RE-THINKING HIGH SCHOOL Should Catholic High Schools Be Different?

This or….?

…This?

Think: Do we need a complete overhaul of high school? How will we structure the school day? Do we need four years? Does it have to be in school? What about bright kids? What does the curriculum lack? What about those who need more time? What do teachers need? What about those not attending college? What about our product?

WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIGH SCHOOLS? Same ol’ same ol’ Industrial model/agrarian calendar pigeonhole schedule Too much emphasis on tests 14year-olds taught the same as 18 year-olds Requirements completed by grade 11 Dependence culture

What’s Wrong? Only 25% of college graduates possess work skills considered “excellent” Fewer than 60% of students entering a 4-yr college graduate after 6 years. More than 350K who borrowed for college in 1995 had no degree by 2001 We pitch only college after high school Source: USA Today 3/16/10

Why now? This generation is a “break” from other generations: How do we define generations? Culture History Values Life outlook Ethics

The Lost Opportunity of Senior Year:Finding a Better Way (Jan. 2001) 1. H.S. diploma, w/o college education, leads to low- paying jobs; 2. The tyranny of low expectations leads to lost chances; 3. Each part of the ed. system seems to operate independently of others; 4. Senior year is a lost opportunity to link students with college or work; 5. Students receive little guidance about opportunities and requirements for work/college; 6. Assessments are ill-timed; 7. Teachers are ill-prepared to do these tasks.

WORKPLACE READINESS Partnership for 21st Century Schools and Society for Human Resource Management 2006 How adequate are work skills? What basic skills are important? How will this change over the next 5 years? What are the “most critical” content areas? What are the “most critical” applied areas?

What do we mean by “work ethic”? Student sees the necessity of work Student senses fulfillment in the completion of work Student understands the fruits of work: Satisfaction Learning Compensation for the value of the work Practical application of learning The desire to work better, smarter

Problems with instilling a work ethic: Everyone’s a winner Persistence Prolonged dependence Playing the game Lack of recognition Rules that run contrary to a work ethic

Current applied skills (according to CEO’s) Professionalism/work ethic 80.3% Teamwork/collaboration 74.7% Oral communication 70.3% Ethics/social responsibility 63.4% Critical thinking/problem solving 57.5%

Emerging Importance of Personal Choices(CEO’s) Health/wellness Financial responsibility Entrepreneurial skills Understanding of economic issues Understanding of global markets Participation in government Use of non-Eng.languages to understand global markets & cultures

Current deficiencies (according to teachers) Basic English Reading comprehension Written communication Critical thinking/problem solving Work ethic

Current Basic Knowledge (according to teachers) Reading comprehension 62.5% Spoken English 61.8% English writing 49.4% Math 30.4% Foreign language 11% Knowledge of science 9%

Emerging skills/content areas (according to CEO’s) Foreign language 91% Critical thinking & integration across disciplines 77.8% Information technology application 77.4% Creativity/innovation 73.6% Diversity 67.1%

Consider: Is the content of our curriculum still relevant, or will we have prepared students for a world that will never again exist? Employers and colleges do not look for proficiency in a traditional curriculum(e.g.The Apprentice)

Consider: How should we study post-graduation success? How will we inform their opinions? How much do our students know about the economy, globalism, the impact of emerging economies, tribalism, etc.? How has the content of our curriculum changed? How will we engage our students in the Church?

What’s Wrong with Seniors? BORED Outside jobs, interests Predisposed to expectations of the year Arrested adolescence Separation anxiety Tired of school

1. Achieving mature relations with age-mates of both sexes; 2. Achieving a masculine or feminine identity; 3. Accepting one’s body; 4. Achieving emotional independence 5. Selecting & preparing for career; 6. Achieving financial independence; 7. Preparing for marriage & family life 8. Socially responsible behavior 9. Ethics & set of values. Self-development Tasks of Adolescents

Solutions... Start early on; develop goals and objectives well before the senior year Have them talk about their plans Help them with short- term goals

Some Solutions... Use what we know about adolescent development, paying particular attention to their development tasks

Solutions…. Use what we know about motivational techniques Make the work meaningful Make the work practical and relevant

Solutions... Prepare them for the senior year Let them know what is expected senior year Help them to practice making decisions Involve key persons in their lives

Solutions... Mentor them Make many connections with them Let them try things out Let them have a taste of “what’s out there”.

Solutions… Provide time for teachers to conference on student needs; Provide training for teachers to mentor students; Look at the physical layout of the school Look at the schedule

Solutions... Think outside the four walls: What does the community have to offer? What about the global economy? How can we teach personal responsibility?

Solutions... Re-connect the K-12 with college life Teach students to make choices earlier. Consider alternate systems of assessment

Solutions Re-think the curriculum: Do they all need to attend college? Should they get Entrepreneurial training? Should we link the curriculum to their experience?

Is there life after high school? Employers now want: Work ethic Collaboration Good communication Social responsibility Critical thinking Problem-solving They WILL want: Critical thinking Information technology Health & wellness Collaboration Innovation Global awareness

Some practical concerns: They need to know about economics/personal finance; They need a second language other than Spanish; They need to know about the world beyond their neighborhood; They need to know the consequences of their decisions. They need to learn life sports

Think again: Do we need a complete overhaul of high school? How will we structure the school day? Do we need four years? Does it have to be in school? What about bright kids? What does the curriculum lack? What about those who need more time? What do teachers need? What about those not attending college? What about our product?

Some Final Thoughts.. Have we contributed to the prolongation of adolescence? Have we prepared them well to confront life situations? Have we helped them to consider all their options? Have we maximized the senior year as our last “crack” at them? Do we have any idea what we are producing?

FINALLY (really) What are you producing? In the area of knowledge In the area of beliefs In the area of behaviors In the area of attitudes In the area of ethics

Start thinking: Do we need a complete overhaul of high school? Do we need four years? How will we structure the school day? Does it have to be in school? What a about bright kids? What does the curriculum lack? What about those who need more time? What do teachers need? What about those not attending college? What about a product?

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