School, business leaders meet

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Business and school leaders from across Alabama met in Russellville last week to discuss the future of career and technical courses in Alabama high schools.
Dr. Joe Morton, Alabama State Superintendent of Education, told the group of educators and executives that preparing students for the job market involves more than just reading, writing and arithmetic.
"We have to have our students prepared with the skills they need to go to work after high school," Morton said.
"In America, we went through a period of time where people looked at the U.S. as being number one in every category. When you're number one, everybody else is shooting for you.
"Everybody else is trying to catch you. Well, they caught us."
Morton said the introduction of distance learning labs should help prepare more students in more areas than ever before.
"Now, any student, anywhere, can take any subject," he said referring to the computer based labs that are being placed in each Alabama high school.
"We are going to be able to reach every child and we've never been able to do that."
Sherry Key, with the Alabama Department of Education, said people have one of three options once they complete school.
"They either work, don't work or go to jail," she said.
"We want to have them prepared to work."