Tammi Florio

ED 845

December 2009

Preparing Students for College and

Career

“The future work force is here, and it is woefully ill-prepared...”

(Are They Really Ready To Work? 2006)

Students are not prepared for college50% of students nationwide

require at least one remedial course (State Policies, 2005)

Students are not prepared for work60% of employers rate graduates

as fair or poor (Ready or Not, 2004)

The Preparation Gap

College Prep?

Vo-tech?

Current High School Curriculum

65% proficient in reading; 55% proficient in math (PDE, 2009)

Less than one half of the school districts in Pennsylvania require four years of math

Less than one quarter require four years of science(American Diploma Network, 2007)

High school students today need the same knowledge and skills, especially in English and Math, whether they are entering college or the workforce after graduation.

(What Is College and Career Ready? 2009 and College and Work Ready 2007)

(Gray & Herr, p25)

K

CONTEXTUAL SKILLS

ACADEMIC BEHAVIORS

KEY CONTENTEnglish, Math, Science, Social

Studies, Language, Arts, Writing,

Research

Metacognition, Study Skills, Time Management

Culture of Workplace or Campus: Collaboration, Teamwork

KEY COGNITIVE STRATEGIES

Curiosity, Analysis, Problem Solving

(Redefining College Readiness, p 12

Conley 2007 and 2008)

Vision: provide unique learning experiences

Mission: occupationally skilled citizenry

Curriculum: flexible and comprehensive

Assessment: vocational and academic

Reform Commission District

Parents

Involvement and Planning

•Make connections between work and school

•Support interests and learning styles

(American Career Resource Network)

It’s Elementary

Career awareness and exploration must begin as early as possible. (School to Work Act, 1994)

And in the middle

New York offers college experiences as early as grade 6 through mini-courses.

(Preparing Workers of Today, 2009)

NEW High School Curriculum9th and 10th grades

CORE ACADEMICS •English: communication, comprehension

•Math: algebra, geometry, data analysis

•Science and Social Studies

•Languages and Arts

(Conley, 2007)

(Gray & Herr, 2006)

Not four years of unrelated and unconnected content

But consecutive and systematic course work that is anchored in the real world

Culminating in an activity that requires students to demonstrate mastery of challenging content and cross-disciplinary skills such as writing, reasoning, and inquiry

(Conley, 2003 and 2005; Gewertz, 2009)

Core Academics

NEW High School Curriculum9th and 10th grades 11th and 12th grades

CORE ACADEMICS •English: communication, comprehension

•Math: algebra, geometry, data analysis

•Science and Social Studies

•Languages and Arts

(Conley, 2007)

CORE ACADEMICS

plus

Dual Enrollme

nt

Tech Prep

Career Academy

(Gray & Herr, 2006)

Multiple Pathways

Same destination: post-secondary success

What it is NOT

Irrevocable decision

Vocationalized curriculum

Sorting students into tracks

First decision http://cte.ed.gov/acrn/decision.htm

Opportunity to combine marketable job skills and professional work ethic

Personalized education that cultivates individual strengths (Zhao, 2009)

What it IS

Integrating academic and vocational learning

(School to Work Act, 1994)

High School-College ConnectionsSenior Seminar

Co-taught by high school and college faculty

Keeps students engaged

Develops habits of mind for adult life

(Conley, April 2007)

Dual EnrollmentHigh school students

earn college credit

Associate’s degree or two years toward a baccalaureate

Reduced or waived tuition

(American Diploma Project, 2007)

(Preparing High School Students, 2008)

High School-Career Connections2+2 Tech Prep Program

Links to community college or technical school

Greatest number of projected openings do not require a four-year degree

Two tech-level jobs for every university level job

(Rice, 2006; Gray & Herr, 2006)

Career Academies

Small Learning Communities

Students choose a career cluster

Participate in experiences that match career interests

(Striking the Balance, 2008)(Preparing High School Students, 2008)

…that do not require a bachelor’s degree

Craft and constructionHealth occupationsManufacturingService occupationsTechnical serviceInformational technology

(Gray & Herr, p 130)

High Skill/High Wage Occupations

More than a high school diploma

But not necessarily college for all

Restructuring curriculum = re-culturing the school

Other Ways to Win

Aligning curriculum with post-secondary expectations means nurturing a culture that promotes intellectual development and self-directed learning (Conley, 2007)

“The ability to engage in self-directed learning is the single most important competence people possess.” (Knowles in Critical Issues, p. 217)

Reorganizing Instruction

End the assembly line

Begin to customize

Focus teams of educational professionals on the needs of individual students. Develop personalized plans. (Riddile, 2009 and Zhao, 2009)

Business sector and educators must communicate and collaborate (Governance Divide, 2005)

Establish mentoring programs, partnerships, job shadowing, internships (Most Young People, 2006)

Model the importance of applied skills such as team work and critical thinking

To prepare the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow

Provide authentic opportunities to develop interactive, analytic, problem-solving skills

Worker flexibility is the key to a dynamic labor market (Preparing Workers Today, 2009)

To prepare the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow

Lifelong earning requires lifelong learning. (Jazzar & Algozzine, p 215)

Learn to learn…to retool…and adapt…at every age and stage

We stand at a crossroads in education today.

Do we have the will and the skill to change?

Change is not necessary;

survival is not mandatory.

(Deming)