with a vocational degree. This approach will strengthen the workforce because more students essentially will be persuaded into pursuing careers in the vocational field. If the subsidies provided by the government are factored in, there will be a higher probability of having more people in the work force because there will be more benefits in the workforce rather than a four-year college. Jobs will also be provided with more workers who “know what they’re doing.” Vocational school will teach students how to do a specific job while teaching them basic communication and interpersonal skills, meaning those who have a vocational degree will go into their first job confidently knowing exactly what should be done. Some drawbacks to this approach are that the decision of one’s career could be taken away from the individual and instead the government would choose. This raises the argument: does this overstep what the government can and can’t do? The approach could lower the amount of students in university, making competition for college entrances tougher. This would also increase the demand of a degree while

Spring 2016 simultaneously decreasing the supply of it. It can also flip flop, where the supply goes up but the demand goes down because students choose to attend vocational school over university. This approach can finally raise taxes for the subsidies. Over three quarters of the US Department of Education budget is spent on financial aid, which is at the expense of the average taxpayer. If this approach was to be implemented, the taxpayer would have a harder time paying their taxes due to the increase of tax. The second approach is for universities to incorporate technical skills into their programs. The combination of vocational training and academic learning has the potential to be very effective. This would enable colleges to add new majors to their curriculum that will cater to skilled laborers, decreasing the stigma around vocational careers and providing those students with a more college-like experience. The exposure to the non-academic training will even broaden students’ horizons; they will find nonacademic, technical jobs to be safe career choices. Finally, the vocational degrees will be less expensive than an academic undergraduate degree. Some of the tradeoffs to this approach include devaluation of a college degree, decreased interest/profit of vocational schools, and will raise tuition for universities seeking to broaden their curriculum (by hiring new professors, making proper facilities for the new courses, as well as buying the materials needed for the course). It should also be noted that on average, those with a bachelor’s degree earn more than those with a vocational degree. The last approach left the responsibility of combating degree inflation in the students’ hands. Students are offered many opportunities in college to network. These things include, but are not limited to, internships and co-op opportunities. The students must seize their opportunity to “stand out amongst the crowd.” No significant changes would be made to the education system, rather an emphasis would be placed on using resources wisely. The students, Page | 11

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as individuals, will be more motivated. They would realize that if they want to get a good job, they need to work hard to network in college as well as to keep their GPA up and participate in a wide variety of meaningful activities. A former Penn State panel found that success is in the student’s hands; their actions affect their future. Penn State’s Office of Student Aid helps students with this by offering assistance with loans, work study, etc. The extracurricular activities offered at Penn State also help. They can help to strengthen student’s social and communication skills, help to explore various interests, and even set students up for some job opportunities. This relaxed approach to degree inflation will encourage students to search for jobs which gives the individual the opportunity to search different areas of careers. The drawbacks from this approach are that students need to focus on having themselves stand out from the rest of their peers. Since so many people are competing to get a job, each student needs to show why they are different than the rest and that they are the most qualified to take the job, creating a larger burden for them. Students are also becoming heavily specialized in an academic field. They are not caring about becoming a well-rounded student and are instead focusing on becoming a star student in their major courses. Finally, approach 3 fails to address unemployment that many students face a few months after graduating. Many students are forced to work hourly wage jobs at fast food restaurants immediately after graduating while they are searching for a job. Overall, the problem of degree inflation is one that could potentially affect students of all majors and career goals both in and out of college. It is a difficult situation with no clear solution.

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A Deliberation on Degree Inflation TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 May 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Pannoni, Alexandra. "Vocational High School Programs an Option for Teens." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report LP, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Pappano, Laura. "The Master’s as the New Bachelor’s." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 23 July 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Picchi, Aimee. "Congrats, Class of 2015, and Welcome to a Grim Job Market." CBS Money Watch. CBS Interactive Inc., 27 May 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

Spring 2016 Courses To Make College an Option for More Students: Evidence and Challenges. Rep. ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, 28 Nov. 2006. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Van de Werfhorst, Herman G., and Robert Andersen. “Social Background, Credential Inflation and Educational Strategies”. Acta Sociologica 48.4 (2005): 321-340. Web. 03 March 2016. Vedder, Richard. "Twelve Inconvenient Truths about American Higher Education." Center for College Affordability and Productivity 37.1 (2008): 1-18. Mar. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

"Post Graduation Activities for Spring 2014." Penn State Career Services. The Pennsylvania State University, 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. The President's 2015 Budget Proposal for Education. Rep. U.S. Department of Education, 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Rampell, Catherine. "The College Degree Has Become the New High School Degree." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Sirkin, Harold L. "What Germany Can Teach the U.S. About Vocational Education." Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg L.P., 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Stahl, Ashley. "The 5.4% Unemployment Rate Means Nothing For Millennials." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 11 May 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016. Stern, David, and Roman Stearns. Combining Academic and Career-Technical

Deliberation Guide Curated by: Steven Davis Matthew McPherson Victoria Moncur Erica Murphy Eli Nabholz Emily Nicewonger Riley O’Donnel-Zwaig Andrew Ramierez Anthony Rispoli Jake Springer Marcos Velazquez

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