PreK-12 blog

In Part I of this blog, I talked about my own dual enrollment journey, and how it helped set me on a path towards my doctorate. I also discussed different dual enrollment delivery models, as well as benefits and barriers. How can barriers be broken? Here is one example from my work with CAST (creator of the Universal Design for Learning framework and guidelines).

BioFab USA: A CTE Dual Enrollment Case Study

In 2018, an emerging local industry for biofabrication in New Hampshire identified a need for skilled technical workers in this advanced manufacturing field. They were getting applicants with bachelor's and master's degrees, but they lacked the necessary technical skills. How could this be addressed from the ground up?

Identify the opportunity

Though New Hampshire high schools offered STEM-oriented courses, the most relevant classes were often full. However, on-campus at community colleges, there were biotechnology classes that were never full. High school students needed to be made aware of career opportunities in the biofabrication industry and the ability to take these introductory biotechnology courses (and other intro courses in this career path) through dual enrollment at their local community college.

In a National Science Foundation funded project, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) partnered with CAST, who in turn collaborated with several area career and technical education high schools, community colleges, and industry partners to create a career awareness program promoting biofabrication as a desirable career path. The project resulted in the creation of a website, BioFab USA, used to increase awareness of the biofabrication industry and encourage recruitment into dual enrollment courses that are a part of the pathway to that career.

Using UDL to identify and remove barriers

To inform creation of the website using CAST’s universal design (UDL) guidelines, high school students were asked anonymously what barriers kept them from enrolling in dual enrollment programs and what kind of information they needed to make their college and career decisions. Students mentioned some of the barriers to dual enrollment they were experiencing included parents needing to be more supportive, not understanding what the requirements were, feeling like they might not be successful, and whether there was a cost involved.

At the same time, when these students were asked what motivated and excited them about potential careers, they responded with their needing a sense of accomplishment, their desire to make the world a better place, and loving new things. This is important because it speaks to their potential engagement, but the opportunity for this level of engagement is only possible if we can get them into the dual enrollment courses of their choice, connecting them to their potential career. In the case of biofabrication, this is where the BioFab USA website comes in.

Since New Hampshire students can't register for dual enrollment classes until the 10th grade, BioFab USA focused on training 9th-grade teachers in both CTE and non-CTE courses (like biology and automotive) on how to use the site to talk about dual enrollment opportunities available to students that could put them on a path toward a future career in biofabrication. Results from this case study on dual enrollment course taking, completion, and progression onto a biofabrication career path are not yet available, as the program is ongoing, but we anticipate findings within the next two years. For more details, please see BioFab USA: A Dual Enrollment Case Study.

Dual enrollment can be life changing

We do our students a disservice when we don't take the time and opportunity to connect them to things that excite them, engage them, and point them in the direction of their future. Dual enrollment does just that. It did it for me, and I believe it can be done for any student.

Learn more about Pearson’s dual enrollment solutions

My own professional journey

Who knew nine dual enrollment credits would one day lead me on a path to becoming a mid-career doctoral student? My dual enrollment story began unknowingly in high school, with my school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program connecting me to a trade school that had an articulation agreement with my local university. With this, college became an option for me if I chose it. After graduating high school, trying college at 18, and failing miserably, I decided to attend that same trade school introduced to me in high school. I completed trade school wonderfully and went into a career in radio.

After a while, I began to have thoughts of going back and trying college again. One of the critical factors in my decision to go back to college and what college to go to was the articulation agreement my trade school had with our local university. My 8-month program in trade school post-high school and my dual enrollment credits earned while still in high school equaled nine credits at the university. This meant slightly shortened time spent as an undergraduate and financial savings, as I would not have to pay for three classes.

Enrolling in that local university allowed me to complete my bachelor's degree. And later, I completed my master's to maintain pace with job requirements. Now, I am in the second year of my doctoral program, and it all started with an articulation agreement between the university and the trade school I took dual enrollment classes in while in high school.

