| Bill Gates is at it again! This time he’s taking on | | | | semester or more for college can be gained... Special |
| the American public high schools. But Bill isn’t | | | | certification programs from Cisco, Microsoft, General |
| alone. Educational Testing Service’s survey | | | | Motors, Ford and other companies also are available in |
| “Ready For The Real World?”, eminent | | | | technical courses. |
| business author Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind and | | | | Students need specific goals toward which to work. |
| Free Agent Nation), and many others have criticized | | | | These incentives go a long way. In the Construction |
| our high school system as not being up to the task. | | | | program, for example, students build a new house |
| Why am I interested? Simple! I have been involved in | | | | literally from the ground up. At the end of the year it is |
| education for more than 50 years. I have always | | | | sold and the funds further support the Construction |
| looked to the future and how we needed to change to | | | | program. Academic programs need similar incentives. |
| meet new demands society places upon us. I feel | | | | Some schools place emphasis on Advanced |
| there is tremendous interest nationally for things to | | | | Placement courses. However, these have been |
| change, but we are holding on to old models, trying to | | | | criticized because of their narrow focus. |
| put new wine into old casks, and finding it just | | | | STEP FOUR: Internships. Students at the Career |
| won’t work. If you want more information about | | | | Center not only work on ‘real world’ |
| my background, go to our new website [ and read my | | | | projects in class, but many have intern possibilities |
| biographical sketch. | | | | during their second year. Why should such valuable |
| Actually our high schools are up to the task for which | | | | special experiences be limited to special schools? |
| they were designed. The only problem is that | | | | Can’t internships be set up for students in |
| we’re not living in the 1940’s. Preparing | | | | academic programs as well? One of the big mistakes |
| students for the world of exploding | | | | we have made is to separate students into so-called |
| telecommunications and globalization while dealing with | | | | college bound or career bound offerings. Should |
| students as if they were re-runs from Leave It to | | | | college prep students should keep their noses buried in |
| Beaver places us on the path to disaster. | | | | books. There’s no reason why students in |
| As Susan Patrick, Director of the U. S. Department of | | | | traditional programs should not have opportunities to |
| Education’s Office of Educational Technology, | | | | utilize what they have learned inside schools by making |
| stated, what is needed is not educational reform, | | | | contributions outside their school environments. |
| it’s educational transformation. Before we can | | | | STEP FIVE: Community input. One of the greatest |
| expect major academic improvement the system | | | | keys to the Career Center’s success is its |
| needs an overhaul, not just tweaking around the | | | | involving community personnel on advisory committees. |
| edges. This is not a call for more testing, better | | | | Each of the 22 programs has its own advisory |
| teachers, more attentive students, or more money. | | | | committee and there’s an over all advisory |
| Those concerns can be examined later. I am calling for | | | | committee as well. These people, representing the |
| structural change from the ground up, from how our | | | | various technical fields, are valuable links to the larger |
| buildings are organized, how teachers work with | | | | community. Curricula receive direct input from those |
| students and with each other, how our curricula are | | | | actively working in the community. Why can’t |
| developed, and how we motivate those hyper-active | | | | there be similar committees in traditional schools? |
| M Generation students. | | | | Again, such links would help students directly by |
| I want to suggest six steps that should be the starting | | | | demonstrating how what is learned in classes has |
| point. Now I’m not naive enough to think that | | | | value in the larger community, and committee |
| you’d take me at face value. I can hear the | | | | members can be supporters for the schools to the |
| chants, “Where’s the evidence?” | | | | rest of the community as well. |
| Well, I do have a model; one that comes from what | | | | STEP SIX: Multiple student incentives. In each program |
| for many years was the step-child of public education, | | | | there should be opportunities for students to participate |
| namely vocational education, ‘shop | | | | in competitions leading to state and national recognition. |
| classes’ or ‘trade schools’ as we | | | | The Career Center has been outstanding each year |
| used to call them. These were school to which the | | | | when many students achieve success at state and |
| less academically able students were shunted. Theirs | | | | even national levels. Similar programs should be |
| was not a college bound curriculum! | | | | available and highly recognized in every high school |
| Elkhart, IN is blessed with a wonderful facility, the | | | | across the country. Here is the list from the 2004-05 |
| Elkhart Area Career Center (EACC) that | | | | school year: |
| demonstrates how excellence can be generated year | | | | • State Award for Overall Excellence: 1 state |
| after year if the facilities, courses, staffs, and | | | | winner |
| community are committed and work together. About | | | | • Skills USA State Medalists: 7 goldmedals |
| 1200 students from 12 of the region’s school | | | | (students went to Kansas City for the nationalcontest |
