[Senate Hearing 111-1131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-1131
CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS IN PRACTICE
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FIELD HEARING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
EXAMINING CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS IN PRACTICE
__________
APRIL 1, 2010 (Columbus, Ohio)
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
_____
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COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee
PATTY MURRAY, Washington RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
JACK REED, Rhode Island JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina TOM COBURN, M.D., Oklahoma
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon PAT ROBERTS, Kansas
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado
Daniel Smith, Staff Director
Pamela Smith, Deputy Staff Director
Frank Macchiarola, Republican Staff Director and Chief Counsel
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
__________
STATEMENTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
Page
Brown, Hon. Sherrod, a U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio....... 1
Jordan, Crystal, Student, Metro Early College High School,
Columbus, OH................................................... 4
Caldwell, Bob, Superintendent, Wolf Creek Local School District,
Waterford, OH.................................................. 7
Prepared statement........................................... 9
Silas-Butler, Jacqueline A., Esq., Executive Director, Project
Grad, Akron, OH................................................ 10
Prepared statement........................................... 12
Phillips-Schwartz, Kristi, Director of Education Initiatives,
Cincinnati Business Committee, Cincinnati, OH.................. 17
Jackson, Steven, Senior Vice President, Great Oaks Career
Campuses, Great Oaks District Office, Cincinnati, OH........... 19
Prepared statement........................................... 22
(iii)
CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS
IN PRACTICE
----------
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
Columbus, OH
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:12 p.m., at
Metro Early College High School, 1929 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH,
Hon. Sherrod Brown presiding.
Present: Senator Brown.
Opening Statement of Senator Brown
Senator Brown. Welcome. The Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee, will come to order.
This is our first hearing in Ohio on the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, and I appreciate all of you students
and community members joining us. This high school had a trip
to Washington a year ago, and I met some of you, I think. How
many of you were on that trip? OK. Some of you were. How many
were on that trip and don't remember that trip?
[Laughter.]
OK. But anyway, welcome.
First, we will conduct this hearing pretty much in the
following way. I will make a fairly brief opening statement
just to sort of outline what the hearing is about and what the
issues are about that we will be discussing.
Then I will call on each witness to give a statement. Each
of them has a prepared statement that they will give. And then
I will ask each witness questions, and that will be the hour
and a half or so of the hearing.
I look forward to this. And again, thank you very much. I
thank you as students, as faculty, as community members for
hosting this hearing.
I want to especially thank our hosts, Metro Early College
High School. It is fitting we hold a hearing on career and
college readiness on this campus. Under the leadership of
Principal Marcy Raymond, Metro Early College High School
students graduate more than ready for college. You graduate as
accomplished college students with as many as 2 years' worth of
college credit.
I remember when I met several of you last year, the quality
of questions you asked, the curiosity you showed toward
government and toward other things were all quite impressive.
The HELP Committee has held two hearings in Washington on
reauthorization. We heard from a panel of international experts
who described the economic cost of failing to educate our youth
to internationally competitive standards, and we are becoming
more and more aware of that as a Nation.
In the second hearing, we heard from the Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan about the Obama administration's
priorities on reauthorization on education. As I said, this is
the third hearing and the first field hearing that we have
conducted, and we will get to the heart of the matter.
Your experience with college and career readiness in the
real-life setting of schools and communities is exactly the
kind of input the HELP Committee needs as we take up this
legislation, this so-called reauthorization of the past law.
The Obama administration's blueprint for Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, ESEA, reauthorization calls for
reorienting title I toward career and college readiness for all
students. The States are moving in that direction as well. The
Chief State School Officers and the National Governors
Association have partnered to develop a common core of college-
and career-ready standards in English and in mathematics. This
is a big step forward.
The last two renewals, the last two reauthorizations of
ESEA called on States to set ``challenging standards'' in the
core subject areas and to develop State-wide assessment systems
aligned to those standards in reading and mathematics. Those
standards were not necessarily connected to the knowledge and
skills we need for college or the 21st century workplace. This
disconnect has been clear for many years.
Yesterday, I had a roundtable discussion in Summit County
in Akron at the Summit County Job Center. Every person around
the table echoed the need for us to do a better job of
connecting young people to college and careers during their
time in school.
Ohio has been a leader in the standards movement. Our State
is an enthusiastic participant in the common core standards
process. Ohio has moved to benchmark its standards against
international standards, and the State is part of the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Yet we have a long way to
go.
Ohio's average freshman graduation is 79 percent, exceeding
the national average by 5 percent. However, the rate for black
and Hispanic students is just above 64 percent. For low-income
students, the rate is 73 percent. Sixty percent of Ohio's
recent high school graduates enroll in college, which is below
the national average of 66 percent.
At the beginning, as freshmen, we have a higher rate of
graduation in high school, a higher rate in Ohio of graduation
than the national average. But in terms of going on to college,
seniors going on to college, we have a significantly lower
rate. Too many students never make it through the front door of
a college campus. Those that do often do not make it through to
a college degree or a certificate.
Consider the following statistics from the Ohio Board of
Regents. In 2007, 32 percent of Ohio high school graduates
enrolled in Ohio public college took remedial math. So that is,
one-third of Ohio high school students took remedial math in
college. Twenty percent, one in five, took remedial English.
Forty percent took at least one remedial course. So either math
or English.
For students starting in Ohio's public colleges in 2001,
less than 60 percent graduated within 6 years. At community
college, only 9 percent earned degrees, and just over half
remained enrolled after 3 years.
For our State and our Nation to remain competitive, we must
dramatically increase these numbers. President Obama has made
it a top priority, especially focusing on community colleges
and helping people complete what they have begun when they are
there.
It will take more than a new set of standards and better
assessments to get there. We actually have to deliver on
opportunities for career and college readiness for our
students. That is why we are here today. That is why we chose
Metro.
Today's witnesses have delivered on the promise of career
and college readiness for students in some of Ohio's most
disadvantaged communities. We know what works. We know how to
measure it. We just have to mobilize the public will and the
resources to do it.
I would like to thank each of the witnesses again, and
thank all of you that joined us. I will introduce the witnesses
in the order seated and ask that they speak in that order.
Crystal Jordan is a senior here at Metro from the Columbus
City School District. Her home school is Walnut Ridge on the
east side. During her entire senior year, Crystal has been
enrolled in early college course work at Ohio State--excuse me,
at The Ohio State University. I apologize.
I am always corrected when I just call it ``Ohio State,''
like I did all my life. When I went there, I called it ``Ohio
State.''
After graduation in June, Crystal plans to attend The Ohio
State University and major in marketing. She was awarded a
Morrill Scholarship for full in-State tuition at OSU. Her
parents are William and Rita Jordan.
Are your parents here by chance?
Ms. Jordan. No.
Senator Brown. No? OK, I was going to introduce them and
embarrass you if they were.
[Laughter.]
Bob Caldwell, career education. Bob Caldwell has been
superintendent of Wolf Creek Local School since 1997.