When you have the chance to earn college credit while taking another program, whether it's in high school or trade school, you are opening the door to:

• Another level of opportunity
• Affordability
• Career direction
• Greater immediacy to start an engaging career and a lifetime of achievement and growth

What is Dual Enrollment?

So, what is dual enrollment? Dual enrollment is earning college credit while simultaneously earning high school credit (or in my case, trade school credit).

What are the benefits of Dual Enrollment?

The benefits of dual enrollment are simple:

• Earning college credit early.
• Financial savings for classes you will not have to take once you get to college.
• Potentially earning credentials and certifications earlier leading to a jumpstart on a career
• Increased likelihood of going on to post-secondary programs and completing those post-secondary programs¹(which was my case!)

Everybody benefits from dual enrollment, but male students, students with disabilities, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds may benefit the most.²

How does Dual Enrollment work?

There are several delivery models:

1. College credit-bearing coursework delivered by a college-approved high school teacher on the high school campus.
2. College credit-bearing coursework delivered by the college instructor on the high school campus.
3. College credit-bearing coursework offered at the college campus, which means students must travel.

And there's “early college” or “college in the high school”, where high school students may earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree. They tend to combine high school and college coursework in a single curriculum. Students may stay in high school a little longer, usually an extra year. Still, when they graduate, they've got the high school diploma and their associate degree, which again, leads to tremendous financial and time savings.

This is wonderful but…

If dual enrollment is so great, why aren't more students taking advantage of it?

...There may be barriers

First, there is a cost that needs to be covered by the local high school, state, or directly by students/parents for incorporating dual enrollment programs. Students may be afraid or insecure that they will not do well because of the college-level work involved.

If dual enrollment classes are held on the college campus, transportation, and a lack of support at home can be a problem.

Dual enrollment courses may be weighted differently than Advanced Placement on high school transcripts.

Scheduling can be problematic, as dual enrollment courses can conflict with other required core curriculum classes.

The high school may offer dual enrollment courses that students are not interested in. Stereotyping and implicit bias can also impact students enrolling in dual enrollment programs.

For example, you have a dual enrollment course for welding, but because it's traditionally a male-oriented field, you do not actively and intentionally recruit females into the program.

But barriers are made to be overcome...

Stay tuned for Part II of this dual enrollment story, which will include a barrier breaking case study from New Hampshire’s BioFab USA.

Learn more about Pearson’s dual enrollment solutions

In case you haven’t been reading the headlines, workforce shortages are an increasing challenge impacting numerous American business sectors. Baby boomers are leaving the workforce and younger populations following them are fewer in number. The education sector is no exception.

Many schools and districts are struggling to find qualified teacher candidates. This issue is particularly problematic when considering career and technical education. In August 2022, 74% of public schools with at least one vacancy in CTE reported it was somewhat or very difficult to fill these positions with certified teachers.

There are several reasons why CTE has been hit particularly hard by teacher shortages. For one, salaries are usually lower than in other fields outside of education. Consider, that while some CTE educators follow a traditional four-year college pathway into education like language arts, mathematics, and science educators, many others arrive differently after serving careers in business and industry sectors. These individuals often enter the field because they want to “give back” and see an opportunity in a field of study that mirrors their industry knowledge and experience, but many face a salary differential.

For example, nurses often enter the field of health science education because they know a lot about the health care field. CTE students benefit from this wealth of industry knowledge and “real world” experience, but transitions from the medical profession into CTE can be sobering when it comes to salaries. U.S. News and World Report shares that the median Registered Nurse salary in 2021 was $77,600, and metropolitan areas are often well above the $100,000 mark.

While our community grapples with the issues impacting the nontraditional path into CTE education, we also have challenges related to the four-year route, which has traditionally served fields of study such as Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture Education.

Four-year college teacher educator programs have suffered staffing reductions and a good number have been eliminated altogether over the years. Some states have no collegiate institution within their borders providing a traditional four-year degree in a CTE teaching field. While that has an immediate impact related to preparing and graduating CTE teachers, it also reduces capacity related to CTE research and other foundational activities that support the CTE profession.

