Research Webinar Series - Career Readiness Implementation

Good morning everyone. My name's Jason Klein. I'm the senior director of learning partnerships at NIU and lead the Illinois P-20 Network. Today we're excited for the second week in a row to bring you another career readiness research webinar. We actually have Joe Bruno who did last week's webinar, which is up on our YouTube channel. And today we've got Amanda Peltzer who will be sharing her recently completed local research that was done statewide here in Illinois. So at this point, we're going to turn it over to Amanda to introduce herself and walk you through her topic. If you have questions, you are not only welcome to put those in the chat, but for those of you who are here, you'll also be able to unmute later and ask your questions. Amanda, take it away. >> Hi, good morning everyone. I'm excited to be here with you today um to share my research. Uh can you see my screen? Yes, okay. All right. So um my research was titled preparing students for what comes next, a qualitative study of district approaches to post-secondary and career um readiness. So um let's start by looking at the problem of practice that my research really looked to address. Um so every student will have a career and um after high school, but their pathways vary obviously. That could look like direct entry to the workforce, military, or some post-secondary education, which could mean an internship, apprenticeship, um sometime at a two-year institution, a trade school, or a four-year institution. Um outcomes such as career readiness, work experience, employability skills, and post-secondary preparation um reveal persistent gaps which create personal, community, and economic consequences. Um, these gaps are acknowledged at the state and federal level, um, shown through the commitment of college and career readiness, um, which is seen in legislation and in funding. Still, many students graduate high school without the necessary experiences and skills or clear direction forward. So, the purpose of my study was to examine how Illinois school districts implement career and post-secondary readiness frameworks, um, to prepare students for life after graduation. Let's dig a little deeper into that problem. Um, you know, my we talked about how there's some different pathways students can follow to enter into a career. Um, students who directly enter into a career from high school, um, employers are reporting that they are not necessarily having the skills and preparation and experience needed, um, to really be successful when they enter into that career. Um, while my research really focused on that career readiness, that pathway to a career often includes some post-secondary, as I already mentioned. Um, you know, 40% of students who are going into post-secondary require remedial coursework, and of those 40%, 30% fail those courses. Um, that means students are lacking the necessary background knowledge and prerequisite courses in order like needed to be successful in post-secondary. Then there's a handful of students who know they want to go to college, but aren't really sure what they want to do yet. You know, 20 to 50% of students enter college with an undecided or undeclared major. Um, then there's those students who know what they want to do for sure, and they enter college, and of those students who enter with a declared major, 37% of them end up switching majors when they realize that it didn't really the major that they initially chose didn't maybe align with their interests, their abilities, or their expectation. Um the decision to take change majors can come with some financial and academic costs depending on the timing and and what majors they're switching between. Additionally, of the students that enter into some post-secondary, one of and four of them leave without earning a credential or a degree. Um that's referred to in research as some college no credential and those students carry an average of $19,000 of student debt. Um that is putting them in a hole and it's also harder for them to earn money without that credential or degree. So all of these challenges come at a cost in potential wages earned and in student loan debt. So my research really, like I shared, focused on what school districts are doing to prepare students for what comes after compulsory education and I used convenience sampling to gather participants. They were school or district leaders that support career and post-secondary education readiness. Wow, that's a mouthful. >> [laughter] >> So there was a significant effort made to include a representation of school districts of different settings. So whether it was single high school district, a multi high school district, or a unit district. Um college and career so different settings, different sizes, and then also different geographic regions of Illinois just to make sure we represented there was good representation of um all the different variables that school districts have to deal with. Um I also looked at college and career readiness indicator data to just kind of give some context to each of the districts that were included. Um so so that was helpful. