Vocational Education and Guidance in the Negro Secondary School

The impending and recurring crises in international affairs, resulting in adjustments and readjustments in the affairs of nations and peoples, have their counterpart in the occupational status of Negroes in America. The impact of the continual mechanization of industry, labor union activity, breakdown of the agricultural system, occupational shiftings, urbanization, the head-long rush of Negro youth to the professions, wages and hours legislation, etc., have done much to increase the confusion of the masses of Negroes seeking employment opportunities. What to do to alleviate the situation is a question which can best be answered in terms of what has not been done. The faults often can be traced to one major source-the secondary school. This key institution in the educational scheme is not doing its real job-training youth to adjust themselves to life needs. The general situation existing in the vocational education and guidance activities in our secondary schools will be discussed after an attempt is made to find out the availability of such schools. Some information about the present status of these schools is important. The widespread conduct of programs designed to train youth for occupational activity depends upon the prevalence of secondary schools in which they can be organized. In addition to broadening the programs in the schools now available for the education of Negro youth on the secondary level, energies must be directed toward increasing the number of such institutions. A larger number of high schools would at least provide more opportunities for this desired training

Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Secondary education · Sociology · Vocational education · Education Systems and Policy · Psychology