These are but a few issues impacting the CTE profession; there are others. Similar to colleagues in other fields of study, the CTE community is coalescing to build the CTE educator workforce through actions such as promoting the field to students, exploring innovative preparation models, raising salaries and establishing “grow your own” programs at the local level.

The Association for Career and Technical Education has been working to identify solutions to CTE teacher recruitment and retention challenges, both at the secondary and postsecondary levels. A Teach CTE Repository of research and promising programs and practices has been developed, ACTE’s federal advocacy team is promoting legislation to address the teacher pipeline, and a new toolkit for attracting students to the field is planned for release this spring.

In June, the Association will be hosting its second Teach CTE Summit to identify additional promising practices and policies and to discuss the research and data needed to address recruitment and retention issues within the CTE field, both at the secondary and postsecondary level.

Visit ACTE’s website for additional information and to register for the Teach CTE Summit.

Pearson is proud to continue our ongoing partnership with ACTE to provide CTE educators with resources and best practices to create educator-employer connections, leading to college and career success for all students. Learn more here.  

There are many best practices which can be associated with Community Oriented Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs. Three main practices which can apply no matter the demographics of the community have been identified. They are: Advising; Succession Plan; and Community Partnership. 

Advising  

There is a wealth of academic research which suggests academic advising should serve as fundamental support for students. If implemented correctly, the advisement process allows advisors to extend support to students through academic and career planning. That includes addressing socioeconomic factors (Cueso, 2019) which may influence diploma (K-12) or certificate or degree completion. The advising process should always be tailored to the individual student’s likes, dislikes, abilities, and desires as it relates to the program and course offerings. That is as opposed to a “one size fits all” approach. Doing so encourages a positive, organic relationship between the student and the advisor which will contribute to overall success.  

Succession Plan  

Unexpected events occur. It is inevitable. Planning for such unexpected events should be an integral part of the best practices conversation. Dual credit courses should feed into both a student’s college credit and certificate or degree program requirements. That is in addition to their knowledge base for their career. Ensuring a transition which is as seamless as possible for the student will impact their outcomes in both short and long term.  Developing a thoughtful succession plan allows program administrators and instructors to identify and plan for unexpected events (i.e., change of instructor, change of location, etc.).  

Community Partnership  

Most successful CTE programs thrive because of their community partnerships. Successful CTE programs carefully identify local partners to assist with the implementation of their programs in various ways.  

Think about YOUR Community….

Consider the industries in the local community versus those in other communities with successful CTE programs.

Pay attention to the demographics of the program’s student body and consider those factors when making program improvements.

Naturally, always remember education is not one size fits all! 

Learn more about K-12 CTE Pathways dual enrollment programs from Pearson

References: 

Cuseo, J. (2019, January). Academic Advisement and Student Retention: Empirical Connections & Systemic Interventions. https://www.shawnee.edu/sites/default/files/2019-01/Academic-advisementv-and-student-retention.pdf

A few personal finance lessons from the pandemic

Recent high school graduates are making financial choices during a pandemic that will impact their financial lives moving forward. Now, more than ever, it is extremely important for high school students to have the basic and foundational training needed to make informed financial decisions.

COVID-19's impact

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our lives in numerous ways and forever changed the way we work, conduct business, and live our lives. Pew Research recently published personal finance statistics about the pandemic including;

• Over 50% of non-retired adults believe the pandemic consequences will make it more difficult to achieve their financial goals.
• 44% of people that believe the pandemic worsened their financial situation believe it will take at least 3 years to recover.
• Lower income, minorities, and younger adults are more likely to have lost a job or taken a pay cut due to the pandemic.
• Many respondents indicated their credit ratings had taken a hit due to the pandemic.1

So, what can we learn from the pandemic? Let’s look at a few life lessons we can glean from our collective experiences.