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and then I took all of the everything that was shared with me and did an an analysis and through that analysis I came to these findings. So these are the major themes and subthemes that were identified through my research and I'm going to dig into each one of those individually now. So culture. I'm sure all of you know and understand that district and school culture embodies and the deeply rooted beliefs, values, and norms that are shared assumptions that guide people how that guide how people think and act across the organization. Culture is often slow to change. Ask anybody who's tried to run a district initiative how long it takes for that to really see the impact. Culture is really important in in what we're doing. Um So the first thing that all participants mentioned was that there was a shift in district culture to create intentional career and post-secondary opportunities that allowed students to build awareness, explore interests, and make informed decisions about pathways into their first career after high school. Um >> [clears throat] >> All 14 also shared that it was just as important for students to figure out what they don't like as much as it's important for them to figure out what they do like. Um they share they emphasized that um culture um is important and it it's not only um Mm, let me try that again. Um participants [clears throat] description of culture emphasized that beliefs and values only became meaningful when they are reflected in the day-to-day experiences of students. So, we can talk a lot about things, but until it's really impacting the students, um it it doesn't really matter. Um let's see what else. Uh they um participants also shared that it's really important for students to get these career exploration and development activities in high school, um but it's even better if they get those earlier. So, many of you will know that um there's a new requirement and and an extended pace framework that really helps us um frame how to support students in our middle grades, um so 6th through 8th. Um so, the earlier they get exposure and experiences, the better they are because there's really consequences that come with delaying those experiences, especially if they're waiting until after high school to get them. Um we talked about participants talked about the goals, resources, and language alignment. So, they really emphasized the importance of aligning district goals, resources, and creating some shared language to ensure that those values um around post-secondary readiness were really enforced through actions. So, um we set all kinds of goals personally um and as an organization, it's really important um to articulate why what the goals that are important to us so that then we can align resources such as funding, staff, uh funding and staffing, which really signal signals to people what is important also. Integration and ownership. So, districts finally highlighted that integration and shared ownership needs to work across all staffing content areas. So, a lot of people talked about how historically this type of work has lived in their career and technical education department and it's been the focus of the counselors, um but that it hasn't been widespread and and been a part of um kids experience students' experiences across all of their curricular areas, but that is really important for them being successful. I'll talk a little bit about relationships later with that students have with both teachers and staff. Um but really, you know, connecting careers and real real-world experiences across content areas are is a way that districts can help prepare students for their first career. Um so, that should should be happening across all subject areas um because all subject areas develop the skills that are necessary for students beyond high school such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Um you'll know those as the essential skills um and so, helping um all content area teachers understand their value um and ownership over this work is really important. Some districts shared that um the most effective way that they had provided professional development was starting with their department chairs or department leaders um to help really make sure that they were on board and understood the importance of this work and how it connected to not only math, science, ELA, everything. So. You'll see here a quote from a participant 12. They said, "They're just trying to change the system for all kids to make sure that they have the access and opportunities and decision and are able to make decisions to have the information and be ready." Okay, I'm going to move on to system organization. Um so this is kind of broken into two different sections. We're going to look at the barriers that um people shared first. So system and systems and organizations emerged as the second main theme. Participants consistently described elements of the current system that either enabled, so um made it better, or constrained, which were the barriers, the commitments um that they had previously described in in the culture theme. Um several process participants highlighted that existing outcomes were tied closely to how systems are currently designed. As participant one said, "I think the biggest gap is the current system of education is not set up to meet the needs of today's learners and more importantly to meet the requirements that the state has set forth as measures of success on a report card." So it's really talking about some of those career readiness indicators. Um So, let's look let's dig into the barriers that people um talked about. So first off, um they first pointed to silos, um silo organization systems that limited shared ownership and coordination across classrooms, departments, or even across districts. Um there was a capacity barrier. So even when there was strong agreement on the importance of career readiness, competing priorities and initiative fatigue strained district capacity. Um we all know um we've probably all said it like not one more thing. Um and so making sure that career readiness doesn't feel like one more thing but it's just part of what we do. Um staffing constraints especially tied to those um specialized credentials for either dual credit um which we'll talk about in a little bit and career and technical education further limited what districts could realistically offer to students. Um so it made it challenging for them um at times to offer all of the career experiences they were hoping to provide for students. Um rigid scheduling models restricted um when and how students could access meaningful career experiences making it difficult to expand participation equitably. This came um in this was highlighted especially when talking about internships or um different um out offsite I'm going to say learning experiences for students. Um some