Transcript An Overview of Workforce Education

Preparing Students for
the Careers of the Future
Rod Duckworth, Chancellor
Learning Today, Earning Tomorrow
Division of Career and Adult Education
Florida Department of Education
Points to consider
As you think about the closing of one school year and
begin the transformation into another, file away just
one number: 65 percent…..
…..according to Cathy N. Davidson, co-director of
the annual MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and
Learning Competitions,
…..fully 65
percent of today’s grade-school kids
may end up doing work that hasn’t been
invented yet.
The Millennial Generation…
Born at the same time as Macs and
PCs, cellular phones, the World
Wide Web, digital TVs and
genetically modified organisms
They use the lights from their cell
phones at rock concerts, not
lighters or matches
Kermit the Frog is older than
most of their parents
Think about it….
Think back 50 years…. could educators then have
predicted how the Internet, which emerged globally
in 1994, or the mobile phone, which appeared a few
years later, would change the world?
These technologies have not just become tools of
learning, but networking and knowledge sharing, as
well as innovation and entrepreneurship….
Think a moment about this generation…
From 60’s television to today's tools
Remember the Star Trek Communicator…..
…and now today we have the Smart Phone
A Fast Changing World…
We live in a fast-
changing world,
and producing more of
the same knowledge
and skills will not suffice
to address the
challenges of the
future…A generation
ago, teachers could
expect that what they
taught would last their
students a lifetime.
Today, because of
rapid economic and
social change, schools
have to prepare
students for jobs that
have yet to be created,
technologies that
have not yet been
invented and
problems that we don't
yet know will arise.
The Ability to Acquire New Skills
One of the job categories in great demand today is
that of Webmaster -- a person who designs,
creates, and maintains sites on the World Wide
Web….
…….this job did not exist 12 years ago!
This means that the people who are working in this
field acquired their skills largely on their own.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be
those who cannot read and write, but those
who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”
Alvin Toffler
Understanding the New Language
Technological fluency is more than technological
literacy; it requires that an individual be as
comfortable using technology as they are
reading the newspaper…
… The lack of technologically
fluent workers is already a
problem.
“Teachers need to integrate technology
seamlessly into the curriculum instead of
viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought or an
event.”
Heidi-Hayes Jacobs
21st Century Literacy
21st century literacy is about reading to learn and
developing the capacity and motivation to identify,
understand, interpret, create and
communicate knowledge.
As Early as the Late 90’s…
The Thornburg Center conducted a study of the 54
jobs identified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics as having the highest numerical growth
between now and the year 2005. Of the 54 jobs, 46
required technological fluency, and none of the
remaining eight paid more than double
minimum wage (Thornburg, 1997).
Technological Fluency
The ability to sit down at a computer and use it as
easily as we can pick up and read a book in
our native language.
Of the challenges facing education today, preparing
students to be fluent in the use of
computational and communication
technologies is one of our greatest.
Training to be a Versatilist
The “knowledge world” is no longer divided between
specialists and generalists...
“Versatilists are able to apply a depth of skill to a
progressively widening scope of situations and
experiences, equally at ease with technical issues
as with business strategy.”
Focusing on STEM competencies and not on a
specific STEM Career.
Constantly adapting, learning and growing in a fast-
changing world.
Classroom Dynamics
"Classrooms of today resemble their ancestors
of 50
and 100 years ago much more closely
than do today's hospital operating rooms,
business offices, manufacturing plants, or
scientific labs.“
Fulton (1989, pg. 12)
Rethinking Education
Changes of this magnitude require a complete
rethinking of education….
….both in terms of the curriculum, and in the
development of pedagogies that…
….ensure that every student acquires the high
level of skills needed to thrive in the dynamic
world of the 21st century.
We can’t keep preparing students for a world
that will not exist…
A Possible Future Career???
ex·o·bi·ol·o·gy
[ek-soh-bahy-ol-uh-jee]
.
.. noun
the study of life beyond the
earth's atmosphere, as on other
planets.
The Three “C’s”
In addition to the basic skills of literacy and
numeracy, every learner must also master the
"three C's" …Communication, Collaboration,
and Creative Problem Solving.
Beyond these are the equally important skills of
knowing how to use numbers and data in realworld tasks, the ability to locate and process
information relevant to the task at hand,
technological fluency, and, most of all, the skills
and attitudes needed to be a lifelong learner.
