Forging Ahead: Vocational Education and the American Dream

National Association of Scholars

  • Event
  • July 28, 2022

A traditional four-year college degree is often considered the only viable approach for many students leaving high-school, particularly if those students want to have a shot at a middle-class lifestyle and the "American dream." But is a four year degree, which often requires taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, truly the only way? Or are there alternatives to traditional higher education?

Career and technical education programs are often absent from the conversation, but these offer a robust and accessible way to a good life for many. Why are these programs so often considered less valuable or less attractive for students? And how can we change that?

Join the National Association of Scholars on September 8 at 2pm ET to find out!

This webinar will feature David Ferreira, former teacher, coordinator, and principal of a vocational-technical school and co-author of Hands-On Achievement: Massachusetts's National Model Vocational-Technical Schools; Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr., Associate Professor of Government and founder of the Great Questions Project at Austin Community College; and Chris Sinacola, co-author of Hands-On Achievement.

The discussion will be moderated by Jamie Gass, Director of the Center for School Reform at the Pioneer Institute.

Register for "Forging Ahead: Vocational Education and the American Dream" 


Image:  Syd Mills, Public Domain

  • Share

Most Commented

December 16, 2025

1.

DOJ Does Away with Disparate Impact Theory

Disparate impact theory is on the Trump administration’s chopping block, signaling a move away from discriminatory government policy practices....

March 3, 2026

2.

The Ayatollah’s Friends are on Your Campus

The U.S. strike on Iran and the foreign funding shaping how universities respond to it....

March 11, 2026

3.

Bad Faith Noncompliance: Virginia Schools Flout Supreme Court and Trump with DEI ‘Rebrand’

Trump’s EOs and the Supreme Court make DEI illegal—but colleges keep rebranding it to dodge the law....

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

February 21, 2014

2.

Taking Care

Is art worth dying for? The Monuments Men considers the value of good art and its purpose in preserving a cultural heritage....

October 17, 2018

3.

Hamilton: An American Musical - Its National Influence as Art

William Young finds much to praise in the hit musical....