Rainy day fund

Most financial experts recommend you have an emergency reserve fund, or rainy day fund, equivalent to three to six months living expenses set aside for emergency use. For example, assume your monthly expenses that include housing, automobile costs, insurance, utilities, food, and entertainment total about $2,500 per month. You will need to build a rainy day fund equivalent to $7,500– $15,000 that you can invest in liquid assets to help you weather job loss or other emergencies.

Keep this money in a checking or savings account so you can access it quickly. Even though inflation is eroding the value at this time, you will still need to be able to access this money in an emergency.

If you need to replenish your rainy day fund that was depleted during the pandemic, or establish one now, this should be one of your top priorities. Many people forced to stay home during the pandemic learned the importance of this cash reserve.

Career choices

Are you an essential worker or a nonessential worker? This designation applied to everyone during the pandemic when the government forced us to stay home. Some of us were able to work remotely. Others had jobs that had to be filled regardless of the pandemic like health care professionals, law enforcement, fire protection, and teachers. Some worked from home and others reported to work. Keep this in mind as you begin thinking about a career path. If you worked in hospitality and tourism or retail, you probably did not have a job during the pandemic.

Rebuild your credit score if needed

Many people were unable to make their payments during the pandemic which harmed their credit scores. A good credit score impacts your ability to borrow money and the interest rate you pay on those loans. A poor credit score can cost you thousands of dollars in additional interest charges over your lifetime.

If your credit score took a hit during the pandemic, you need to begin repairing it now. Develop a plan to pay off loans that are in default. Pay down high interest credit card debt. Consider consolidating your loans and contact your lenders to work out a repayment plan.

Tighten your budget

Do you know where your money goes every month? Track your cash inflows and outflows for a couple of months. This will help you identify areas where you can cut back on spending.

Make sure you have a long-term plan to create a continuous cash surplus so you can use this money to establish or replenish your rainy day fund and rebuild your credit. You may be able to sell a few things you no longer need or want or work a few extra hours each week. Create that budget surplus so you can become more financially secure.

Reduce your debt

Many people learned during the pandemic that their budgets were stretched too tight. They had too much debt to weather a loss in income. Take advantage of the current environment and try to pay off as much debt as possible.

If you can go into the next financial crisis, whether economy-wide or on a personal level, with limited debt it makes it much easier to survive. Focus on paying down high interest debt first. Hopefully, the only debt you will have in a few years is your home mortgage.

Learn more in Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition

There are other financial lessons you can learn from the pandemic, but this list is a good place to start. As the pandemic has shown, students today need more preparation than ever for the financial “real world” prior to high school graduation.

Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition (Madura, Casey & Roberts) addresses many of the issues presented here, including learning to budget, understanding how to read a paycheck and determining net (take-home) pay, choosing a bank or taking out a loan, and much more.

Learn more about Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition, by Jeffery Madura, Michael Casey, and Sherry Roberts

Sources

1Horowitz, J.M., A. Brown, and R. Minkin (March 5, 2021); “A Year Into the Pandemic, Long-Term Financial Impact Weighs Heavily on Many Americans” Pew Research Center

Why we should teach personal finance in high schools

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important foundations for all school-age students to help prepare them to be productive citizens. The same can be said for personal financial education.

The financial decisions facing high school graduates

Debt.com recently reported “financial ignorance cost the average American almost $1,400 last year.”1 When thinking about graduating from high school, most students are faced with going to college or getting a full-time job, being asked to make many new financial decisions, including:

• applying for financial aid for college
• housing costs
• transportation costs
• insurance costs (health, dental, vision, rental, car)
• food and everyday expenses

And these all coincide with three main categories of students’ financial goals and interests identified by Kailen Stover (May, 2021):

• living on their own
• credit and credit cards
• taxes

High school graduates are underprepared for their financial future

Today’s 18-year-olds face financial and money management decisions from high school graduation to retirement, with the decisions they make now often having long-term effects. However, young adults may not have the experience and education to make these decisions .³

The first major financial decision many high school seniors make is when they commit to a college/university or continued vocational training. Many of these high school seniors do not understand how payment of student loans will affect their budgets or finances beyond college.