districts talked about how they were doing some really great things for a small group of students um but they really struggled with scaling those experiences um so that the district could increase the number of students who have access to career centered education and work-based learning opportunities. Um lastly something that a lot of participants mentioned was legislation. So they emphasized that state and federal policy requirements often conflicted. I'm going to mention seat time and providing students work-based learning experiences. So this created external constraints that limited flexibility and undermined the efforts to systematize this work for all students. Um let's shift gears a little bit and look at [clears throat] the supports. So, um while there's organizational factor factors that can create challenges and complicate efforts to prepare students for post-secondary success, participants also described a set of organizational supports that helped their district move this work forward within those existing constraints. So, the first one of those is early college credit. Um participants described supports that operated at multiple levels of the system. At the student level, early college credit provided access to post-secondary coursework and helped them build confidence and momentum with teacher support. So, this includes dual credit, um IB classes, or AP classes as well. Um setting aside dedicated time within the school day ensured that all students could engage in career exploration and pace framework activities with adult support. Most often this took place in um a dedicated homeroom or um that type of system. So, it doesn't have to be a huge chunk of time, but just making sure that there is a an adult that um students are connecting with and there is time set aside to do some of this work. Um to manage this work at scale, district often districts often relied on software platforms that organized interest data, tracked experiences, and supported reporting and planning. Um course guides and course selection process then translated that information from that software into actionable decisions both for students and um provided opportunities for teachers to be able to better link careers to the content areas knowing what their kids are interested in really um helps with that. Um High school and post-secondary plans. While high school and post-secondary plans then extended those decisions over time and into coherent pathways for student. Um finally, strategic planning and uh portraits of a graduate anchored this work at the district level um signaling shared priorities and aligning programs, instruction, and expectations around post-secondary success. The third theme that was identified was relationships. Um They strengthen culture and create a network of support for students and districts to navigate structural barriers while making um full use of those structural supports that we looked at. As participants said, "10 said, 'The relational aspect of this work cannot be overstated.'" So, for students, supportive connections with family members, teachers, counselors, and other trusted adults help navigate decisions, reflect on goals, and process through challenges, all of which are critically are critically important for post-secondary readiness. Obviously, the relationship that students have with their families are the first and most often influential in their lives. Um >> [clears throat] >> 12 out of the 14 participants emphasized the importance of intentionally engaging families in this work and noted that helping parents and caregivers understand the range of opportunities available for their students um within their school really translated uh the career opportunities and critical um just helping families understand what is possible and and why they're doing why they their students should want to do these things while they're in the building um to help prepare them for the for what's next. Um staff and counselor connections are obviously important. So, after families and their peers, high school students spend a significant amount of time with staff, making educators the most the most important and consistent um adult influences in their daily lives. Um often times count high school counselors are um at the crux of the some of this work. Um they provide that ongoing support throughout um a student's high school career. Um and help them pick and and look at different options, you know, through the course selection process. Teachers are also very important. Um they don't just support students' academic development, but also help shape students' beliefs about their own abilities and future possibilities. Um you know, both teachers and counselors are uniquely positioned to notice student strengths, encourage their career explo- exploration, and connect classroom learning to postsecondary goals. Relationships are not just important at the student level. Um they are also important for the organization and community level. Um so, those same relational needs extend outward as districts depend on strong relationships with community organizations, industry partners, and postsecondary institutions to help create those meaningful opportunities um that expand what schools alone can provide. So, like I said, just as students benefit from the support of peers, districts also rely on relationships with other districts to strengthen this work. Um sometimes that happens through the education for employment or EFE. Um sometimes that happens through other things, it's really just important for districts to lean on each other because this is important work, but it also also takes a lot um of effort. So, just some of the districts talked about how important it was for them to partner with different community members and community groups that reflected their student population. Both the background, experiences, and identities of the students that they served. One strategy that was mentioned to do this was through maintaining strong connections with alumni who are in a range