Preparing Students for the Careers of the Future

Rod Duckworth, ChancellorDivision of Career and Adult Education

Florida Department of EducationLearning Today, Earning Tomorrow

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…

They use the lights from their cell phones at rock concerts, not lighters or matches

Born at the same time as Macs and PCs, cellular phones, the World Wide Web, digital TVs and genetically modified organisms

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).

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.

Technological Fluency

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.

Training to be a Versatilist

"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)

Classroom Dynamics

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…

ex·o·bi·ol·o·gy  [ek-soh-bahy-ol-uh-jee]

A Possible Future Career???

.

.. 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 real-world 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.

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)

Increase Academic Achievement

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)

Improve High School Graduation Rate

• 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.

Increase Postsecondary Participation and Success

College and Career Readiness Through CTE

Improve high school graduation rate

Increase student academic achievement

Enhance employability

Increase postsecondary participation and success

Six core skills embedded in Career and Technical Education

Critical thinking and problem solvingTeamwork and collaboration

Information technology application

Professionalism and work ethicWritten 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)

Enhance Employability

Career and Technical Education

It’s not your parent’s wood shop or home economics class!

CTE Today…….

“New” CTE Direction

“Then” “Now”

Vocational Education CTE

For a Few Students (non college bound)

For all Students

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 programsOver 300 different Secondary CTE programs arranged in 17 Career ClustersRace to the Top (RTTT) – 22 applicable CTE programs Career and Professional Education Academies (CAPE) - Bonus funding, School grade calculations Other CTE AcademiesIndustry Certifications Articulated Credit

2010-11 CAPE Student Performance

Performance Indicator

Non-CAPE, No

Certification

CAPE, No

Certification

Non-CAPE +

Certification

CAPE +

Certification

Average GPA 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%

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

Rod.Duckworth@fldoe.org

(850) 245-9463