Channels TrendWatcher The Sorry State of SAT | The Sorry State of SAT |
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| Tuesday, 07 October 2008 | ||||||
Can Businesses Fix Our Schools?90% of jobs in the fastest-growing job sectors will require some post-secondary education.  Judy London Total Picture Radio has formed a strategic alliance with The Institute for Corporate Productivity, i4cp, allowing us to publish on our site the compete weekly research report in their TrendWatcher initiative, as well as record a weekly interview with the lead author of the article. Joining us today from St Petersburg, FL, is analyst Judy London, the lead author of this weeks’ article titled Can Businesses Fix Our Schools? TrendWatcher examines the business and social trends that are likely to influence the future of work. "Last week, many recruitment professionals probably let out a collective sigh of exasperation. Once again, the SAT scores for the most recent U.S. high school graduates were stagnant and at their lowest levels since 1999 (Zagier, 2008; CollegeBoard, 2008). This was largely because more students - including low-income students - are taking the college entrance exam than in the past ("Average SAT," 2008). The expansion of this pool of college-exam takers is generally viewed as good news, but it highlights the fact that many would-be college graduates are starting off with a lower level of skills, especially reading skills." 15 Min:
This could spell trouble down the line. After all, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (2008) reports that 90% of jobs in the fastest-growing job sectors will require some post-secondary education. The urgency of the matter isn't lost on today's business professionals. Three-quarters of 580 respondents to the Institute for Corporate Productivity's recent 2008 Major Issues Survey said that the quality of primary and secondary education is either important or extremely important to the management of people in their firms, and the importance of the issue is only expected to increase over the next 10 years. Moreover, four out of five respondents to a recent i4cp Pulse survey on education said that the quality of primary and secondary (K-12) education is critical for the future workforce. Yet, the K-12 system is often viewed as failing to properly prepare many of today's students for either college or the workforce. The i4cp Pulse survey found that about two-thirds of 298 respondents identified "quality of teaching" as the K-12 issue that is most critical to the future workforce. Given these circumstances, it's no wonder businesses are trying to influence and improve the K-12 system via sponsorship, partnerships and other initiatives. Sixty-five percent of those responding to i4cp's Pulse survey said their organization engages in a K-12 education partnership or initiative of some type. Other sources confirm that schools have recently seen a surge in private-sector sponsorship (Hills & Hirschhorn, 2007), and there is growing business investment in K-12 math, science and technology instruction. Hewlett-Packard, for example, reports dispersing $11.7 million worth of technology support and training to teachers in 2006 alone, while Intel says it spends $100 million annually to train teachers in computer science. ExxonMobil's "ambassador" employees give classroom support to math and science teachers. State Farm employees serve as unpaid substitute teachers, allowing paid teachers time off for professional development. And IBM's Transition to Teaching program encourages second careers in science and math by offering employees nearing retirement up to $15,000 in education tuition grants and a living stipend during teaching internships, in addition to online opportunities for mentoring and sharing of best practices (HP Global, 2007; Institute for a Competitive Workforce, 2008; "Science Ambassadors," 2008; "Why Transition," 2008). With private-sector support, some initiatives are offering low-income students a better chance at workforce readiness. Companies such as Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Corps and Bank of America are backing the nonprofit Citizen Schools, an after-school apprenticeship program taught by uniquely talented citizens from all walks of life. Through hands-on projects, participating low-income middle school students gain job-readiness skills in technology, analytical thinking and teamwork. Another example is Teach for America (TFA), which recruits high-performing graduates of top schools for two-year teaching assignments in low-income schools. Corporate sponsors offer a two-year employee deferral option that guarantees TFA teachers a job upon completion of their teaching assignments (Schwartz, 2008; Teach for America, 2008). Looking to accelerate broader school reform, some businesses are participating in multi-sector consortia. As detailed in an Ernst & Young report, one such coalition, titled the Workforce Readiness Initiative, is intent on consolidating the fragmented reform efforts of schools, nonprofit and community organizations, unions and government entities. The consortium's mission calls on businesses to assume a larger academic leadership role by lobbying for policy change, raising public awareness and embracing philanthropy that goes beyond grant-giving and brand enhancements. The strategic effort follows two tracks. First, HR and management expertise is marshaled through business-to-business collaborations that help schools develop program assessment tools, coordinate volunteer teams and assist with district-level restructuring. The second track seeks business-oriented curricula, standards and teaching methods that promote workforce-readiness. Those include more rigorous math and science courses along with practicums that build skill in communication, problem solving, teamwork and global knowledge (Mitchell, 2007). Reformers recognize the importance of bridging the knowledge gap - and removing the lens of suspicion - separating teachers and business people. Some have suggested embedding business experts in teacher-training teams, allowing teachers free access to professional-development business courses, and crafting business internships and "externships" (that is, pairing with business professionals) for teachers. Reformers also believe that typical private-sector initiatives must do a better job of aligning with school cultures, supporting teachers' responsibilities and enhancing the intellectual growth of students. Changes within the teaching profession may be a driving factor behind reform efforts. Some surveys suggest that entering teachers are more receptive to reforms such as merit pay than are many veteran teachers. And the Educational Testing Service reports that applicants for state teachers' licenses from 2002 to 2005 had higher SAT scores and college grade-point averages than entrants to the profession a decade earlier (Duffett et al., 2008; Gardner, 2008). Metrics will be increasingly important to these business/education alliances. In a tightening economy, corporate leaders are bound to demand the same results-oriented accountability from school partnerships that they place on other business operations. Many believe the solution lies in the development of assessment tools that can accurately track academic improvements and the growth of skilled labor pools ("Incorporate Data," 2008). i4cp Recommendation: Organizations should take a careful look at best practices in this area, many of which are detailed in our newly published Primary and Secondary Education Highlight Report. Then they should, if they're not already doing it, decide how to work with K-12 school systems - especially in the area of helping improve the quality of teaching. Documents used in the preparation of this TrendWatcher include the following: * Average SAT scores remained flat in 2008. (2008, August 26). USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-08-26-SAT-scores_N.htm?csp=34 Talking Points: What Peter Clayton asked Judy London in the podcast:
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