For education to make the transition into the next millenium, VoAg teacher Mark Lalum feels educators must steer away from focusing only on college-bound students.
He wants schools to meet the needs of the majority of students who will never earn a college degree.
On Feb. 13, Lalum took that message to the Montana legislature.
In a seven-minute speech to the governor, House and Senate, Lalum outlined his view that education needs to change to keep up with the times, and his objection to the overwhelming push for college education.
"Students need to realize that not all careers require a college education," Lalum told the legislature. "However, they must understand that some type of advanced education will be necessary for most of them - whether it be time at a trade school, a two-year associate degree or a vo-tech program. There are many other options."
The speech emphasized the superior abilities of Montana's students, showing standardized test scores an average of 10 to 20 percent higher than the national average.
Lalum said that although approximately 51 percent of Montana's high school students enroll in college upon graduation, only 25 percent of those eventually complete their degrees, reinforcing the need for alternate secondary education.
"The jobs aren't even there," Lalum told The Arrow. "Four-year college students have access to only 25 percent of jobs."
"We need to make students aware of all the opportunities," said Lalum. "The majority of jobs available are reachable through other paths."