Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates

High school students in the "academic middle" are at a great disadvantage when graduation time comes. In terms of traditional career paths, their futures aren′t bright. Today′s labor market is uncertain and difficult. Tuition costs for traditional four-year colleges have soared out of reach for many students. And the academic records of these students will greatly limit their likelihood of acceptance and, therefore, their options for further education. But there are promising alternatives. And that′s the good-news message from authors Gray and Herr. This timely book explores the choices available to students beyond traditional four-year colleges, options that carry a much higher probability of success and are more accessible for students in the academic middle. The authors discuss the long-held "one way to win" theory and analyze why it is no longer working. Using information gained by studying the experiences of secondary and postsecondary students, Gray and Herr document the clear and immediate need to help students regain control of their futures. They explain the importance of learning relevant occupational skills and explore alternative avenues for training, such as one- and two-year postsecondary technical institutions and work-based programs sponsored by employers and employee groups. Other Ways to Win presents three major steps that schools or districts can take to modify school programs in order to create viable options for students. It shows specific strategies designed to involve teachers, parents, and students in the process of better preparing students for graduation and for the workplace. All students, regardless of their academic or financial backgrounds, deserve the opportunity to succeed. This resource can help make it happen. Every principal, every guidance counselor, and every school reference library should have at least one copy of this indispensable book.

Kenneth C. Gray is a professor in the Workforce Education and Development Program at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State, he was superintendent of the Vocational Technical High School System in Connecticut and has been a high school English teacher, guidance counselor, and administrator. He has published widely and is frequently quoted in the national press. He is coauthor with Edwin Herr of Workforce Education: The Basic. His latest book, Getting Real: Helping Teens Find Their Future, addresses the importance of helping teenagers develop career direction as a prerequisite to postsecondary success. He holds a BA in economics from Colby College, an MA in counseling psychology from Syracuse University, and a doctorate in technical education from Virginia Tech.

Edwin L. Herr is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Education (Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology) and Emeritus Associate Dean, College of Education, Pennsylvania State University. He received his BS degree in Business Education from Shippensburg State Teachers College (Now Shippensburg University), and an MA and EdD in Counseling and Student Personnel Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was an Alumni Fellow. A former business teacher, school counselor, and director of guidance, he previously served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Counselor Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo (1963-1966) and as the First Director of the Bureau of Guidance Services and the Bureau of Pupil Personnel Services, Pennsylvania Department of Education (1966-1968). The author or coauthor of more than 300 articles and 32books and monographs, he is Past President of the American Counseling Association, Past President of the National Vocational Guidance Association, and Past President of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the American Association for Applied and Preventive Psychology, and the National Career Development Association. Among his many awards, he has received the Eminent Career Award of the National Career Development Association, the extended research award from the American Counseling Association, and the Counseling Innovation and Vision Award of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.