Wolf Creek Local School District is located in Waterford,
OH, situated in southeastern Ohio, in the heart of the
Muskingum River Valley in northwestern Washington County. It
encompasses approximately 124 square miles, has two school
buildings--Waterford Elementary School for K through 8, and
Waterford High School, 9 through 12--and serves around 700
students.
He started his career in one of the most rural counties in
Ohio, Vinton County, and one of the poorest. Prior to joining
Wolf Creek Local Schools, Mr. Caldwell was superintendent for
Warren Local Schools. He has also been a school principal and
an English teacher.
Jacqueline Silas-Butler, whom I have known I think longer
than anybody on the panel, has served as executive director of
Project GRAD Akron since 2006.
Project GRAD Akron is 1 of 12 affiliate sites of Project
GRAD USA, one of the leaders in the Nation. It is an
educational reform program, which was established 8 years ago
to increase high school and graduation rates of the more than
2,000 students in the Buchtel cluster of the Akron Public
Schools. Since its inception, Project GRAD Akron has provided
research-based services and programs for students in grades
kindergarten through college, their families, and their
teachers.
Jacqueline is from Middletown, OH, originally. An attorney,
received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political
science from OSU and her J.D. from the University of Akron
School of Law.
Kristi Phillips-Schwartz has served as director of
education initiatives with the Cincinnati Business Committee
since March 2008. She works with the Cincinnati Regents' top
CEOs on education issues, primarily focused on improving
educational quality in the urban core.
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz comes to the CBC from the Thomas
Fordham Institute, an organization devoted entirely to the
reform of elementary and secondary education. She is a graduate
of Ohio State, earned a B.A. in art education, and an M.A. in
educational policy and leadership. She is a native of
Cincinnati.
Steve Jackson, senior vice president of Great Oaks
Institute of Technology and Career Development. He joined Great
Oaks--I think Great Oaks is the largest vocational school in
the State, right?
Mr. Jackson. Yes.
Senator Brown. He joined Great Oaks more than 30 years ago
as a marketing teacher and later a building administrator,
provides leadership now in curriculum, instruction, technology,
adult education, and represents Great Oaks in a variety of
community organizations. He graduated with a Bachelor of
Science degree from Ohio State and received his Master's from
Xavier University, both schools that were knocked out of the
NCAA tournament way earlier than I predicted on my brackets
that I chose, thank you very much.
[Laughter.]
So welcome to all five of you.
Crystal will begin. Each witness will speak for about 5
minutes, I think, and then we will do questions.
So pass the microphone down, and Crystal, we will start
with you.
STATEMENT OF CRYSTAL JORDAN, STUDENT, METRO EARLY COLLEGE HIGH
SCHOOL, COLUMBUS, OH
Ms. Jordan. Good afternoon, Senator Brown and members of
the committee.
Senator Brown. I am sorry. I can't believe I just
interrupted you. Everything that you say will be recorded in
the committee testimony that other members of the Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee staff and
members of the Senate will have access to. So even though you
don't see 10 of my colleagues sitting to my left, they will all
have access to what you say, and it will be printed.
Thank you. Sorry.
Ms. Jordan. That is OK.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here and share my
thoughts with you today.
My name is Crystal Jordan. I am a senior here at Metro High
School, Metro Early College High School.
As a Metro Early College student, I am a graduating senior
at my home high school, Walnut Ridge, while concurrently
participating in the program here at Metro. Metro Early College
High School is an educational option for our partner districts
and is one of the only two options for early college STEM in
Franklin County.
For those of you who may not be aware, briefly, Metro is a
small, public high school option for students from across
Franklin County. We are not a charter school. As an early
college high school, students are expected to complete all of
their high school requirements and up to 60 hours of college
credit in 4 years. Our early college studies are being
implemented through a STEM curriculum--science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
First, I would like to thank you for the support of early
college high schools through innovative programming. Your
support of schools that are creative and innovative is spurring
high school education reform in Ohio and creating global
citizens like me.
Attending Metro Early College High School has prepared me
well and has been one of the wisest choices I have ever made. I
have had the opportunity to do things that I never thought I
could do in an environment that challenged me to maximize my
potential.
For example, I participate in an advisory each year at
Metro. During advisory, my classmates and I would plan to carry
out various service learning projects and explore fields of
interest through career shadowing days and college visits.
Most schools don't think that the development of me as a
citizen who is active and responsible for making things better
in the community is an important part of the responsibility of
the school. That is not the case for Metro. Metro is all about
helping me see my future in a way that causes me to notice what
needs to change and what my role might be.
Metro takes seriously the opportunity and exposure
necessary for students to explore career fields in STEM. I
learned a lot about myself and what I might like to do through
my internships. While attending Metro, I have completed two
internships, one of which was required and the other I chose as
an elective--the first internship at a local glass art studio
called Glass Axis and the other at the Franklin Park
Conservatory's Chihuly Resource Center.
During these internships, I discovered that I have a love
for visual, hands-on art and that STEM thinking is an important
part of the work that they do to create the wonderful
exhibitions that I love. I learned skills that included
providing services and goods to clients, helping art
organizations to balance their finances, and upholding
functional business.
I have shadowed the director of visual productions at Bath
and Body Works and a public relations specialist at a major
local advertising design company. These experiences have taught
me more about the diverse fields of business and art and have
contributed to my fascination with the fields.
At Metro, once students have completed the credits of a
full high school curriculum, they have the opportunity to
Gateway, which is what we call the presentation of our capacity
to do college-level work. During my Gateway, I presented the
habits and skills that I practiced throughout Metro classes.
These tools prepared me to succeed in college-level classes.
I had to provide examples of high school coursework and my
grades to a panel of OSU, Battelle, and Metro professionals, my
parents, and a student advocate. It was a lot of pressure, but
it prepared me to do things like speak to you all today.
Metro has carefully exposed me to college courses. The
first college course that I completed was a 4-day entomology
course taught at Ohio State's Stone Lab on Lake Erie. Every
student in this class was from Metro, and although the class
was short, it provided enough challenge to motivate me to step
up my performance.
Because Metro is an early college high school and is a
public option, Metro students do not need to be concerned about
financial issues when taking courses at Ohio State. The
tuition, books, and fees are included in the operating budget
for our school and are not a burden on me as a student. It is
really a scholarship opportunity for students. This allows
students and their families to focus on their coursework rather
than worry about having funding for their classes.
When I attend college next year, I will have a significant
amount of coursework completed with success. I think that these
opportunities are beneficial to all students because it enables
us to achieve.
Attending Metro Early College High School has shown me that
it is my responsibility to become a peer model to underclassmen
who are looking forward to succeeding in the same way that I
am. Because I am a member of Metro's first graduating class, I
have gotten the opportunity to experience so much, and often,
Metro gives me the opportunity to share my experiences with
other students and with you.
Participating in an early college program is especially
beneficial for me, because I am given the chance to explore
different fields of interest before I even start college as a
freshman. Last quarter, I took an economics course for my
intended major of marketing. From taking this course, I found
that I have a great interest in the analysis of statistical
data.
