Education Panel Jan Bray, Moderator, ACTE

Sandy Mittelsteadt, Zayn Consulting Barbara Hins-Turner, Center of Excellence for Energy Technology

at Centralia CollegeTom Applegate, Association for Career & Technical EducationJim Hunter, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

CHANGING FACE OF CAREER AND CHANGING FACE OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATIONTECHNICAL EDUCATION

Presented byJanet B. Bray, CAEACTE Executive DirectorOCTOBER 2006

THE FUTURETHE FUTURE

THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON TO STUDY POSSIBLE FUTURE

DEVELOPMENTS IS SO WE CAN CHANGE THEM

KEY POINTS FOR DISCUSSIONKEY POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

Assumptions About The FutureAssumptions About The Future

The Flattening Global EconomyThe Flattening Global Economy

Current High School Reform InitiativesCurrent High School Reform Initiatives

Perspectives and OpportunitiesPerspectives and Opportunities

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Accountability (parents, legislators, business leaders) will continue No Child Left Behind-high stakes testing Perkins Reauthorization71% of Americans believe public schools are falling behind.

“Every student needs a baccalaureate” statement is still the American dream

General public (40%) and opinion leaders (60%) identify math, science and technology as most important to compete in global economy.

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Rapid changes in the job market and work-related technologies will necessitate increased training for virtually every worker.

STEM Initiative – increase 70% faster

There will be shortages of skilled and knowledgeable workers; large number of people retiring from business within the period and higher mobility of people between careers/jobs

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Lifelong learning – average age of student in post secondary/technical education will increase

The half-life of an engineer’s knowledge today is five years; in 10 years, 90% of knowledge will be available on the computer.

In the next 10 years, close to 10 million jobs will open in the highly skilled service occupations.

A substantial portion of the labor force will be in job training at any moment. Much of this carried out by current employers.

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Students will expect information to be delivered through electronic media – instant

messaging

Technology will challenge the appliedclassroom - learning to occur beyond thetraditional classroom environment

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Academic and elementary education is higher on the agenda for current administration than career/technical

Increased emphasis on transitions between secondary/post secondary/workforce

Increased focus on dropout/recovery statistics and strategies

States will be attempting to exert increased control over educational agenda within their states at the same time federal limitations on the way federal funds are used may be increasingly limited via block grants

Assumptions About theAssumptions About theRelevant Future EnvironmentRelevant Future Environment

Classroom of the future will have no walls, no clocks no age segregation – community learning centers

US public education will face an uphill battle for survival – increased home schooling

Retraining and active baby boomers will increase demand for adult education.

Percentage of population with a postsecondary credentialPercentage of population with a postsecondary credential

31

4043

51

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

U.S.Canada IrelandJapan Korea

55-64 45-54

35-44

25-34

Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2003

The International Education RaceThe International Education Race

+92%9.44.9India

+258%13.63.8China

+15%15.713.7U.S.

% Change20001990

Students Enrolled in Postsecondary(in thousands)

UNESCO, 2003

The International Education RaceThe International Education Race

The World is FlatThe World is FlatA Brief History of the 21A Brief History of the 21stst Century Centuryby Thomas L. Friedmanby Thomas L. Friedman

Friedman’s Ten Flattening ForcesFriedman’s Ten Flattening Forces

1. Fall of the Berlin WallThe events of November 9, 1989, tilted the worldwide balance of power toward democracies and free markets.

2. Netscape IPOThe August 9, 1995, offering sparked massive investment in fiber-optic cables.

3. Work flow software The rise of apps from PayPal to VPNs enabled faster, closer coordination among far-flung employees.

4. Open-sourcing Self-organizing communities, à la Linux, launched a collaborative revolution.

5. Outsourcing Migrating business functions to India saved money and a third world economy.

Friedman’s Ten Flattening ForcesFriedman’s Ten Flattening Forces

6. Offshoring Contract manufacturing elevated China to economic prominence.

7. Supply-chaining Robust networks of suppliers, retailers, and customers increased business efficiency. See Wal-Mart.

8. Insourcing Logistics giants took control of customer supply chains, helping mom-and-pop shops go global. See UPS and FedEx.

9. In-forming Power searching allowed everyone to use the Internet as a "personal supply chain of knowledge." See Google.

10. Wireless Like "steroids," wireless technologies pumped up collaboration, making it mobile and personal.

Source: Wired Magazine, May 2005

Common Elements in High School Common Elements in High School ReformReform

Rigorous curriculum (high expectations for all by offering a core curriculum)

Relevance (career academies, experiential learning, thematically focused schools)

Relationships (support for students)

NGA Action Agenda, 2005NGA Action Agenda, 2005

1. Restore value to the high school diploma Recommendations included aligning high school academic standards with college and workplace expectations, upgrading high school coursework, and creating college- and work-ready tests.

2. Redesign high schoolsRecommendations included reorganizing low-performing high schools first, expanding high school options in all communities and providing support to low-performing students.

3. Give high school students the excellent teachers and principals they need Recommendations included improving teacher knowledge and skills, providing incentives to recruit and keep teachers where they are needed most, and developing and supporting strong principal leadership.

