What happens to students in Harlem after they graduate high school? Are we preparing them for what's next?

1. Action Research
Lee Kaltman & Fred Block
August 23rd, 2013
leekaltman@gmail.com
fblock@me.com
The arc of the project was conceived with the
idea in mind to help the graduating seniors in
Harlem plan for their future.

2. Place of Research
Harlem New York
465 students
64% graduation rate for 2013
45-55% college bound
90% Free Lunch eligibility

3. Learners in this urban setting are
graduating high school without clear
direction, or the necessary skills to be
successful in today's environment.
Defining the problem

4. Our goal
To provide graduating
seniors with a specific
path to success after
they finish high school.

5. •Learner will identify a practical career
• Learner will research that career with relevant
questions to answer in mind
• Learner will engage in social emotional
learning to develop their path to success
Creating a solution

6. Process defined
• Learner took a career test (John Holland's Career
Assessment) and reflected on test results
• Learner created, refined and reflected on a profile
of themselves (using a new interactive transcript
system called Transfolios) to figure out who they
were, what they wanted and goals for their future

7. • With self-awareness and realistic career goals,
learner researched salaries, schooling, degrees,
obstacles and ways to overcome them
• Learner engaged in dialogue around conflict
resolution in the work place
Process defined
continued

8. Showcase of learning
• 17 learners presented their findings on their
interactive transcript, or “transfolio”
• Learners had to present their path to success
in a 2-5 min presentation
• Learners posted their research on their
transfolio

9. Further Research
Questions
Did this experience improve learners self-
efficacy for achieving career development
after high school?
Will learners continue to use their transfolio
after high school?
Would this experience have bigger impact if
begins in 9th grade?

10. Any more questions
please contact:
leekaltman@gmail.com
fblock@me.com

11. !Fred Block and Ariana Radcliffe 2013
!
Use the following template to complete a comprehensive and accurate presentation of your
transfolio.
Your presentation MUST be no shorter than TWO minutes, but no longer than FIVE minutes.
We will be using this presentation, as well as your completed transfolio as the basis for your final
grade for English 12.
1) What is your objective or long-term goal? What do you want to achieve or where do you
see yourself in 5 years?
a. My long-term goal is…
2) What are your short-term goals? What do you plan to do immediately after graduation?
a. After I graduate I plan to…
b. This will help me achieve my long-term goal because…
3) Explain your biography here. Who are you? Why do you want to achieve these goals?
What motivates you?
a. I am motivated to do these things because…
b. I have always wanted to become…
c. I enjoy…
4) Give the details of your career or objective. What makes you want to pursue this path and
what will you have to do to get it?
a. The career/job/path I want requires me to get… (degrees, credentials,
experience)
b. The competition for this position is…
c. I know that I will get paid…
d. This job is important because…
5) Explain the obstacles you will face in following this path.
a. I know this will be difficult for me because
b. The obstacles I have to face will be…
6) Explain how you plan to overcome or get around these obstacles.
a. I plan to overcome these obstacles by…
7) Explain the strengths and skills you bring to the job and why you’re fitted for it, as well as
how you can improve a problem faced on this job.
a. I know I will do well in this position because
b. I feel I can succeed here because…
c. I know that a major problem my career faces is___________________ and I plan
to bring something new to it by_______________________________
i. Ex: I know a major problem in nursing is patient care, or patients not
trusting their nurses. I plan to change this by being personable and kind
and very honest with my patients from the beginning.
!
Appendix A