of career fields because they often have shared similar lived experiences with current students. Um When curriculum and learning experience are informed by workforce trends and employer input, students are able to set clear connections between their coursework and future opportunities. At the same time, this alignment helps create a stronger pipeline of prepared and capable individuals who can meet the local and regional workforce needs, making these partnerships between um industry and school districts mutually beneficial. Districts must also work closely with post-secondary partners to make dual credit opportunities available to students and to help understand what students need to be prepared um to enter into post-secondary for students who are on that pathway. Stronger relationships begin with individual students and extend out to families, districts, and the community partners, forming an interconnected support system that makes meaningful post-secondary preparation possible. So, let's look at um some of the things that aligned across the themes. Um there was strong alignment between participants in several areas. Um for example, every participant mentioned creating opportunities for student and integration and ownership across content areas. Um the biggest differences were seen in the barriers that existed in districts and the supports that they were able to provide. I want to point out the Excuse me, I want to point out the equity implications that come with this work. Every student, regardless of their parents' income level, their zip code, their class schedule, um or their teacher, deserves to leave high school life ready, as participant said as participant 10 said, but we just we aren't there yet. Um so, as just to dig into the findings just a little bit more and look at the discussion, um really intentionality emerged as a unifying thread across all findings, shaping whether career and post-secondary readiness efforts functioned as meaningful supports or as fragmented um activities. Um intentionality required districts to articulate what post-secondary readiness means to their students and align structures and resources to that vision and revisit um practices and and as students' needs evolve. Um the findings also highlighted the importance of relationships. Um students are making major identity and career decisions during a developmentally fluid stage, um and they rely heavily on trusted adults to guide that process. Um the findings also point to a need to support students autonomy during this period. Individualized learning plans, career clearer course guides, and career planning platforms help students understand their interests and make intentional decisions about pathways. Finally, districts support students in building competence through early college credit, work-based learning, and classroom connections to careers. These experiences really allow students to practice skills, receive feedback, and build confidence in their ability to succeed after high school. Some areas of future research or ways that someone could then extend the work that I've done here with districts is, you know, we looked at I I interviewed one participant per school district, but a case study within a district or a comparative case study even between districts including teachers, counselors, and administrators could really could help articulate maybe a little bit better how it's operationalized within a district and how teachers and maybe even students or community perceptions of how this work is is being done. The other thing I want to highlight as a possible area for future research is linking the college and career readiness indicator data and evidence-based funding. So, understanding how much um financial flexibility a district has and how that impacts the opportunities that they're able to create for students. Um, I think that's my last slide. I just want to thank you all for being here today and see if you you have any questions that I can maybe help answer? >> Thank you so much, Amanda, and thank you, everybody, for being here. If you do have any questions, um we're happy to have those now. Amanda, I have I have one question that I'm actually going to start with, and and a [clears throat] lot of the people that are here today know also about about this. We've done some research where we found that and we've been surprised to find that um evidence-based funding adequacy percent has not necessarily been an indicator of level of implementation of things related to career readiness. We had assumed it would be, and that if you had more money, you'd be better able to have staff with this expertise, provide transportation, etc., etc. Um >> [clears throat] >> one of the things we've wondered about when we've done that research is then why is that? And the conclusion that we've come to without doing the research is that there's probably a leadership component that's outweighing, that's even more important than the amount of money that's available. What what's your comment on that, and what do you think based on your research? >> Yeah, based on what participants shared with me, I would say that the climate and culture being built really needs to be there to support this work happening, and really the intentionality behind that work. So, there has to um you know, be people who believe that this is important for students. Um and then those people have to work to help others understand why it is important for students. And once you build that culture, it, you know, there's still, you know, as we looked at, there's still barriers that everybody has to face. Um but but that that culture supporting that work really moving forward is is what I would say is most important. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. If there aren't any other questions, you're welcome to jump off. We will be posting this on our YouTube channel. And again, thank you so much to you, Amanda, for both doing this research and for sharing it here today. >> Yeah, thanks to everyone who came. Thank you.