I have always struggled with organization, study habits,
and time management, and as an early college high school, Metro
did its job to prepare me by providing me with skills and
effective habits to overcome my learning weaknesses in a
supportive environment. Adults call this 21st century skills,
but I think they are survival skills for my future.
Classes are about 20 to 1 at Metro, and it is easy to talk
to your instructor about any questions that you have. Also,
Metro provides support through advisories, counselors, and
tutors to help students gain confidence and a positive outlook
on college.
Attending Metro has been a very beneficial, challenging,
and fun experience for my classmates and me. Next year, I plan
to attend The Ohio State University as a full-time student, and
I am a Morrill Scholarship recipient. I look forward to the
possibility of seeing more students like me who have had the
opportunities and instruction that Metro has provided.
I encourage the committee to consider continuing its
investment in early college high schools as you review and make
decisions on the reauthorization of legislation. There are more
students like me who need this kind of environment, training,
and encouragement.
Thank you for your time.
Senator Brown. Thank you. Thank you, Crystal.
[Applause.]
Crystal, thank you.
I want to introduce Moira Lenehan, who grew up in Akron, is
on my Washington staff, does education issues, and has been on
Capitol Hill for a number of years. She joined us about a year
ago. This is Moira sitting next to me.
Mr. Caldwell.
Thank you again, Crystal.
STATEMENT OF BOB CALDWELL, SUPERINTENDENT, WOLF CREEK LOCAL
SCHOOL DISTRICT, WATERFORD, OH
Mr. Caldwell. Thank you for inviting me, Senator Brown, to
be before you today. I care deeply about public education.
As previously stated, my name is Bob Caldwell, and I am
superintendent of Wolf Creek Local Schools in Washington
County, OH.
While I have been in education for 34 years, only 14 of
those have been as superintendent of Wolf Creek. However, all
34 have been in rural Appalachian Ohio, called the
southeastern.
Wolf Creek Local School has a total population, K-12, of
640 students. This is about 50 in each grade. Fifty-nine
percent of our teachers have 10 or more years of experience and
make an average of a little over $46,000 a year. This, compared
to the Ohio average with 10 or more years experience of $56,000
and the overall State average income of being about $68,000.
A strong argument can be made, as a result of this, that
rural and Appalachian school teachers become embedded in their
communities and do not relocate for career or financial
reasons.
Wolf Creek, while attaining an ``excellent'' rating the
past 2 years on the report card and having a 98 percent
graduation rate, concluded that we needed help. Now let me
explain what I mean by that.
The OACHE, which is called the Ohio Appalachian Center for
Higher Education, was established by the General Assembly in
1993, with the mission of increasing educational attainment in
the then 29 counties of Appalachian Ohio. The OACHE pursues its
mission primarily by awarding 2-year access project grants on a
competitive basis to K-12 schools in the region.
These access projects implement activities that encourage
all students to consider college by helping them overcome
barriers to post-secondary education. The origin of OACHE was a
suggestion by former famed restaurateur and then member of the
Iowa Board of Regents Bob Evans to the college presidents that
they address the low college going rate in his native
Appalachian Ohio.
Acting on his suggestion, the Ohio Board of Regents funded
the study--this study was completed in 1992--that has become
the definitive work of why Appalachians do not go to college.
The study, titled ``Appalachian Access and Success,''
instigated the OACHE's creation.
Access and Success found that although 80 percent of high
school students surveyed wanted to attend college, only about
30 percent actually attended. This rate fell way below the
rates of Ohio, 41 percent, and the entire United States that
you referenced earlier, 62 percent.
The study further found low self-esteem, poverty, and lack
of information to be the strongest barriers to college
participation. To address this serious problem, in 1993, the
Ohio General Assembly established the OACHE and charged the new
consortium with increasing the college going rate in
Appalachian Ohio.
Another analogy would be the Morrill Scholarship, which was
referenced earlier--that Crystal actually received--at The Ohio
State University is named in honor of Senator Justin Morrill,
author of the 1862 Morrill Act that facilitated access to
higher education for students previously underrepresented at
America's colleges.
The Office of Minority Affairs at Ohio State offers the
programs to promote diversity, multiculturalism, and
leadership. Among the criteria to be considered include
applicant status as a potential first-generation college
student; applicant's racial, ethnic, tribal background;
socioeconomic factors; and Ohio county of residence.
For the purpose of the scholarship, the Morrill
Scholarship, people living in the 31-county Appalachian region
are considered Appalachian Americans. Why are Appalachian
Americans considered to be a minority for the purpose of this
scholarship? Perhaps it is because many rural Americans are
expected to follow their parents' footsteps. For instance, blue
collar work is encouraged in lieu of seeking higher education.
Certainly, Appalachians have a history of having a strong
sense of community, and they frown on boasting, and college
graduates simply seems to be boasting. Compared with national
averages, one in five Appalachian children live in poverty.
Nearly 30 percent of third graders in Appalachia either have
not seen a dentist in the past year or have never had a dental
exam. This, according to Goins, Spencer, Krummel in a 2003-4
study.
In 1999, Waterford High School, which is a high school in
Wolf Creek Local Schools, applied for and received the OACHE
grant. The grant provided numerous opportunities for our
students. The grant paid for individual and college visits to
colleges and other activities, including attending of a
Cleveland Cavaliers game.
Currently, at Waterford High School in the halls are
posters, 62 posters representing 62 different colleges made by
the 62 students enrolled in Career Search for Seniors class,
which came from the idea generated from the OACHE grant. We
have grown from 30 percent attending college in 1999 to 80
percent of our graduating class in 2008 that are attending
college. Waterford, as a result of this success, no longer
receives the OACHE grant.
The Battelle for Kids Ohio Appalachian Collaborative may
just be the answer to our problem as I referenced through this.
This collaboration joins the average daily membership of 21
rural Ohio school districts, which serve approximately 35,000
students.
It is our belief that this collaboration will allow us to
compete against Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati for State,
Federal, and private grants in a way that, individually, none
of the 21 schools simply could. We, members of the
collaborative effort, hope to increase the number of Advanced
Placement courses offered and students who score at least a
three.
We hope to attain a 100 percent graduation rate. Yes, Wolf
Creek is at 98 percent graduation rate, and we are proud of
that. However, if you are in the 2 percent--and at Wolf Creek,
that is one or two students--that did not graduate, then we
still have a problem.
I believe that all the students in the now 31-county
Appalachian region deserve access to an education that
maximizes their potential for opportunity and accomplishment.
``It is a moral, global, and economic imperative to enable and
empower these historically underserved students, thereby
enriching their environments and enhancing their quality of
life.'' That was a quote from Battelle for Kids.
Districts in The Battelle for Kids Ohio Appalachian
Collaborative may be small and separated by many miles, but
they know the fastest way to innovate and improve is to learn.
Bolstered by good faith and shared responsibilities by everyone
involved, this group of districts in this collaborative have an
opportunity to exhibit transformational leadership to produce
dramatic improvements in student outcomes.