Ann Carns (2022) wrote that financial concerns were increased because of the pandemic and the rise of inflation causing a strain on households. She also reports other factors such as student debt levels and precarious retirement security have made it even more imperative that personal financial literacy among high school students be a priority.⁴

How Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition, can help

Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd edition teaches students the essential financial management skills needed for life. It provides students with not only financial or life lessons but allows them to apply those lessons in a real-world context. The third edition:

• teaches language/vocabulary of personal financial planning
• introduces financial plans, cash flow, spending decisions, budgets, and balance sheets
• provides information on renting or buying a home and the importance of homeowners or renters insurance
• discusses savings and investing, introducing the various financial institutions and the basics of choosing a bank, available banking services, checking accounts, savings accounts, retirement savings options, and investing fundamentals (including stocks/bonds/mutual funds)
• teaches how spending and credit affect future financial plans, emphasizing the importance of building good credit, protecting your identity, obtaining personal loans, and using credit cards wisely
• teaches the effects of the economy, government (taxes), and continued education on life-long financial plans
• gives an understanding of the importance of health insurance, life insurance, and other employer-provided benefits

Financial education = successful life

As stated earlier, financial decisions students begin to make right out of high school can and will affect them from graduation to retirement and beyond. Teaching students’ financial skills while they are still in school with a quality curriculum that successfully develops these skills is essential.

Learn more about Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition by Jeffery Madura, Michael Casey, and Sherry Roberts

Sources

¹Debt.com Most Students Aren’t Prepared for Life After High School - Debt.com

²Stover, Kailen (May 18, 2021); “Getting Started Teaching Personal Finance”; Edutopia.org Getting Started Teaching Personal Finance in High School | Edutopia

³Frazier, Liz (August 29, 2019); “5 Reasons Personal Finance Should Be Taught in School”; Forbes 5 Reasons Personal Finance Should Be Taught In School (forbes.com)

⁴Carns, Ann (March 18, 2022); “Bringing Personal Finance to the Classroom for Generation Z”; The New Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/business/adviser-students-personal-finance.html
 

Across the nation there have been increasing conversations surrounding Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the benefits of including dual credit programs in the course curriculum.

Increased demand for CTE programs

There is a rising need throughout the country for skilled tradespeople. Professions such as nurses, diesel mechanics, welders, electricians, and plumbers are all facing shortages of new talent as experienced workers begin leaving the workforce. This growing need for workers along with the increasing costs of higher education creates more demand for the ability to get a jump start on obtaining college credits and professional certifications at the high school level.¹

Higher levels of achievement

Dual credit programs (also known as dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment) that allow students to earn college and high school credits while still in high school increase the likelihood they will not only graduate high school but attend college to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate.

By allowing students to choose specific career paths and specialties, they are given autonomy in their vocation and education that is often not available to the typical student until much later in their higher education path.

With students studying practical skills for their chosen career path, both attendance and engagement increase as their advancement becomes tangible. Students who complete CTE programs leave their schools with usable skills that employers desire.

Reduced costs

Advocates of these programs emphasize the reduction in college costs for students and families. Dual credit courses are often offered at a much lower price and do not require added expenses such as room and board. And, when students complete dual credit courses, their overall time spent earning a college or postsecondary degree is reduced.²

CTE dual credit courses also reach a wide range of students across a variety of ethnicities, backgrounds, incomes, and socioeconomic situations to help create equity and reduce barriers in higher education.

A 2019 study done by Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction found that low-income students had a higher participation in CTE compared to other types of dual credit. They attributed this to the fact that CTE dual credit in their state is offered at little to no upfront cost for students (as can be the case with non-CTE dual credit).³

Example of a successful program

Many states across the nation have experienced immense success with their CTE and dual credit programs. Utah has continually improved its dual credit program that has been in place since the late 1980s. The state’s program ensures enrolled students receive both high school and college credit that corresponds to first-year coursework at the various public colleges, universities, and technical colleges within the Utah System of Higher Education.

