Considering a Technical/Vocational School
Growing up, I think my impression of "Tech" schools, which most likely came from television and movies, was that they were for the kids who would not be going to college, or who, for some reason, could not "make it" in the regular High School. I don't know if technical schools have changed, or if people, myself included, have just misperceived the function of these schools.
For example, in our area we have Shawsheen Tech, which has a great reputation for preparing students for a technical career, for college, or for both, as well as for preparing students for "life after school". A technical school offers hands-on training that is useful if a student is going straight into a job environment from high school, or if they are going on to college first. Even in college, you will find that internships, with hands on job training, are strongly emphasized.
Another vocational school in our area is Minuteman Regional. Both schools offer both traditional academic courses, as well as hands on technical and vocational courses. Academic courses at both schools include opportunities for Honors level course work and several levels of college preparatory course work. Technical and vocational courses at the schools range from science and technology courses, to technical service fields, to more artistically inclined fields of study.
To learn more about the technical and vocational schools in our area, visit:
www.shawsheen.tec.ma.us
www.minuteman.org