| districts spend half-day sessions for two years in one | | | | June 19-24, all expenses paid) |
| of 22 specialized programs. EACC’s students | | | | 6 silver medals |
| represent a cross section of student bodies. Many | | | | 6 bronze medals |
| enter with straight A’s. About 55 percent go on | | | | •ARTiculate: 2 state winners (2nd and 3rd place) |
| to further education after high school graduation. See | | | | •Regional Scholastic Art Awards: 1 American |
| the EACC’s website | | | | vision Award (5 pc.Portfolio) |
| The following steps can provide the foundation to build | | | | 3 gold keys |
| upon for academically oriented schools as well as | | | | 1 silver key |
| technical high schools. Isn’t it ironic that the area | | | | 9 honorable mention |
| of secondary school education which for decades | | | | •National Scholastic Art Awards 1 student |
| was thought to be the dumping ground for “failing | | | | (received at Carnegie Hall) |
| students” can now be an example for | | | | •Lincoln Art Welding: 6 awards |
| educational transformation? | | | | •Automotive Youth Educational Systems 10 |
| STEP ONE: Buildings designed for integrated problem | | | | senior interns |
| centered programs. Ever walked down the hallway of | | | | 6 junior interns |
| a typical high school? How are the classes organized? | | | | •State Ford AAA Student Auto Skills 3rd place |
| All the Language Arts classes are together, usually on | | | | team |
| the same hall. It’s similar for social studies, foreign | | | | Finally, through the generous gifts from Basil S. Turner, |
| languages, science, math, business and the arts. The | | | | one of the Career Centers original benefactors, and |
| Career Center, on the other hand, organizes its space | | | | others in the community, there is an endowed |
| into six program cluster areas: Business Technology, | | | | scholarship foundation currently worth around |
| Graphics & Media, Manufacturing & | | | | $400,000. Each year it awards 12 scholarships to |
| Engineering, Service Industry, Transportation, and | | | | deserving students to further their education in |
| Construction. | | | | technical institutes or colleges and universities. The |
| Why not organize high schools into academic cluster | | | | program is a chapter in the Dollars for Scholars |
| areas, each cluster containing space for each | | | | program ( |
| academic specialty? Teams of language arts, science, | | | | In summary, here is a description of the mission of the |
| math, and social studies teachers would work together | | | | Career Center and its relationship to traditional |
| to provide guidance from their respective specialties | | | | academic programs. |
| as students tackle problems Visual and performing | | | | There is no separation between college bound and |
| arts teachers could be available to provide broader | | | | career bound students. After all, the goal of any good |
| dimensions. The world doesn’t divide tasks into | | | | educational program is to challenge the students to |
| special departments. Solving problems takes integration | | | | perform at their highest level and to provide the tools |
| of ideas from each discipline. Let the students work on | | | | so that their goals are achievable. I suggest the Career |
| “real world” problems, not be placed in | | | | Center’s statement here should be replicated for |
| unreal world environments. | | | | every high school in America. |
| STEP TWO: Criterion referenced curriculum | | | | "At the Elkhart Area Career Center we have certified |
| development. Organize the curriculum around | | | | math and English instructors working with the career |
| sequenced mastery criteria. Each Career Center | | | | and technical educational instructors. We provide all |
| program follows a series of criteria that students | | | | students with the occupational, academic and |
| complete in sequence. When the course is completed | | | | higher-order thinking skills needed to function |
| the list of mastered skills goes with the students and | | | | effectively in a technologically advanced society, a |
| becomes a part of their portfolios. Much of the time | | | | globally competitive marketplace and an |
| students work in teams, some formal and some | | | | information-based economy. |
| informal. If the regular high school academic programs | | | | "By integrating mathematics and English academics |
| were organized around problem solving, each | | | | within career and technical education skills, we |
| instructor could provide similar sets of criteria. Student | | | | enhance student learning by providing a real-life, |
| records would show what they have mastered in | | | | hands-on opportunity to practice the use of their |
| each discipline. At the end of the course the records | | | | academic and vocational skills. The basic academic |
| would follow the students to the next grade. At | | | | and problem-solving skills are taught simultaneously so |
| graduation the lists would determine each | | | | that they are mutually reinforced. Students learn how |
| student’s level of mastery in each area, such as | | | | to recognize the academic strategies to solve real-life |
| Language Arts, Math, etc. These could be available as | | | | problems and the skills get reinforced through hands-on |
| parts of college or employment applications. | | | | applications. |
| STEP THREE: Dual credit and certification | | | | "The course outcomes are aligned with Indiana State |
| opportunities. At the Career Center students have an | | | | educational standards. Integration of academic and |
| opportunity in the majority of programs to receive both | | | | career preparation standards make possible a career |
| high school and college credit. In some cases a | | | | pathway connecting education to the world of work. |