One example is Utah’s Jordan School District, which has made it a focus to increase access to dual credit for CTE students. They partnered with Salt Lake Community College to offer over 90 dual credit courses with many of those courses categorized as CTE. The district allows each high school to choose which courses to offer based on staffing.

These courses are offered to students at $5 per credit hour. Because of low-cost programs available in districts across the state, more students have been able to participate in CTE dual credit courses. “In the 2019-20 school year, [Utah] CTE dual credit students earned over 90,000 CTE credits with CTE courses making up 28 percent of the total dual enrollment credits earned in the state.” ⁴

Why CTE programs?

Dual credit courses can be immensely helpful in fulfilling the undeniable need to support K–12 students as they progress through their education and begin to develop career skills. The ability to support equity, accessibility, continuity of education, and affordability are demonstrated advantages of these programs. Through support of dual credit CTE programs, schools and districts can meaningfully impact the career paths of their students and help encourage their future development as both post-secondary students and professionals in the working world.

“We give students a real-life certification, in their hands that they can go and get a job after they leave the high school.” – Laura Deshazo, Utah State Office of Education

Skills have become the global currency of 21st-century economies. In a world where competition for jobs, pay increases, and academic success continues to increase, certifications offer an advantage as a credible, third-party assessment of one’s skill and knowledge of a given subject.

The value of certification

According to educationdata.org, national student loan debt has skyrocketed from 3.3 billion in 2003 to over 1.75 trillion in 2021. Industry certifications offer an affordable alternative for students to demonstrate their knowledge and credentials to pursue career opportunities without accumulating large debt.

Certification provides other significant advantages to candidates, including:

• validation of knowledge
• increased marketability, earning power, and confidence
• improved reputation
• enhanced credibility

Certification also offers specific benefits to high school-aged students. According to the Florida CAPE Performance Report, certification provides tangible improvements in academic performance, including:

• higher grade point average for certified high school students: 3.12 vs 2.78 (4.0 scale)
• higher graduation rates for certified high school students: 97.5% vs 78.4%
• increased post-secondary enrollment: 84% vs 82%
• reduced dropout rates: 0.2% vs 1.0%

Picking the right certification

Now that we know how valuable certification can be, let’s discuss how we can start. There are thousands of skills that students can learn and hundreds of certifications that they can obtain. Where is the best place to start? What are some of the foundational skills that students must learn?  

For several years, LinkedIn, along with many other thought leaders, has chosen “creativity” as the most important skill to have. They describe creativity as the ability to “creatively approach problems and tasks across all business roles, from software engineering to HR.” But are there certifications for such a skill? Fortunately, yes. 

Showing your creativity with Adobe Certified Professional  

Adobe^® Certified Professional is a suite of seven certifications. Each certification measures the candidate’s skills and knowledge with the corresponding Adobe Creative Cloud application, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro.  

“By teaching and certifying students in these creative tools, we are not only teaching technical skills but also the ways to think and problem solve creatively,” says Erica Blum, Associate Professor of Arts and Design at Lindenwood University.

“These tools are not only for professional designers or artists. In fact, most of my students are not pursuing design as their career. But by learning how to use these tools, they are learning how to visualize what they envision. They are learning how to communicate and problem solve creatively.” 

Using effective training and certification preparation tools

Achieving Adobe Certified Professional certification can be challenging. Using the most effective training and certification preparation tools is essential. Pearson has launched new, online programs designed specifically to meet the needs of students hoping to earn their Certified Professional certification in a variety of Adobe applications.

The pandemic threw the Needles Unified School District a curveball. They weren’t prepared. No one was. But when businesses shuttered and life slowed down, educators, parents and caregivers found another level. And they found a renewed sense of community, a focus on academics, and a new playbook for schooling post-pandemic.