The ultimate goal is to: (1) expand student opportunities;
(2) two, enhance teacher quality and instruction; (3) transform
leadership; (4) understand and use assessments and data; and
(5) engage in communities.
We hope to recognize and reward effective teaching and
leadership by using specific research-based strategies,
including teacher-level value-added analysis in grades 3
through 12, formulate assessment practices, results-focused
collaboration within and across districts, and community
engagement.
I am proud of the progress that Wolf Creek and other
districts have made, but as I referenced earlier, you are happy
if you are in the 98 percent that graduate, but not so joyful
if you are the 2 percent that did not. According to Robert
Frost, we have miles to go before we sleep.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Caldwell follows:]
Prepared Statement of Bob Caldwell
Summary*
There are school children in Ohio's rural Appalachian region
receiving a $7,056 education, while the State average (not the most
expensive) per pupil expenditure is $9,216. The $2,250 shortfall
translates into $45,000 less annually per classroom of 20 students, or
over $2,250,000 less annually for a school district with 1,000
students.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* My testimony uses the data from this summary to express its need
for the Battelle for Kids Collaboration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are school districts in Ohio's rural Appalachian region with
local property valuation per pupil as low as $38,229, while the State
average (not the highest) is $134,211. These numbers illustrate the
lack of ability for some local communities to raise revenue to support
education for their children.
______
Senator Brown, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me
to appear before you today. I know that you care deeply about the
future of Public Education.
My name is Bob Caldwell and I am the Superintendent of Wolf Creek
Local Schools in Washington County, OH.
While I have been in education for 34 years, only 14 have been as
Superintendent of Wolf Creek. However, all 34 have been in the
Appalachian Region of southern Ohio.
Few issues do I carry the passion that I have toward helping the
young people of my home region.
Wolf Creek Local School has a total school population (K-12) of 640
students. This is an average of 50 in each grade. Fifty-nine percent of
our teachers have 10 or more years of experience and make on the
average a little less than $46,000. This compared to the Ohio average
with 10 or more years experience of $56,000, while the State's overall
income was just over $68,000.
A strong argument can be made that Rural and Appalachian school
teachers become embedded in their communities and do not relocate for
career or financial reasons.
This testimony is not just about the teachers commitment to the
students. It is about the students, the people who will soon be sitting
in our respective chairs.
Wolf Creek while attaining an ``excellent'' rating the past 2 years
on the report card and have a 98 percent graduation rate concluded they
needed help!
The Battelle for Kids Ohio Appalachian Collaborative may just be
the answer to our problem. This collaboration joins the average daily
membership of 21 rural Ohio school districts, which serve approximately
35,000 students.
It is our belief that this collaboration will allow us to compete
against Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati for State, Federal, and
private grants in a way that individually we simply could not.
We, members of the collaborative effort, hope to increase the
number of Advanced Placement courses offered and students who score at
least a three. We hope to attain a 100 percent graduation rate. Yes,
Wolf Creek is at 98 percent graduation rate and we are proud of that,
however, what if you are in the 2 percent (one or two students for Wolf
Creek) that did not graduate.
It has been quoted that Ohio has the 4th largest rural school
enrollment in the country and one of every two Ohio districts is rural.
The Battelle for Kids Ohio Appalachian Collaborative is bolstered
by good faith and shared responsibilities by everyone involved. This
group of districts is uniquely challenged by a shrinking tax base,
difficulty in recruiting teachers but welcomes the mission of
accelerating college and career readiness of every student.
We believe that six major areas will be our focus: (1) expand
student opportunities; (2) enhance teacher quality and instruction; (3)
transform leadership; (4) understand and use assessments and data; (5)
engage communities; and (6) recognize and reward effective teaching and
leadership.
Senator Brown. Thank you.
[Applause.]
Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Caldwell.
Ms. Silas-Butler.
STATEMENT OF JACQUELINE A. SILAS-BUTLER, ESQ., EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, PROJECT GRAD, AKRON, OH
Ms. Silas-Butler. Good afternoon. My name is Jacqueline
Silas-Butler, and I thank you, Senator Brown, for inviting us
here today for this very important topic.
On behalf of the national Project GRAD network, let me
begin by expressing my sincere appreciation and gratitude to
Senator Sherrod Brown and his colleagues for authorizing
Project GRAD as a Federal program in the Higher Education Act.
Additionally, thank you for inviting Project GRAD Akron to
represent our organization, as I share about the important work
that we do throughout the United States to assist students as
they successfully prepare for college and career and become
lifelong productive members of our country.
Project GRAD is a national reform program which initially
began in 1993 in Houston, TX, in one feeder pattern. Today, we
have 13 sites in 10 States, serving 213 schools and more than
134,000 students, their families, and teachers. We work in
collaboration with local school districts to ensure academic
achievement from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade and successful
completion of high school and college for economically
disadvantaged students.
Project GRAD is a unique model with an ambitious mission of
increasing the high school and college graduation rates of the
students we serve, who typically come from some of the lowest-
performing schools. Ninety-two percent of Project GRAD USA's
students are African-American or Hispanic, and 83 percent of
the
students served are low-income. Most of the students we serve
are the first in their family to consider college as a viable
option.
Project GRAD is the only educational reform effort that has
been cited as a promising whole school reform leading to
college success by many national organizations, including
Building Engineering and Science Talent, the Comprehensive
School Reform Quality Center, Business-Higher Education Forum,
American Youth Policy Forum, and the U.S. Government
Accountability Office.
In the longest-served group of schools, Project GRAD
students are completing college at a rate 92 percent above the
national average for students from similar backgrounds.
Nationally, Project GRAD has offered college scholarships to
more than 9,600 students, worth over $40 million, and has
nearly 13,000 high school students in the scholarship pipeline,
making it one of the country's largest college access
organizations for low-income students.
Nationally, Project GRAD's scholarships have sent high
school graduates to more than 100 institutions of higher
education, including The Ohio State University, The University
of Akron, Kent State University, The University of Cincinnati,
Lorain Community College, Cornell, Morehouse, Harvard, Emory,
Rice, Spelman, Georgetown, Texas, Virginia, Howard, Princeton,
and Yale.
The uniqueness of our model centers around our belief that
Graduation Really Achieves Dreams--GRAD--and that we work with
all students in any school we serve. Our model includes the
following areas: community partnerships/engagement, academic
support, student support and parental engagement, college
access and retention, and scholarship.
As the executive director of Project GRAD Akron, I can
personally attest that we are seeing tremendous gains for the
students we serve. The success we have experienced is due in
great part to the collaboration we have with the Akron Public
Schools, local universities, as well as having the community
engaged in our efforts.
Since 2002, our reading and math scores have increased, our
schools are making a year or more growth in overall performance
and have outpaced similar schools in the district, and our high
school was the only high school in the district that met the
Federal benchmark in reading and math AYP, adequate yearly
progress.
