From school to work

NEA Today, Sep 1996

Support employees have always played a role in helping students see the connection between the worlds of school and work. But as "school-to-work" initiatives gain steam around the country, support employees nationwide are finding themselves on the cutting edge of educational change.

Take Lynne Hardin, for example. A career services specialist at McKay High School in Salem, Oregon, Hardin's having a good day. A student in her schoolto-work program discovered that engineering is definitely not for him.

Hardin harbors no ill will toward engineers. She's excited because her student made an educated career decision, thanks to the innovative program that let him "shadow" a real engineer for a day.

Experiences like these spark students' interest in careers and education. "They go out and realize that whatever job they want, academic skills are needed," explains Judy Peterson, the career services specialist at McNary High School in nearby Keizer.

"It's effective no matter which path they're planning to go on, whether to college or straight to work," Peterson adds. "They all need to see the relevance of school to work."

Hardin and Peterson, both members of the Salem-Keizer Association of Classified Employees, are fine-tuning a school-to-work program that involves first giving freshmen or sophomores in their district a self-assessment survey.

During the next year, staffers meet with students individually to look at potential career matches, based on criteria such as interests, salary goals, and the amount of education they're willing to pursue.

Hardin and Peterson then get on the Oregon Job Selection System, a computer database that lets them see what jobs are available and which companies will let a student "shadow" an employee.

As they hone their knowledge, Hardin and Peterson find that they're breaking new ground with their school-to work program.

"We're classified employees," says Peterson, "but we have the knowledge when it comes to school-to-work. People are coming to us for advice on how to make this concept work."

News from other school improvement efforts around the nation:

To boost self-confidence and increase the math competency of at-risk students, North Carolina teacher assistant Barbara Highsmith organized 18 other assistants this year to launch an after-school tutoring program.

"With math, many of the students don't have confidence in themselves and say that they can't do it," says Highsmith, a leader of the New Hanover Educational Support Personnel. "But we show them a different way and tell them they can do anything they want to if they try."

The 19 assistants work with 50 students each week at the Gregory School of Science, Mathematics, and Technology.

Members of the Irvington (New Jersey) Education Association are expanding their partnership with the surrounding school community.

A local restaurant owner recently agreed to support the district's Helping One Student To Succeed (HOSTS) program by encouraging transportation department employees to mentor students. Drivers who attend one training meeting and volunteer two periods per week as mentors get $10 off meals at Don's Diner.

"The program is a win-win for all involved," says Madeline Edwards, IEA president.

Resources

For more background on the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act, contact The National School-toWork Learning & Information Center, 400 Virginia Ave., S.W., Room 210, Washington, DC 20024. E-mail: stw-lc@ed.gov.

For guidelines on building your own school-to-work system, check out the Internet (http://www.stw. ed.gov). Or call 800/251-7236.

Watch "Better Business, Stronger Schools," a look at a successful school-to-work program at Wake High School in Wendell, North Carolina. This episode of the NEA's new TV series-called "School Stories"-will air on October 20 on the Learning Channel. Check local listings for time.