NGA Action Agenda, 2005NGA Action Agenda, 2005

4. Set goals, measure progress, and hold high schools and colleges accountableRecommendations included setting goals and measuring progress, strengthening high school and postsecondary accountability, and intervening in low-performing schools.

5. Streamline and improve education governanceRecommendations included creating a common K–12 and postsecondary agenda and improving coordination across the two sectors.

American Diploma ProjectAmerican Diploma Project

1. Raise high school standards to the level of what is actually required to succeed in college or in the workforce.

2. Require all students to take rigorous college and work-ready curriculum.

3. Develop tests of college and work readiness that all students will take in high school.

4. Hold high schools accountable for graduating all students ready for college and work, and hold colleges accountable for the success of the students they admit.

Reform Models Commonly Reform Models Commonly Used in High SchoolsUsed in High Schools

AVID Coalition of Essential Schools First Things First High Schools That Work Talent Development America’s Choice

Increased focus on career clusters by states

Perspectives.…Opportunities for CTEPerspectives.…Opportunities for CTE

Congress clearly values CTE, but may not fully understand its potential.

High school reformers value rigor, relevance, and relationships -- but often overlook CTE.

High school reformers want to eliminate the low-level academic track.

Continue to build Congressional awareness through local site visits.

Elbow for a seat at the high school reform table -- national and state-by-state, district-by-district.

CTE should embrace this goal -- document examples of CTE students excelling in academic achievement and graduation rates.

High School reformers value college, particularly for minorities and disadvantaged students.

Some high school reformers undervalue 2-year colleges and certificate programs.

Political leaders are very concerned about U.S. economic competitiveness.

Make readiness for college and work (a la American Diploma Project) the goal for every student.

Demonstrate the rigor, market demand and social advancement from CTE.

Promote rigorous CTE engineering and science programs as key to economic competitiveness.

Incorporate entrepreneurship, global economics, and business processes into CTE content.

Perspectives.…Opportunities for CTEPerspectives.…Opportunities for CTE

The Challenge for CTEThe Challenge for CTE

For CTE in the 21st century, the challenge is clear…………

How to maintain program integrity and improve learning in an environment that demands academic progress as the bottom line.

By embracing its role in providing rigor, relevance and relationships, CTE will shape tomorrow’s high school success.

Energy Career AcademiesSandy Mittelsteadt

Author of The Career Academy Toolkit

How Did You Become Involved In The Energy Industry?

• What interested you in the utility industry?• How old were you?• Did your high school counselor or teachers

help you decide?

Is Education Today Encouraging Students To Enter The Energy Field?

• If yes, how can you improve the process?

• If no, what can you do about it?

What is the Energy Career Academy

Initiative?• Generate interest and encourage students

to consider the energy industry as a fulfilling career

• Create a pipeline of high school graduates with skills ready for both entry-level employment and/or college

• Improve the quality of education in America by adding relevancy and rigor into the Energy Career Academies

What is a Career Academy?• Complex model• Small, safe, and supportive learning

environment that is personalized and inclusive of all students

• A partnership among educators, parents, businesses, and higher education to broaden learning opportunities

• Both academic and career education• All aspects of an industry• Challenging, contextual curriculum with

project-based learning

How Do You Define a Career Academy?

A career academy “has the heart of an elementary school, the schedule of a middle school, and the curriculum of a high school.”

Bill Moore, Principal of Roosevelt High SchoolYonkers, NY

What is the History of Career Academies?

• Idea created in 1969• First career academy called the “Electrical

Academy” at Edison High School, supported by The Philadelphia Electric Company

• Academy concept spread to automotive, health, environmental, business, etc.

• Academy concept spread to California, New York, Florida, Arkansas, etc.

• Widely accepted…24% of high schools (U.S. Dept. of Ed)

• Regarded as prestigious programs.

Is There Research to Support Career Academies?

• MDRC’s study– Significantly cut dropout rates– Increased attendance rates, credits earned toward graduation,

and preparation for post-secondary education– Extended positive effects on school engagement to both high-

risk and medium-risk students– Improved the likelihood of students graduating on time– Former academy students more apt to graduate from college– Increases teachers’ satisfaction– Academy alumni make 10% higher salaries that non-academy

graduates

Academy Funding Sources• U. S. Dept. of Ed’s Smaller Learning

Communities.• Gates’ Small School funding.• Magnet School grants.• Choice-charter school grants.• Private foundations, such Walton

Foundation or Irvine Foundation.• State funding, such as California and

Florida.

Why Promote Career Academies Over Other Programs?

• Appeal to all students.• Integrate academic subjects.• Make learning “real” or meaningful.• Considered prestigious programs.• Make sense.• Educate the “whole” student.

Homework AssignmentImagine….

• …Students in high schools across the U.S. lined up seeking admission to Energy Career Academies.

• …Classes counting toward college and/or apprenticeship time. Students are learning skill building under mentor supervision, academic preparation and working toward certification in the energy field.

• …A majority of these graduates will go to work with mentor firms. You have the opportunity to select the “cream of the crop” students.

Today, there is only one utility career academy in the U.S. Imagine hundreds of them across the U.S. Imagine one in your community!

Contact Information:

Sandy Mittelsteadtsmittelsteadt@verizon.net

661.900.7822