Since 2006, Project GRAD Akron has awarded nearly $600,000
in scholarships to Buchtel High School's graduates, and two
students were the recipients of the prestigious Gates
Millennium Scholarship. In May, we will award $228,000 in
additional scholarships to the class of 2010.
I would like to close my testimony by presenting some of
the evaluation results that demonstrate that Project GRAD is a
success. Dr. Eric Bettinger of Stanford University conducted
studies in 2007 and 2009 at Project GRAD sites in Ohio. His
results included a number of positive findings.
Graduation rates have improved across all Project GRAD high
schools in Ohio since the inception of Project GRAD. Fourth
grade math scores have increased in Project GRAD schools
relative to comparison schools. Student disciplinary rates have
fallen in Project GRAD schools relative to comparison schools.
Student truancy rates have fallen in Project GRAD schools
relative to comparison schools. Teacher attendance has also
improved relative to comparison schools.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to present my
testimony in support of the reauthorization of ESEA. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Silas-Butler follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jacqueline A. Silas-Butler, Esq.
On behalf of the national Project GRAD network, let me begin by
expressing my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Senator Sherrod
Brown and his colleagues for authorizing Project GRAD as a Federal
program in the Higher Education Act (HEA). Additionally, thank you for
inviting Project GRAD Akron to represent our organization as I share
about the important work that we do throughout the United States to
assist students as they successfully prepare for college and career and
become lifelong productive members of our country.
Project GRAD is a national reform model which initially began in
1993 in Houston, Texas in one feeder pattern. Today, we have 13 sites
in 10 States serving 213 schools and more than 134,000 students, their
families, and teachers. We work in collaboration with local school
districts to ensure academic achievement from Pre-K-12, and successful
completion of high school and college for economically disadvantaged
students.
Project GRAD is a unique model with an ambitious mission of
increasing the high school and college graduation rates of the students
we serve, who typically come from some of the lowest performing
schools. Ninety-two percent of PG USA's students are African-American
or Hispanic and eighty-three percent of the students served are low-
income. Most of the students we serve are the first in their family to
consider college as a viable option.
Project GRAD is the only education reform effort that has been
cited as a promising whole school reform leading to college success by
many national organizations including Building Engineering and Science
Talent, the Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center, Business-Higher
Education Forum, American Youth Policy Forum, and the U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO).
In the longest-served group of schools, Project GRAD students are
completing college at a rate 92 percent above the national average for
students from similar backgrounds. Nationally, Project GRAD has already
offered college scholarships to more than 9,600 students, worth over
$40 million, and has nearly 13,000 high school students in the
scholarship pipeline, making it one of the country's largest college
access organizations for low-income students. Nationally, Project
GRAD's scholarships have sent high school graduates to more than 100
institutions of higher education, including, The Ohio State University,
The University of Akron, Kent State University, The University of
Cincinnati, Lorain Community College, Cornell, Morehouse, Harvard,
Emory, Rice, Spelman, Georgetown, Texas, Virginia, Howard, Princeton,
and Yale.
The uniqueness of our model centers around our belief that
Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD) and that we work with all
students in any school we serve. Our model includes the following
areas: Community Partnerships/Engagement, Academic Support, Student
Support and Parent Engagement, College Access and Retention, and
Scholarship.
As the Executive Director of Project GRAD Akron, I can personally
attest that we are seeing tremendous gains for the students we serve.
The success we have experienced is due in great part to the
collaboration we have with the Akron Public Schools, local
universities, as well as engaging the community in our efforts. Since
2002, our reading and math scores have increased, our schools are
making a year or more growth in overall performance and have outpaced
similar schools in the district, and our high school was the only high
school in the district that met the Federal benchmark in reading and
math (AYP--Adequate Yearly Progress). Since 2006, Project GRAD Akron
has awarded nearly $600,000 in scholarships to Buchtel High School's
graduates and two students were the recipients of the prestigious Gates
Millennium Scholarship. In May, we will award $228,000 in additional
scholarships to the Class of 2010.
I would like to close my testimony by presenting some of the
evaluation results that demonstrate Project GRAD's success. Dr. Eric
Bettinger of Stanford University conducted studies in 2007 and 2009 at
Project GRAD sites in Ohio. His results included a number of positive
findings:
Graduation rates have improved across all Project GRAD
high schools in Ohio since the inception of Project GRAD.
Fourth grade math scores have increased in Project GRAD
schools relative to comparison schools.
Student disciplinary rates have fallen in Project GRAD
schools relative to comparison schools.
Student truancy has fallen in Project GRAD schools
relative to comparison schools.
Teacher attendance has also improved relative to
comparison schools.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to present my testimony in
support of the reauthorization of ESEA.
______
Attachment
Project GRAD USA--Graduation Really Achieves Dreams
The Pre-K-16 Project GRAD Model
Project GRAD (GRAD) believes that, with the proper support, all
students in high-need, low-income schools can graduate from high school
and successfully complete a college degree.
grad's structural model
GRAD's school reform model:
(1) works in feeder patterns to ensure that the maximum number of
Pre-K through 12th grade students receive academic support and college
access knowledge,
(2) establishes a local 501(c)(3) that mobilizes community
resources and works in close partnership with, but external to, each
school district,
(3) works with existing assets in each school to maintain a cost-
effective, scalable, and replicable system,
(4) integrates the services of all organizations in a school that
are working to improve student academic achievement and motivation,
(5) ensures program quality and provides consulting services
through the national office, and
(6) works to ensure that students graduate from college.
grad's management structure
GRAD USA has a three-tiered management structure that ensures
program integrity, accountability, and performance measurement at the
national, district, and school level. The national GRAD office has
responsibility for quality control, technical assistance, professional
development, knowledge management, and policy. The district
superintendent and leaders collaborate with GRAD USA and the local site
to implement the model and allow State test results on student
achievement to be submitted to the national GRAD office. Local GRAD
sites are responsible for on-the-ground implementation and oversight in
close partnership with GRAD USA.
grad's programmatic model: pre-k-16
GRAD's model ensures student success by creating a college-going
culture. The following elements are critical:
Academic Support
School Climate
Parent & Community Engagement
School-based Social Services
College Readiness Initiative
academic support: pre-k-7
GRAD's core Pre-K-7 model improves student achievement through a
support system that enhances standards-based literacy and mathematics
programs. The implementation of GRAD literacy and mathematics in a
school or district does not require replacement of an existing
curriculum, unless that curriculum is not producing acceptable student
progress. GRAD provides academic support to better prepare and develop
GRAD teachers' abilities to implement the existing curriculum or
program through curriculum alignment, professional learning, data-
driven instruction, on-the-ground coaching, and resources.
GRAD USA content specialists gather both qualitative and
quantitative data about the reading and mathematics programs, review
State test data, and identify perceived gaps or needs. Both the reading
and mathematics curricula are analyzed to determine how well they align
with State standards, State tests, and district benchmarks. The content
specialists and local GRAD site meet with district administrators and
teachers to agree on student achievement gaps and develop an action
plan. GRAD USA requires in-school coaches who confer with teachers to
establish goals, conduct classroom observations, take notes, provide
feedback, and develop strategies for improving instruction. During
grade level/departmental meetings, coaches provide embedded ``just-in-
time'' professional development. GRAD's National Coach conducts regular
visits to observe and provide support while modeling best practices and
brokers additional professional development from district and/or
university experts.
