1. Education Reform: Preparing Postsecondary Graduates for the Workforce
Breanna N. Brinkley, Caroline E. Wilson
Department of Psychology
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Capstone Seminar in Psychology, Dr. Petrovic
Introduction to the Problem
Previous Solutions
Our Solution Solution Methodology
References
Ben Davis High School Career Center
Statistics from the U. S. Department of Labor show that nearly
20% of recent high school graduates not enrolled in college were
unemployed in 2015. Additionally, most youth report feeling
unprepared for the job market after high school. We propose that one
reason for this unemployment rate is that graduates who do not enroll
directly in college are left unprepared to enter the workforce. Recent
postsecondary graduates may not be able to fulfill a career due to a lack
of the professional skills necessary for success in the workforce. Skills
such as proficient typing and budgeting are not only useful as
professional skills but also as life skills.
• A Career Workshop was created to foster career-choice readiness.
This educational intervention was seen as theoretically successful,
though the level of improvement in students was difficult to compare
to other interventions.
• The Career-Life Planning Academic Readiness workshop placed
more focus on life-planning skills for students. Career options, career
planning, and goal implementation were integrated into everyday
academics.
• The 4C Strategy was developed to aid the cognitive development of
adolescents, and to encourage professional skills which are in high
demand in the workforce. Collaboration, communication, and critical
and creative thinking were successfully implemented through student-
centered activities and engagement. Administrators often struggle to
provide this type of rich curriculum in classrooms.
• The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (SWOA) was developed to
better prepare students for the workforce at the local level. Programs
of the act focused on developing professional and technical skills
through community service, occupational learning and internships.
However, the act was not successful, as it was reported to have been
actively used by only 10% of students in the 37 schools where it was
implemented. Proactivity from school administrators would have been
a key factor in the success of the act.
• Parental engagement has shown a positive correlation with school
engagement and aspirations. However, accountability and engagement
of parents at home is difficult to manage.
These past solutions have been formed to foster career
development, life-planning skills, educational skills, and local
engagement. However, these solutions fail to approach multiple aspects
of the problem at once.
Based on an in-depth constraint analysis, we formulated a solution to break
the problem mechanism of workforce unpreparedness in postsecondary students.
Constraints the solution must address include, but are not limited to: student-
orientated curriculum, parental involvement, academic and workforce experience,
administrative collaboration, motivational teaching techniques, and future
relevancy.
Our solution is a yearlong, required academic workshop course for high
school students in their senior year. The workshop will include curriculum based
on the 4C Strategy in conjunction with the development of professional and life
skills.
4C Strategy skills:
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Creativity/ Innovation
Professional skills:
• Technical writing
• Computer software application
• Strategic thinking
Life skills
• Financial planning
• Negotiating
Skill development will take place through both lecture-based and interactive
learning methods. Students will participate in simulated interview sessions to
develop professional skills through operant learning, as they will be provided
with immediate feedback. Guest speakers from local businesses will interact with
students to promote career success and goal aspirations through classical
learning. Our solution is closely aligned with the Human Factor Theory, in that the
improvement of students’ skills will better their future job functionality.
Audience and Participants
Our solution will be implemented in the pilot school of Ben Davis High
School in the Metropolitan School District in Indianapolis. The audience consists
of Ben Davis’ dean, principal, guidance counselors and the Parent-Teacher
Association (PTA). We will first contact the school office via telephone to set a
meeting with the dean and principal. During the meeting, a visual presentation
will be given, and brochures with solution information will be distributed.
Follow-up presentations will then be given for the guidance counselors and
PTA. The solution workshop will include all Ben Davis senior students and
program administrators (guidance counselors).
Procedure
The workshop will be a mandatory course built into the students’
schedule of 11 classes per day. Students will learn professional skills (i.e.
resume writing, budgeting) via lectures and guest speakers, computer skills (i.e.
software, proficient typing) though demonstrations and tutorials, and interview
skills through participation in mock interview sessions with feedback. Through
these methods, students will also learn the importance of the 4C’s. Program
administrators and the PTA will participate in monthly meetings regarding
workshop curriculum, activity plans, and at-home reinforcement. At the end of
the senior school year, students will respond to a questionnaire rating their
level of preparedness for the workforce.
Materials
The workshop will take place inside the Ben Davis Career Center, which
already exists on the school campus. Classrooms will be used for lecture
sessions and tutorials, and conference rooms will be used for simulated
interviews and curriculum meetings. Lectures, training videos, and tutorials
will provide students with tools to improve writing and professional skills. A
modified questionnaire, based on the “Tool to Assess Preparedness for
Employment, will be given to students at the end of the school year.
Assessment
The success of the workshop will be measured using two, independent t-
tests based on the results of the Likert-style, self-report questionnaire. A third,
dependent t-test will measure the employment rate of Wayne Township before
the group of pilot seniors take the workshop and one year after they graduate
from the workshop.
Ben Davis High School: Metropolitan School District. (2015). General school facts and Information. Retrieved from
http://bdhs.wayne.k12.in.us/
Harshbarger, R. (2015). Learning in the 21st century: A study addressing educational trends and implications (Doctoral
dissertation, University of Central Florida) [Abstract]. (UMI No. Paper 5043).
Hirschi, A., & Läge, D. (2008). Increasing the career choice readiness of young adolescents: An evaluation
study. International Journal For Educational And Vocational Guidance, 8(2), 95-110. doi 10.1007s10775-008-
9139-7
Lindahl, S. J., Long, P. N., & Arnett, R. (2002). Academic readiness and career/life planning: A collaborative partnership
focused on student learning. Journal Of Career Development, 28(4), 247-262. doi:10.1023 A:1015142021637
School-To-Work Opportunities Act. (1994). School-to-work opportunities act, public law (CFDA No. 84.278).
Shaw, A. & Gold, D. (2011). Tool to assess preparedness for employment [Database record]. Retrieved from PsycTests. Doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t36337-000
United States Department of Labor. (2016). College enrollment and work activity of 2015 high school graduates. Retrieved
from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm