Pressures on the wider U.S. workforce caused by a lack of workers with the requisite skills will drive more collaboration between K12 schools and employers, say product developers who are forecasting 2024’s biggest education trends.

These college and career trends will also drive a surge in popularity in CTE programs. “As the talent shortage concern shifts to the state level, 2024 will be a year of increased collaboration between employers, schools and government agencies,” says Jeri Larsen, the chief operating officer of YouScience, a career guidance platform for students.

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“The goal will be to create a more responsive and adaptable education system that ensures the workforce remains well-equipped to meet the evolving demands of the job market.”

District leaders will be updating curriculums with a deeper focus on future-ready skills and adding more work-based learning, STEM education and vocational training programs.

“These efforts will be aimed at equipping students with the skills that are in high demand in the job market and promoting a broader range of career paths,” Larsen notes. “With a rapidly changing job market and evolving skill requirements, schools and education systems will find themselves under increased scrutiny to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the workforce.

Employers should grow ever more eager to collaborate with schools and districts, predicts Hans Meeder, a senior fellow for education and workforce education at YouScience and a former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education.

“Yet, a challenge lies in the limited experience of schools and districts in systematically collaborating with business partners,” Meeder points out. “Many are still navigating this uncharted territory, actively searching for tools, guidance and real-world examples to establish partnerships that are not only effective but also sustainable.”

What other issues will be top of mind for K12 leaders and their teams in 2024? Here are predictions, hopes and forecasts from solution providers that cover a range of education topics.

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From year to year, our students have gone to college at a measurably greater rate than the national average. However, our research project uncovered that some of our students were “stopping out” of college altogether. Those who did graduate shouldered significant debt and many were not working in their chosen field of study. Many had settled into jobs close to home to pay off college debt. It seemed that for many of our students, college had become a very expensive sandbox.

In response, we have been developing several programs giving students opportunities to explore careers while still in high school so that—whether college-bound or not—they have greater direction upon graduation. One of the most successful of those is a training program giving our students an industry-recognized credential in the high-demand field of healthcare.

Their training is online, and additional hands-on clinical experience is provided at local employers. This article published in our local business journal shares more details, but for any school leaders interested in replicating the model, there are several important points to keep in mind.

Tie into local workforce development needs

As in many communities around the country, Cumberland Valley has a shortage of skilled workers in healthcare. Usually, employers look to local community colleges to develop skilled training programs, but high schools can also fill this need.

Getting such programs off the ground can be the most difficult part so having a knowledgeable workforce development partner is critical. Our partner is Emerge Education, which specializes in healthcare workforce development including the training, certification, and employer needs that give our students the best chance at landing good jobs.

Find a specialized training program and consider the long-term options for college

The specialized training needed in healthcare goes far beyond what the schools can provide. We turned to MedCerts because they specialize in online training that prepares individuals to take the industry-recognized certification exams in healthcare.

Our students also have an “articulated credit” option at several universities available to them through MedCerts’ network of university partners. That means any of our students could complete the training, land a well-paying entry-level job with a local employer, and also articulate up to a semester of college when they graduate from high school.

For those who want to go to college and perhaps couldn’t afford it, this could be the program they need. They can already be working in a well-paid, skilled healthcare job while attending college. It is a win-win: cutting down college costs while also boosting the certainty of their college degree choice.

Students are looking for career guidance so be prepared for overwhelming interest

Originally, our goal was to enroll 15 students in our first cohort. Interest was extraordinary, however, and we enrolled 66. This supports my observation that students are looking for more engaging opportunities in their senior year or are looking for a more direct pathway to a career upon high school graduation.

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College is often a de facto choice in our district but it isn’t for every district and—as we discovered—it isn’t always cost-effective or even the right choice. Students are looking for something to help them narrow down their career path. Discovering what fits—or what doesn’t—in high school before your family has invested tens of thousands of dollars in a college education is a much wiser choice.

Invest district resources wisely and hire a manager

Behind the scenes, keeping this program going required a dedicated manager to work with partners and provide continuity for the students. In our original plans, we hadn’t fully realized how much management time would be needed. With the outside partners involved, it quickly became apparent that we needed one dedicated person to manage the training, the students, and the workforce connection.

Emerge Ed and MedCerts track our students through online training, but the on-the-ground work of assessments and hands-on experience requires a dedicated person at the school site.

Make the workforce connection solid

Our local healthcare employer partner is UPMC, which sends HR leaders to meet with our students during informational sessions and throughout their coursework. The UPMC team also offers in-person clinical and job shadow experiences. That alone is a worthy lesson and a terrific opportunity.

We have full confidence that our students will land these jobs. This is the first year so we don’t have employment statistics yet, but all indications suggest this is going to be a very successful, long-term program for Cumberland Valley. All students are at or ahead of their progress in the online course and no students have dropped out of the program. They are 100% engaged with each other and the content in their group sessions.

There is an enthusiasm among these students that is often lacking among seniors. It is no wonder why that is, either. Our students are motivated and see a career pathway offering a good wage, interesting work, and a pathway to advancement, more certifications, and possibly, also a college education.

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As of fall 2022, nearly 600 colleges took into consideration whether or not an applicant’s immediate family or relatives attended the school to which they’re applying, new survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics suggests. Among the 1,900 federally funded colleges that claim to have a competitive admission process, 1,344 say that legacy preferences aren’t a factor. Keep in mind, though, that this data is self-disclosed.

This first-of-its-kind data is important for higher education institutions that are still working to adopt new admissions policies at a time when higher education leaders wrestle with strategies to ensure diverse student bodies, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona asserted.

“Access to date on legacy applicants is essential for colleges and universities reevaluating their admissions practices and working to build diverse student bodies in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disappointing ruling on affirmative action earlier this year,” he said in a statement.

Legacy admissions’ impact on K12

Since the dismissal of affirmative action, the Education Department has offered strategies and solutions for K12 and higher education institutions alike, stressing the importance of leveraging partnerships and other strategies to ensure high school graduates have a considerable chance to pursue their preferred college, regardless of their background.

Earlier this school year, Cardona wrote that colleges and universities ought to partner with school districts in underserved communities and invest in the resources to ensure students are better prepared to apply to college.

“When individual states have banned affirmative action in the past, fewer students of color applied and fewer students were admitted,” said during a call with reporters in August. “We cannot afford that kind of backsliding on a national scale.”

The Education Department also published a Q&A document, which may answer any questions K12 and higher education leaders may have surrounding this new era of college admissions.

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No, it’s not some scheme to turn a big profit by buying up abandoned real estate. Rather, it has everything to do with putting students on track for successful futures in college and the workforce, says Superintendent Michelle Hubbard, whose district covers 14 suburban cities.

The market value assets—also known as “MVAs”—that Hubbard wants students to leave high school with include nine hours of college credit, a professional certification, a 120-hour internship or completion of a client-based project. It’s that last asset that was earned by about 300 sophomores from Shawnee Mission South High School when they helped the city of Overland Park open its swimming pools last summer for the first time since COVID.

The problem was a lack of lifeguards. The students, as part of their English classes, investigated the labor shortage, which required them to get feedback from the Overland Park city council on the way to reopening the pools. “It was a project where kids learned, they did the research and were able to solve the problem,” says Hubbard, who was recently named Kansas Superintendent of the Year.

And here’s the achievement of which she says she’s proudest. In 2022-23, more than double the number of African American students, English learners, special education students, and students on free and reduced lunch not only graduated but also earned a market value asset. By 2030, the district expects to have every student graduate with a diploma and an MVA.

Also on the career front are its hospital-style emergency room, biotech, engineering and aerospace labs, and an urban farm, which sits right outside Hubbard’s office and provides food for its “first-class” bistro. “Our community is so supportive of education and supportive of bond issues to have state-of-the-art facilities for our students,” she explains.

During her time in Shawnee Mission, the district has opened 11 new elementary schools. “They’re not new because of enrollment but because we need better facilities,” she adds. “We’re landlocked so our enrollment is pretty flat … we will tear down a facility and rebuild it so our students have great collaboration spaces.”

She spends as much time as possible in those elementaries and her other schools getting to know students and staff. Every Thursday she visits a different school with members of her leadership team. “My goal, every time I’m in a building, is to meet someone new,” she points out. “It’s really important to be able to call them by name, and know something about them and know about the work they’re doing.”

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When she’s not visiting a school, she tries to maintain steady communication with her community. That includes a new podcast (she’s recorded seven episodes so far) and being transparent with all of her operations. “When I became superintendent, we were struggling with culture … people were burnt out, we had a large amount of turnover, especially in our teaching staff and support staff,” she notes. “It was really important to turn that culture around and I think we’ve done a great job.”

At the same time, the role of the superintendent has changed significantly since the pandemic and political turmoil of recent years. She worries that parents no longer trust educators or the education system as much as they once did. “It’s made it really hard to be a teacher, which makes it hard to be a superintendent,” she concludes. “I cannot be successful at this level unless teachers are happy and teaching kids.”

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Across the country, the average graduation rate was about 79% for the 2021-22 school year, according to data released last week by U.S. News. The organization compiled the most recent department of education data from each state (data was not available for Oklahoma) to assemble a ranking based on high school graduation rates.

According to the data, Virginia tops the list boasting a 92% average graduation rate in 2022, with West Virginia following closely behind at 91%.

Conversely, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, Arizona and Alaska reported graduation percentage rates ranging from the low to high 70s.

To see your state’s graduation rates for the 2021-22 school year, check the alphabetized list below according to U.S. News:

• Alabama: 85.78%
• Alaska: 77.85%
• Arizona: 76.6%
• Arkansas: 89.91%
• California: 87%
• Colorado: 82.3%
• Connecticut: 88.9%
• Delaware: 87.79%
• Florida: 87.3%
• Georgia: 84.1%
• Hawaii: 85%
• Idaho: 80.1%
• Illinois: 87.3%
• Indiana: 86.61%
• Iowa: 89.9%
• Kansas: 89.3%
• Kentucky: 90.1%
• Louisiana: 82.7%
• Maine: 86.14%
• Maryland: 86.3%
• Massachusetts: 90.1%
• Michigan: 81.01%
• Minnesota: 83.55%
• Mississippi: 88.4%
• Missouri: 89.97%
• Montana: 85.78%
• Nebraska: 87.12%
• Nevada: 81.7%
• New Hampshire: 87.16%
• New Jersey: 90.9%
• New Mexico: 76%
• New York: 87%
• North Carolina: 86.4%
• North Dakota: 84%
• Ohio: 87.3%
• Oklahoma: N/A
• Oregon: 80.63%
• Pennsylvania: 87.03%
• Rhode Island: 83.7%
• South Carolina: 83.8%
• South Dakota: 82%
• Tennessee: 89.8%
• Texas: 89.7%
• Utah: 88.2%
• Vermont: 82.8%
• Virginia: 92.16%
• Washington: 82.3%
• Washington, D.C.: 72.6%
• West Virginia: 91.2%
• Wisconsin: 90.3%
• Wyoming: 81.8%

More from DA: New elementary and middle school rankings take a deeper look at test scores

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The most important thing to know is that a district, no matter the size, can’t go it alone, says Marisa Mission, co-author of “Scaling Opportunity,” Bellwether’s policy playbook for building statewide career pathways programs. Though the report focuses on Delaware’s program, its lessons—covering curriculum, internships and work-based experiences—also apply to district-level initiatives, Mission adds.

“Employers need to buy in to help determine curricula and help districts understand the competencies will get graduates employment,” she continues, adding that K12 leaders shouldn’t limit their programs to the high school level.

“Expanding to middle school expands equity,” Mission explains. “If students are aware of opportunities earlier on and learn more, they have more time to make choices. They’re on a more equal footing rather than having to rely on family or social capital.”

Here are seven steps s for forming key partnerships and paving career pathways:

1. Align on and articulate a vision: Districts can assemble an advisory committee that consists of educators, business leaders, local officials and community members. The group can draft a strategic plan that sets a broad vision, creates a structure for the pathways program and identifies underrepresented stakeholders.

2. Build and sustain key partnerships: The superintendent is likely the one who will begin forming partnerships with a wider group of employers that will provide work experience and with nonprofit organizations that can help with funding and coordination.

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3. Ensure that programs are high quality and easy to implement: Identify and design pathways that meet the needs of local employers or fill gaps in other local career readiness programs.

4. Commit to data collection to assess impact and improve practice: Make career pathways data publicly available, including disaggregated data on participation and outcomes, to ensure programs are operating equitably. Districts can also share data with higher education and state labor agencies.

5. Create accountability around equity: Identify gaps and barriers that are limiting equitable access to career pathways programs. Convene teachers, parents, students and administrators to share ideas for closing equity gaps. Train district staff to identify and eliminate unconscious biases. Partner with advocates for historically underserved student populations.

6. Communicate the value of pathways programs to employers: Ensure industries and employers know the steps they cant take to support career pathways programs. Create a value-added argument that communicates why supporting pathways programs is good for business.

Bellwhether’s report also explores various funding sources districts and their partners can leverage to ensure career pathways programs are sustainable. “If a district is doing something great at the local level, it can inspire the state to take action,” Mission concludes.

District Administration‘s Superintendent’s Playbook series examines how superintendents, principals and other administrators are solving common problems that today’s educators are facing.

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Researchers say these disparities are part of an “alarming trend.” “There is a pressing need to empower females by helping them recognize their innate abilities and aptitudes and connecting them with careers or educational opportunities that align with their strengths,” said Jeri Larsen, YouScience’s chief operating officer. “By doing so, we can break down the barriers that prevent females from exploring diverse career options and taking paths that best suit their potential.”

Levels of preparedness for life after high school show another gender gap: 60% of male graduates, compared to just about one-third of their female classmates, said they felt very prepared to choose a college major or career after completing high school, according to the survey, which is part of the “2023 Post-Graduation Readiness Gender Report.”

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When it comes to higher ed, female high school graduates are increasingly opting out of traditional four-year college. A little less than half of the class of 2023 females enrolled in a four-year college or university, compared to the 53% from the class of 2022 who followed this route. A little more than a quarter of females chose the most popular alternative, community college, while 9% said they had no plan and 17% were working, some as part of a career plan.

Here are some other troubling findings about the confidence of high school graduates:

• 34% of female high school graduates report that their schools did not provide support in discovering their aptitudes and aligning those aptitudes with career pathways.
• 78% of male high school graduates, compared to 68% of females, were informed by their high schools about employers seeking candidates with specific aptitudes.
• 71% of male high school graduates felt satisfied with their progress, compared to 63% of females.
• 83% of male high school graduates felt better prepared to choose an educational or career pathway based on their identified aptitudes, compared to 75% of females.

Those lower levels of confidence may stem from lower levels of exposure to career and technical education and similar programs, the survey warns. For example, more than half of female high school graduates said they would have taken CTE courses if those classes had been available.

The post What K12 leaders need to know about gender gaps in college and career confidence appeared first on District Administration.

“There tend to be people creating their own narratives about what is and what is not happening in schools,” says Gengler, whose building is part of the Wayzata Public School District in the Minneapolis suburbs. “We try to measure the student experience the best we can by seeking not just objective educational data points, but also qualitative feedback from kids—if they’re having a high-quality experience, they’re probably going to perform.”

Wayzata’s “Portrait of a Graduate,” which launched this fall, was designed to offer students a wider perspective on what they’re learning. For example, when a parent asks a student what they learned on a particular school day, the student is likely to mention English or another subject. But if you ask the English teacher, Gengler explains, they might say something more specific, such as critical thinking.

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“What we’re attempting to do through our content and experiences is show students what they’re learning is going to be significantly important to them,” he continues. “If our teachers make a concerted effort to bring meaning and relevance to what they’re doing in the classroom, then we’ve done our job.”

Portrait of a Graduate: “I can” statements

The “Portrait of a Graduate” allows educators to set clear goals for how student progress will be measured and the artifacts students can develop to demonstrate learning. Wayzata’s profile is built around “I can” statements in seven future-ready skills that stipulate “A Wayzata High graduate”:

1. Believes in their ability to succeed
2. Communicates effectively
3. Values diversity and inclusion
4. Thinks critically and creatively
5. Embraces collaboration
6. Demonstrates learning agility and resilience
7. Focuses on personal growth

The “diversity and inclusion” goals counsel students to act with empathy and show kindness, understand and respect people who are different from them, identify their own biases and welcome others into their community. “It forces self-assessment,” Gengler points out. “It’s constant reinforcement.”

Teachers will emphasize the portrait’s principles in small-group instruction and with students as they collaborate on projects. Dawn Johnson has spearheaded incorporating the concepts—which she calls “portrait traits” rather than 21st-century skills—in the multidisciplinary graphics communication class she co-teaches to juniors and seniors. A key part of the process is that students can focus on the skills they want to develop.

“It’s really important for rising adults to set personal goals to find relevance,” Johnson says. “I provide menus of what we’re going to do over the course of the semester, and students self-identify which learning goals are most important to them.”

Students keep journals that allow them to reflect on the traits they feel they have mastered and those they are still working on and willing to take healthy risks to develop. Students also create a LinkedIn profile to begin building their personal brand and are encouraged to use those “I can” statements as they fill in the “About Me” section.

“When we think of our school’s mission—that every student, regardless of race, class, gender and ability, will be post-secondary ready—I love the Portrait because it says how will we know,” Johnson concludes. “It gives us tangible things that we can work on with students… that if we help students with these traits, we know they’re going to be more ready for the world that’s waiting for them.”

District Administration’s Superintendent’s Playbook series examines how superintendents, principals and other administrators are solving common problems that today’s educators are facing. 

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However, research from the CCRC shows that high schools and colleges typically implement dual enrollment with a “laissez-faire” approach, meaning that students arbitrarily choose classes without regard to their plans and interests regarding academics or careers. The lack of intention in these programs perpetuates a trend that completely counteracts the intent of dual enrollment.

CCRC discovered that dual enrollment outcomes among students who are learning English, have disabilities or are of American Indian, Black, Hispanic, multiracial, and Pacific Islander descent are far below that of native, White English speakers.

As a result, the independent research organization has created the Dual Enrollment Equity Pathways (DEEP) program to help K12 and higher education work together to help those who would benefit the most from dual enrollment actually realize success in the program. DEEP gained its insight from observing the practices of nine community college–high school partnerships in California, Florida and Texas that had achieved equitable access and early college outcomes for Black and Latinx students through their dual enrollment programs.

“Effective implementation of DEEP practices requires significant changes on the part of both colleges and high schools in how they reach out to students and families, align curricula and pedagogy and teach and advise students,” the report’s researchers wrote.

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1. Outreach to underserved students and schools

K12 districts and colleges that experienced strong dual enrollment results from their low-income students and those of color began to market these courses to students and their parents as early as middle school. Such forward thinking then helped revamp some elementary schools’ curricula in assisting students to prepare for what comes in high school.

2. Alignment to college degrees and careers in fields of interest

Students without long-term vision usually choose dual enrollment classes arbitrarily without knowing whether they will transfer successfully toward a bachelor’s program they are interested in. Like how community colleges “backward map” their programs to ensure they lead toward good job opportunities or a bachelor’s program, colleges should also map their programs for the dual enrollment level. This way, community college courses can help K12 students better understand what kind of college programs or careers might also interest them.

3. Early career and academic exploration, advising and planning

K12 districts and colleges adopting the DEEP framework need to ensure they are proactive in providing K12 students with proper advising that extends beyond just getting them to the high school finish line.

“High school students who receive help from an adult in developing an education or career plan are more likely to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply to and enroll in college,” the researchers wrote.

4. High-quality college instruction and academic support.

Colleges must engage with K12 schools to share their most cutting-edge, research-backed teaching methods so that students interested in postsecondary education are exposed to more rigorous learning models. One such example is the flipped classroom, wherein lectures are delivered online and class time is used for instruction, lab work and class projects.

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Superintendents have been providing students with real-world job experiences before graduating through career technical education opportunities so they can have a head start on their careers without a college degree. But those students who do wish to pursue higher education—especially those who are traditionally underserved and marginalized—need guidance from leaders in their own schools.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-conscious admissions in June, the U.S. Department of Education has been sharing resources for K12 leaders on how they can ensure a diverse pipeline of college applicants within their own schools. Last week, the Department issued a report titled, “Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education,” which calls for strategic efforts among K12 and higher ed institutions to create outreach and pathway programs to bolster the number of applications among underserved student populations.

Department Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement that it’s ironic how the nation’s most inclusive and accessible institutions have, traditionally, lacked the resources to invest in student success, while more selective institutions with more resources “invest in students and propel them to graduation day.”

“This moment demands leadership, innovation and collaboration from leaders at every level to break down barriers for underserved students and reimagine pathways into higher education,” Cardona said. “Our future is brighter when we prepare students of all backgrounds to lead our multiracial democracy together.”

One of the ways K12 schools can help support underserved students is by hiring high-quality counselors. According to the report, low-income students and students of color traditionally attend schools that don’t have enough counseling staff available to help them navigate the college admissions process. Furthermore, it declares that the end of race-conscious admissions will make this even more difficult for students at these schools.

“Such declines would exacerbate existing inequities in college enrollment among low-income students and students of color,” the report reads.

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School counselors are vital for their role in encouraging students to take interest in postsecondary education by recommending college-level classes in high school, assisting them in the financial aid application process and building a college-going culture. And there’s research to prove it.

Using data from the Department of Education, one study revealed that one high school counselor leads to a 10% increase in four-year college enrollment. When it comes to college advising programs, another study found that students who received advising and counseling were 7% more likely to enroll.

Moving forward, it’s important that K12 schools recognize partnerships with their local colleges and universities, the report declares, as it can help ensure high school students receive some sort of mentoring, perhaps through college fairs and frequent updates directly from colleges about future changes to their admissions process.

“These partnerships can play a critical role in making sure K12 counselors have the resources needed to make holistic admissions more effective,” the report reads.

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