GRAD Literacy Coaches assist teachers in helping students develop
reading fluency, comprehension skills, composition skills and
demonstrate how teachers can help students develop critical thinking
and problem-solving skills. GRAD's goals for literacy include
proficiency on State high-stakes tests; a research-based reading
program; and a well-implemented, research-based composition program.
The GRAD philosophy of teaching and learning for mathematics focuses on
raising expectations about learning to include higher order
understanding and application of concepts at all grade levels. Based on
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles and
Standards, Project GRAD Mathematics uses carefully selected
instructional activities and developmentally appropriate manipulatives
to foster an understanding of concepts and processes that stimulate
higher order thinking skills. Teachers are provided with the tools and
support necessary for transforming their classrooms into environments
characterized by student engagement in mathematical reasoning, non-
routine problem-solving, and communication.
school climate: pre-k-7
GRAD USA's approach to school climate ensures that the school has a
safe and personalized environment where students feel secure and valued
and instruction is student-centered. When the school climate program is
determined to be ineffective, GRAD USA provides a program such as Safe
& Effective Schools that is based on distributed leadership and
supports a personalized, caring learning environment that leads to more
effective instruction resulting in increased student academic
achievement.
parent & community engagement: pre-k-7
GRAD's theory of change is rooted in the belief that schools
operate in the context of communities and key stakeholders--especially
parents--must take ownership of school reform. Through GRAD USA's
Parent & Community Engagement (PCE) model, a locally rooted, focused
constituency of parents and community leaders advocate on behalf of
low-income students to achieve lasting school reform, bring about
change in students' lives, and inspire hope. PCE was developed with the
understanding that parents and guardians play a critical role in
ensuring academic success for students, and that schools are more than
educational institutions; they are centers for community life. Key PCE
activities include GRAD's Walk for Success\SM\, Walk for Success Rally,
Parent University, and Parent Conference.
social services: pre-k-12
Local GRAD sites partner with campus-based social service
organizations or implement GRAD's Campus Family Support (CFS) to
provide interventions for student and family needs. The Pre-K-12 model
includes a campus manager who oversees case load management and a
family support team. The Campus Manager is the initial point of contact
for all community agencies, tutors, mentors, and groups offering
support services for the school. GRAD's Campus Manager provides
intensive, ongoing services (e.g., guidance, tutoring, and access to
enrichment activities) to a predetermined number of students at each
school. If necessary, the Campus Manager makes referrals to outside
agencies. If there is no existing relationship with outside agencies,
the Campus Manager identifies those agencies and ensures that they have
the capability and resources to meet student needs. CFS staff provide a
``safety net'' for students through counseling, mentoring, and
referrals.
grad's college readiness and retention initiative: 8-16
The six elements of GRAD's College Readiness and Retention
Initiative include the following:
(1) Academic Preparation and High Expectations. GRAD requires
partner districts to provide a high quality, strictly aligned academic
curriculum for grades Pre-K-12.
(2) 8th Grade Readiness. To prepare 8th grade students for the
rigor of a college preparatory curriculum in high school, GRAD
leverages current strategies and implements enhanced ones, so that all
students leave 8th grade with personalized academic preparation and a
college and career plan.
(3) 9th Grade Transition and Readiness. GRAD ensures a base of
success for students advancing to and in 9th grade through a solid
focus on preparation for academic rigor. Students' 6-Year Scholar Plans
are revisited and adjusted as needed to ensure that students and their
parents are on target to achieve college readiness.
(4) The College Preparatory Program in Grades 10 through 12. GRAD's
10th through 12th grade academic readiness strategies ensure that high
school students successfully complete the college preparatory
curriculum and graduate from high school ready for college (inclusive
of mathematics, literacy, and science). GRAD's non-negotiable
requirement with the partner district ensures a default college
preparatory curriculum aligned with State and national standards and
grade-to-grade.
(5) Educator Capacity Building. Educator capacity is built through
a school transformation initiative, professional development, and
school-based academic coaches.
(6) Systems Integration. Working as a systems integrator, GRAD
utilizes existing partnerships and seeks new opportunities to broker
research-based, proven existing programs and initiatives.
Summer Academic and College Access Programs
GRAD provides Summer Bridge (8th to 9th transition program) and
Summer Institute (9th to 10th and 10th to 11th transition programs) in
partnership with local colleges or universities to address remediation/
acceleration and enrichment needs and help build a college-going
culture, inspiring students to graduate from high school and advance to
college. GRAD hosts summer programs on college campuses, hosts College
Access Forums, and conducts college tours to further connect students
to post-secondary institutions.
College Access & Career Expectations
The College Readiness Team, led by the College Access Coordinator,
provides targeted college access support, career planning and
mentorship, and peer leadership opportunities integrated into every
aspect of a student's high school career. This support strengthens the
connection between post-secondary education and a student's desired
career that is planned and tracked through a student's 6-Year Scholar
Plan.
Student and Parent Constituency Influence
To generate and sustain a college-bound culture that systematically
targets every aspect of a student's high school career, the team
engages students, parents, faculty, and the greater community in
generating a college-bound culture. GRAD hosts an annual Walk for
Success, a door-to-door campaign visiting the homes of families of 8th
and 9th grade students to formalize the GRAD Scholarship Contract and
serve as a constituency development tool to support academic
achievement and develop a college-going culture. GRAD also leverages
its success to develop a student-driven peer constituency in support of
college access and graduation using campus-based, student-led peer
leadership groups.
Affordability
The promise of the GRAD Scholarship is the cornerstone of GRAD's
college access efforts and influences the belief in both students and
parents that college is a possibility. The $4,000 ($1,000 yearly) GRAD
Scholarship serves as a motivation for students and is a source
impacting affordability by leveraging other scholarship funds and
financial aid. GRAD's College Access Coordinator individually monitors
and counsels all students to ensure that they are prepared
academically, and on track to receive the GRAD Scholarship and enter
college as well as aid students in completing other scholarship and
financial aid forms.
College Persistence
CRI targets the critical transition from high school to college
through key support and retention strategies for GRAD Scholars in their
freshman year of college. After the first year of college, GRAD
leverages local site-based College Managers who provide emotional,
social, and financial aid support throughout the students' college
years with a goal of ensuring college graduation.
[Applause.]
Senator Brown. Thank you, Ms. Silas-Butler.
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz, thank you for joining us.
STATEMENT OF KRISTI PHILLIPS-SCHWARTZ, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
INITIATIVES, CINCINNATI BUSINESS COMMITTEE, CINCINNATI, OH
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. Thank you.
I am Kristi Phillips-Schwartz, and I am with the Cincinnati
Business Committee. Thank you for having me today. Thank you
for hosting this here at Metro.
