Committee on Education and the Workforce
U.S. House of Representatives

Subcommittee on Education Reform
hearing on:
"Examining Success in Vocational Education"

April 27, 2004

Written Testimony of Dr. Carl Wong

Honorable Members of the Subcommittee on Education Reform, my name is Carl Wong, current Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools. On behalf of our county’s 40 school districts and 73,000 k-12 students, I express my appreciation for this opportunity to address the Subcommittee on "Examining Success in Vocational Education."

I began my education career 33 years ago as a high school industrial arts teacher in San Diego. Upon graduation from high school, I served a four-year apprenticeship at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo and have certification as a journeyman machinist. With that background, my testimony today is from both a personal as well as a professional perspective. I will focus upon how the schools in Sonoma County are integrating vocational and technical education programs with the rigorous academic standards adopted by the State of California and to prepare all students for post-secondary options.

There are 15 comprehensive high schools in Sonoma County serving over 23,000 students in grades 9-12. All high school districts and high school sites receive, on an annual basis, a proportionate amount of funding from the Perkins Basic State Grant. This Perkins funding is complemented by the state general funds, the state Regional Occupational Program (ROP) resources, and the Tech-Prep programs which are alignment with our local community college. The Santa Rosa Junior College District is one of the largest in California with an enrollment exceeding 30,000 students. Our county has a long history of coordination and collaboration with both the community college and the state university in providing students with career development and workforce preparation opportunities responsive to local and regional labor market demands.

I am an active participant on the County Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the local Youth Council, our Business Education Round Table (BERT), the School-to-Career Advisory Board, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board and the State Youth Council. Employer advisory councils are annually convened to validate individual high school career pathways, which incorporate vocational and technical preparation with college preparation coursework and work-based learning experiences. These include job shadow opportunities and paid/non-paid internships. Sonoma County’s proximity to the Silicon Valley in the Bay Area and our local telecommunications industry have resulted in our utilization of the Perkins Vocational Education funds in a non-traditional manner.

Prior to the No Child Left Behind Act, our local governing boards, school districts and superintendents were already embracing timely English proficiency as a priority. Furthermore, as we are beginning year seven of statewide academic standards, advanced college-preparatory mathematics and science courses are readily available at all comprehensive high school sites.

We no longer differentiate a student’s path through high school characterized by "college-bound" vs. "work-bound". Our prevailing philosophy and practice is the integration of workforce and academic skills so that all education is essentially career/technical/vocational education. Our Perkins-funded coursework, Regional Occupational Programs, and community college Tech-Prep classes are calibrated to reflect current business and industry standards. We work collaboratively with local trade unions and non-union entities to ensure student awareness of career pathways as reflected by the global workforce of the Twenty-First Century. Academic rigor and workplace relevancy are interconnected. The Carl D. Perkins funding serves to leverage and to link a student’s comprehensive high school experience to support the notion that "academics applied is academics learned".

I commend the Subcommittee on Education Reform on holding this hearing opportunity to receive input directly at the state, county, school district and school site levels. As a former teacher, guidance counselor, high school principal, and district superintendent, I can assure you that the Perkins funding is invaluable in supporting the integration of technical vocational skills and academic concepts necessary for global workforce competition.

As the County Superintendent, I clearly understand the spirit and intent of the legislation and take the professional responsibility to be prudent in the application of funds and to maximize educational benefits for students. I truly believe that the Perkins Basic State Grant funding contributes to the success of all students, which is in the national interest of our democracy and economy.