The importance of college- and career-readiness

MAKING THE CASE FOR COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS

There is a debate among the educational community about the importance of college readiness. One side of the debate contends that all students must be college-ready, while the other side indicates an overemphasis on four-year college degree completion (Symonds, Schwartz, & Ferguson, 2011). Specialized skills, training, or certifications are important for career readiness.

Create a presentation (PowerPoint or other media-based platform) for your local school board regarding the importance of college- and career-readiness.

Include data summaries of at least five sources, which substantiate the importance of college readiness.

Include their relationship to career readiness.

Answer the central question in your presentation: Why is it important for more students to be college- and career-ready?

Be sure to explain each data chart or graph you use and elaborate on any text slides in the presentation by adding your explanations in the notes section of your presentation. (Include a supplemental paper if your chosen presentation medium does not include speaker notes.)

Include any protocols or handouts that you would give to board members.

Support your statements with evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.

References

Symonds, W. C., Schwartz, R. B., & Ferguson, R. (2011). Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenge of preparing young Americans for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: Pathways to Prosperity Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

INTRODUCTION: THIS WILL SERVE AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO HELP YOU WITH THE ASSIGNMENTS.

COLLEGE AND CAREER: FRIENDS OR FOES?

Take a moment and think about the superhero, Superman. What are three traits that characterize Superman? One person might say that he protects the innocent; he stands against those who threaten the innocent like Lex Luthor; and he can fly. Another person might say that Superman has incredible strength and vision; Kryptonite is his weakness; and he perseveres in the face of potentially overwhelming odds, even on the rare occasions that his life may be at risk. Just as we can think of multiple ways to define Superman, college readiness is defined by many important traits and not by just one.

One such trait is the preparation for the workforce or career readiness. Career readiness is sometimes identified in conjunction with college readiness, as in college- and career-readiness. However, it is also separated from college readiness, as in college readiness and career readiness. Maybe career readiness is the Clark Kent of college readiness or vice versa. Many organizations across the country are trying to create a definition of college readiness with which everyone can agree.

The United States’ economy has expanded from a national to a global market, which requires a highly skilled and diverse work force. The need for an educated workforce has increased college-going rates (Hoyt & Sorensen, 2001). “Preparing students for college has become a higher priority in many schools as parents, business leaders, and politicians emphasize the importance of a highly educational workforce and citizenry” (Conley, 2008, para. 1). Advances in technology continue to evolve and increase the demands for a highly skilled labor force. Consequently, all students need to have postsecondary options and to complete these options with success.

Conley (2010) used the term postsecondary-readiness in his book, College and Career Ready. Symonds, Schwartz, and Ferguson (2011) indicated a myopic view on college readiness had diminished the importance of career readiness. Stone and Lewis (2012) advocated a shift from college for all to careers for all. In a later work, Conley (2011) noted six types of readiness:

Work-ready describes an individual who is ready to go to work on the necessary days, on-time, and for the full duration as expected by the employer.

A job-ready individual possesses the necessary knowledge including the behavior and demeanor required for an entry-level position.

Pathway-ready indicates that a person is eligible to begin studying training in a particular field (e.g., automotive technology).

Postsecondary-ready means a person can be successful in a range of courses beyond high school.

A career- and life-ready individual can pursue a career and life as a productive member of society.

To assist states with identifying the skills students need after high school, Achieve, Inc. (2004) created the American Diploma Project (ADP) with The Education Trust and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. The goals of the ADP were to “determine the English and mathematics skills that high school graduates need in order to be successful in college and the workplace and to help states incorporate those skills into their standards, assessments, and high school graduation requirements” (p. 3). The result of this collaboration was the creation of benchmarks in English and mathematics as well as workplace tasks and postsecondary assignments as examples that illustrate expectations beyond high school.

The benchmarks noted above and Conley’s types of readiness signify a symbiotic relationship between college readiness and career readiness. What if the paradigm shifted—as Conley’s types and Stone and Lewis (2012) suggested—to career readiness as the pinnacle instead of college readiness? College is essentially a primary vehicle to a desired career. So, should the focus be on career and, if college is a prerequisite for that career, then is college part of the path? Paul Harrington of Drexel University cited the stigma of vocational education in the United States as a reason that the paradigm shift is unlikely (WBUR, 2011). Robert Schwartz agreed, but advocated that career readiness in the United States should emulate the European apprenticeship model where prestige is associated with workforce participation immediately after secondary schooling just as college is esteemed (WBUR, 2011).

Refer back to the list of descriptors from last week’s discussion. How do some of the college-ready descriptors translate to career- and life-ready traits? For example, college financial aid application could translate into skills needed to complete a home loan application. Critical thinking skills, organizational skills, writing competence, and decision-making skills could translate into the skills needed to be successful in a career. Whether friend or foe, the importance of both is undeniable, and exploring these two concepts in depth is the focus for this week.

References

Achieve, Inc. (2004). Ready or not: Creating a high school diploma that counts. Retrieved from http://www.achieve.org/files/ReadyorNot.pdf

Conley, D. T. (2008). What makes a student college ready? Educational Leadership, 66(2). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leade…

Conley, D. T. (2010). College and career ready: Helping all students succeed beyond high school. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Conley, D. T. (2011). The complexity of college and career readiness. Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center.

Hoyt, J. E., & Sorensen, C. T. (2001). High school preparation, placement testing, and college remediation. Journal of Developmental Education, 25(2), 26-34.

Stone, J. R., & Lewis, M. V. (2012). College and career ready in the 21st century: Making high school matter. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Symonds, W. C., Schwartz, R. B., & Ferguson, R. (2011, February). Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenge of preparing young Americans for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: Pathways to Prosperity Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/doc…

WBUR. (2011, March 2). Should everybody go to college? On Point with Tom Ashbrook[Radio].Retrieved from http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/03/02/should-everybod…

Hello, thank you for your help. these are the links for reading materials. Heads up this information will be use for the assignments as well as any addition resources.

REQUIRED STUDIES

The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these weekly materials for future use.

College and Career Ready (Conley, 2010)

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Four Key Dimensions of College and Career Readiness

Getting Ready for College, Careers, and the Common Core (Conley, 2013)

Chapter 2: College Readiness, Career Readiness: Same or Different?

Read

Pathways to Prosperity (Symonds, Schwartz, & Ferguson, 2011) [Web page]

What Does College- and Career-Ready Really Mean? (Achieve, Inc., 2013) [Web page]

What Is College and Career-Ready? (Achieve, Inc., 2009) [Web page]

Understanding University Success (Conley, 2003) [Web page]

Review

Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different? (ACT, 2006) [Web page]