Cincinnati and northern Kentucky have, like many
communities, a diverse array of education initiatives focused
on improving the lives of and, more specifically, educational
outcomes of children and youth. These resources are supported
by a wide array of public and private institutions who share a
common interest in the success of youth to lead to a more
vibrant community and, speaking as a representative of the
business community, creating a more educated workforce.
Unfortunately, we have not seen the dramatic improvements
we would desire in the education system. We know this, in part,
because of key components of No Child Left Behind, such as
requiring every child to be tested. These have helped to
provide a better understanding of how every child is or is not
being served.
When we looked at this data in our region, we came to the
realization about 4 years ago that we needed to focus the time,
energy, and talent of the entire community on specific
strategies in a very coordinated manner to achieve the
improvements that students and parents deserve. We needed to
focus our work starting at birth through some form of college,
cradle to career as we call it. And as a result, the community
created something called the Strive Partnership.
The Strive Partnership looked to bring leaders from the
education, business, nonprofit, philanthropic, and civic
sectors to create a common vision for education in our
community and to set some concrete goals for improvement.
We set five ambitions goals. Every child will be prepared
for school, supported inside and outside of school, succeed
academically, enroll in some form of college, and graduate and
enter a career. We selected concrete measures related to each
goal and put them in a report card published annually,
capturing trends and guiding collective decisionmaking around
where our community needs to focus strategies critical for
improving future student outcomes.
Many of the strategies being pursued in the Strive
Partnership are consistent with the direction that President
Obama and Education Secretary Duncan are pursuing through
policy and Race to the Top funding, including the development
of data-driven action plans and continuous improvement
strategies to enhance social services and academic instruction;
better connecting health and social services to schools through
our community learning centers; placing significant emphasis on
improving teacher quality and effectiveness; and promoting the
development of a portfolio of high-performing schools that
turnaround our lowest-achieving schools.
Business leaders in Cincinnati have been engaged in and
supportive of the abovementioned strategies being pursued by
the Strive Partnership on various levels. A recent example of
how the Strive Partnership has helped to bring community
leaders together to unite and advocate behind a common agenda
has been in the area of improving teacher quality.
Acknowledging that teacher quality matters more than any
other school factor in student success or failure, Strive
partners--including the Cincinnati Business Committee, Haile/
U.S. Bank Foundation, Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and
JPMorgan Chase--helped to commission a comprehensive study by
The New Teacher Project focused on improving the human capital
system in Cincinnati Public Schools.
This study included a comprehensive survey of teachers and
principals and focused on teacher hiring, placement,
evaluation, professional development, compensation, retention,
dismissal, and leadership and working conditions. With the
support of the Cincinnati Public School Board, the
superintendent, and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, the
recommendations from this report are now a focal point of many
reforms being considered in the district.
The Strive Partnership has played a critical role in
bringing the broader community together to unite behind the
specific action items in the report card to improve teaching
and learning within CPS.
Some of these recommendations include strengthening teacher
and school effectiveness by adopting an evaluation system based
on results, as well as practice linked to a system that rewards
excellent teachers, encourages innovation, and ties teacher
compensation, development, and advancement to student
achievement; providing greater flexibility to address
chronically low-performing schools through alternative
structures, school redesigns, adaptable staffing, and new
school options for parents and their children; and increasing
the supply of the best teachers in the high-need schools.
This example highlights the important role that
organizations like Strive can play in connecting leaders from
all levels and sectors across the community around a common
education reform effort to drive improved educational
opportunities in our community.
As you work toward renewing the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, it will be important to talk with leaders in
organizations like the Strive Partnership to understand how
they are working effectively with groups of community leaders
to drive education reform efforts on the ground. As with any
new organization, there are many challenges to overcome, but
the goal of providing every child with access to high-quality
educational opportunities can only be achieved through a
concerted, community-wide effort.
Thank you.
[Applause.]
Senator Brown. Thank you, Ms. Phillips-Schwartz, very much.
Mr. Jackson.
STATEMENT OF STEVEN JACKSON, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GREAT OAKS
CAREER CAMPUSES, GREAT OAKS DISTRICT OFFICE, CINCINNATI, OH
Mr. Jackson. Good afternoon. Again, I am Steve Jackson, of
the Great Oaks Institute of Technology.
I would like to thank Senator Brown for the opportunity to
discuss the success that our district has had in preparing
students for careers and college.
I would also like to thank our hosts at Metro High School,
both for making this hearing possible and for the work you do
on behalf of Ohio students.
Let me tell you a bit about Great Oaks. We are a public
school district providing career and technical education
programs for students in 36 school districts in southwestern
Ohio. As one of the largest such districts in the United
States, we serve urban, rural, and suburban students with more
than 40 different career and technical programs on our four
campuses.
Each year, more than 12,000 high school students enroll in
our workforce development and career foundation education
programs. We also coordinate career education services for
about 120,000 K through 12 students and provide career programs
and other services for more than 50,000 adults annually.
Students come to us for a variety of reasons. Some are
focused on their future and want to begin studying a field that
interests them. Others have not been successful in their
present high school and want a fresh start. Some know that they
learn better in a hands-on, focused setting. Some of our
students are among the best in their class academically and see
that Great Oaks offers them new challenges and opportunities.
Great Oaks was formed in the early 1970s to provide career
and technical programs for the region. This was done so that,
together, school districts could offer their students highly
specialized programs that they didn't have space or funding to
provide by themselves. Over the years, our programs have
changed as the community's workforce needs have changed.
Typing, keypunch, and data entry classes have given way to
biotechnology, robotics, and digital and interactive media
programs.
While in school, it is important that our students gain
real-world experience. Coops, internships, and apprenticeships
give Great Oaks students the chance to work side-by-side with
professionals in the field. Those opportunities can give them
an advantage when they graduate also. For example, a joint
project with the Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater
Cincinnati allows students to complete the first 2 years of a
4-year electrician apprenticeship by the time they finish high
school.
Students earn industry credentials and certifications as
they complete Great Oaks programs. A high school student can
graduate with a practical nursing license or EMT certification.
A student could be certified as a professional firefighter,
dental assistant, heating and air conditioning technician,
welder, or animal care technician. These certifications and
credentials validate the preparation their education provided
for them to begin a high-paying, in-demand career immediately.
If all we did for our students was to give them a solid
foundation for a career, we would be considered successful. A
year after leaving us, about 92 percent of our graduates are
working in their career field, continuing their education, or
are in the military.
But the 21st century demands that students be prepared for
both careers and college. To that end, one improvement in
career and technical education is the increased emphasis on
more rigorous, integrated academics. General math and science
classes have evolved into advanced algebra, calculus,
microbiology, and anatomy. Competencies are aligned with the
Ohio Department of Education standards, as well as industry
certifications and post-secondary requirements.
Creating this foundation of rigorous academic classes is
the first step in preparing students for college. The next is
to break down perceptual and financial barriers that our
students may face. For example, many of our students arrive at
our door not knowing how to make college a reality. We provide
a setting in which students can achieve and one in which they
find themselves doing college-level work while still in high
school.