Increase Academic Achievement
Students at schools with highly integrated,
rigorous CTE programs have higher
achievement in reading, math and science.
(Southern Regional Educational Board, 2008)
CTE students take more and higher level
math than their general track counterparts.
(2002 National Center for Research in Career and Technical Education)
CTE students increased 12th grade NAEP test
scores by 8 pts in reading and 11 pts in
math compared to students with no CTE
coursework who increased 4 pts in reading and 0 pts
in math.
(USDOE 2004 National Assessment of Vocational Education: Final Report to Congress)
Improve High School Graduation Rate
A high-risk student who takes no
CTE courses is
four times as likely to drop out as one who takes
3 CTE courses for every 4 academic courses.
(Wonacott, Michael, Dropouts and Career and Technical Education, 2002)
In 2005 Gates Foundation Report, 81% of students who
dropped out said that “more real world learning”
may have influenced them to stay in school.”
(Bridgeland, J., et al, The Silent Epidemic, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2005)
Career and Technical Education has the power to
engage and motivate all students by giving them
chances to learn in applied settings.
(NGA Best Practices Issue Brief, Retooling Career Technical Education, 2008)
Increase Postsecondary Participation and Success
• More than half of the students who choose to
concentrate in CTE also take a college
preparatory curriculum.
(NGA Best Practices Issue Brief, Retooling Career Technical Education, 2008)
• National Center for Education Statistics in 2000
found that CTE students were more likely than their
peers to obtain a degree or certificate within
two years, despite the fact they were more likely to
be working while attending school.
College and Career Readiness Through CTE
Improve high school graduation
rate
Increase student academic achievement
Enhance employability
Increase postsecondary participation and
success
Enhance Employability
Six core skills embedded in Career and Technical
Education
Critical thinking and problem solving
Teamwork and collaboration
Information technology application
Professionalism and work
ethic
Written communication skills
Oral communication skills
(Southern Regional Education Board, Quality Career/Technical Programs Prepare Students to Succeed in a New,
More Challenging Economy, October 2008)
Career and Technical Education
It’s not your parent’s
wood shop or home
economics class!
CTE Today…….
“New” CTE Direction
“Then”
Vocational Education
“Now”
CTE
For a Few Students (non college For all Students
bound)
For a Few “Jobs” (those
requiring less than an
associate’s degree)
For all “Careers” (requiring
technical degrees, baccalaureate
degrees, professional degrees)
6 to 7 “Program Areas”
17 Clusters, over 300 programs
In Lieu of Academics
Aligns/Supports Academics
(integral partner in high school
reform efforts)
High School Focused
Middle School and transition to
postsecondary (certificate, 2
year, 4 year plus)
STEM and Other CTE Initiatives
86 Secondary and Postsecondary programs
classified as
STEM using DOE’s definition of STEM (based on STEM
occupations)
Innovative programs
Over 300 different Secondary CTE programs arranged in
17 Career Clusters
Race to the Top (RTTT) – 22 applicable CTE programs
Career and Professional Education Academies (CAPE) Bonus funding, School grade calculations
Other CTE Academies
Industry Certifications
Articulated Credit
2010-11 CAPE Student Performance
Non-CAPE,
No
Certification
CAPE,
No
Certification
2.46
2.58
2.79
3.00
Chronically Absent
16.3%
15.7%
11.2%
9.9%
At Least One
Disciplinary Action
20.6%
20.5%
12.8%
10.9%
Dropout Rate
2.1%
0.9%
0.6%
0.3%
12th Graders Earning
Standard Diploma
73.9%
85.9%
93.3%
96.1%
At Least One
Accelerated Course
22.9%
25.4%
38.8%
41.2%
Bright Futures Eligible
Seniors
22.4%
21.8%
31.5%
38.2%
Performance
Indicator
Average GPA
Non-CAPE
CAPE
+
+
Certification Certification
Division of Career and Adult Education
Free professional development workshops (many
of which are available online)
Training and funding for teachers to train for and
take industry certifications
Willing to provide assistance associated with any
aspect of CTE
http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/
Some final thoughts…..
“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we
rob our children of tomorrow.”
John Dewey
“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people:
those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and
those who wonder what happened’
John Richardson
“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it
today”
African Proverb
Contact Information
Rod Duckworth, Chancellor
Division of Career and Adult Education
[email protected]
(850) 245-9463