In fact, through 172 articulation agreements with community
colleges, 4-year universities, and other institutions, our
students can step directly into post-secondary education having
earned as many as 50 credit hours for the advanced work done in
their career program.
Students also have opportunities to earn college credit in
some academic classes through a dual enrollment program.
Curriculum is developed that meets college standards. Great
Oaks teachers are certified as adjunct college faculty, and
students can earn transcripted credit valid at any Ohio college
or university.
So our students learn that they can--and do--achieve at a
college level. The perception they have of their future
changes.
But I also mentioned breaking down financial barriers. The
college credit earned saves them and their parents thousands of
dollars individually. In fact, last year alone, students earned
more than 2,500 credits through the dual enrollment program.
That represents nearly a million dollars in tuition saved,
based on Ohio tuition rates. The result is that currently about
50 percent of our graduates go directly to post-secondary
education.
We also provide second chances to those who have left high
school. Our Gateway to Success program is a nationally
recognized program which helps young people who have dropped
out from high school earn a high school diploma.
It is a unique program for two reasons. First, those
students can actually earn a diploma from the high school
district they originally left. Second, Gateway to Success is
located on several area college campuses, which allows students
to experience the college environment.
In less than 3 years, more than 200 young adults have
graduated through Gateway to Success. Even more noteworthy is
that about half of these students who thought they wouldn't
even finish high school have since gone on to college.
Preparing students for success in careers and college can
only happen through partnerships with others within the
community. I mentioned the partnerships with colleges and
universities that provide our students with articulated and
transcripted college credit and which has helped us to develop
a college-level academic curriculum.
Equally important are the partnerships with business and
industry. By working closely with our partners, we understand
and anticipate the workforce development needs of our
community. The programs we offer evolve as the economy evolves.
So, based on labor market needs, we design and offer new
programs.
Once we begin to develop a program, we create strong links
with leaders in that field. The career-technical curriculum is
designed with their support and assistance, and the labs are
equipped based on their recommendations. Each of our programs
has an ongoing advisory council to keep our instructors firmly
connected to the industry. Those links are valuable as our
students look for apprenticeship, internship, and co-op
opportunities.
One area that has received much attention from educators
recently is the concept of 21st century skills. Business and
post-secondary leaders tell us that successful graduates must
be able to work collaboratively, solve complex problems, use
technology, and be flexible in their education. The nature of
career and technical education is that students are already
learning those skills in their career programs.
Again, I appreciate the chance to give an overview of
career and college readiness from the Great Oaks and career-
technical perspective. By anticipating emerging needs and
partnering with others in the community to create programs and
pathways with value, we are able to provide an education that
creates options and opportunities for our graduates.
Thank you for your time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Jackson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Steve Jackson
executive summary
About Great Oaks
Public school district providing career and technical
education programs for students in 36 school districts in southwestern
Ohio.
As one of the largest such districts in the United States,
Great Oaks serves urban, rural, and suburban students with more than 40
different career-technical programs on four campuses.
Each year, more than 12,000 high school students enroll in
Great Oaks workforce development and career foundation education
programs.
Great Oaks also coordinates career education services for
about 120,000 K-12 students, and provides career programs and other
services for more than 50,000 adults annually.
Career readiness
Career programs change as the job market and community
needs change.
Students gain real-world experience through co-ops,
internships, and apprenticeships that give Great Oaks students the
chance to work side-by-side with professionals in the field.
Having career skills gives graduating students an
advantage in the workplace.
Students earn industry credentials and certifications as
they complete Great Oaks programs. These certifications and credentials
validate that their education has prepared them to begin a high-paying,
in-demand career immediately.
92 percent of Great Oaks graduates are working in their
career field, in the military, or continuing their education 1 year
after graduation.
College readiness
One improvement in career and technical education is the
increased emphasis on more rigorous, integrated academics.
Through 172 articulation agreements with community
colleges, 4-year universities, and other institutions students can step
directly into post-secondary education having earned as many as 50
credit hours.
The Gateway to Success program provides a second chance
for high school dropouts; half of those who complete the program
continue in college.
Students also have opportunities to earn college credit in
some core academic classes through a dual enrollment program. Last year
students earned more than 2,500 credit hours, and that represents
nearly a million dollars in tuition saved.
The result is that about 50 percent of our graduates go
directly to post-secondary education.
Partnerships
Great Oaks works with business/industry partners to
understand and anticipate workforce needs.
The career-technical curriculum is designed with business/
industry's support and assistance, and the labs are equipped based on
their recommendations.
Each program has an ongoing advisory council to keep our
instructors firmly connected to the industry. Those links are valuable,
too, as our students look for apprenticeship, internship, and co-op
opportunities.
______
I am Steve Jackson, senior vice president of the Great Oaks
Institute of Technology and Career Development. I'd like to thank
Senator Brown for the opportunity to discuss the success that our
district has had in preparing students for careers and college. I'd
also like to thank our hosts at Metro High School--both for making this
hearing possible and for the work you do on behalf of Ohio students.
Let me tell you a bit about Great Oaks. We are a public school
district providing career and technical education programs for students
in 36 school districts in southwestern Ohio. As one of the largest such
districts in the United States, we serve urban, rural, and suburban
students with more than 40 different career and technical programs on
four campuses. Each year, more than 12,000 high school students enroll
in our workforce development and career foundation education programs.
We also coordinate career education services for about 120,000 K-12
students, and provide career programs and other services for more than
50,000 adults annually.
Students come to us for a variety of reasons. Some are focused on
their future and want to begin studying a field that interests them.
Others have not been successful in their present high school, and want
a fresh start. Some know that they learn better in a hands-on, focused
setting. Some of our students are among the best in their class
academically and see that Great Oaks offers them new challenges and
opportunities.
Great Oaks was formed in the early 1970s to provide career and
technical programs for the region. This was done so that together,
school districts could offer their students highly specialized programs
that they didn't have space or funding to provide by themselves. Over
the years our programs have changed as the community's workforce needs
have changed. Typing, keypunch, and data entry classes have given way
to biotechnology, robotics, and digital and interactive media programs.
While in school, it's important that our students gain real-world
experience. Co-ops, internships, and apprenticeships give Great Oaks
students the chance to work side-by-side with professionals in the
field. Those opportunities can give them an advantage when they
graduate, too. For example, a joint project with the Independent
Electrical Contractors of Greater Cincinnati allows students to
complete the first 2 years of a 4-year electrician apprenticeship by
the time they finish high school.
Students earn industry credentials and certifications as they
complete Great Oaks programs. A high school student can graduate with a
practical nursing license or EMT certification. A student can be
certified as a professional firefighter, dental assistant, heating and
air conditioning technician, welder, or animal care technician. These
certifications and credentials validate the preparation their education
provided for them to begin a high-paying, in-demand career immediately.
If all we did for our students was to give them a solid foundation
for a career, we would be considered successful. A year after leaving
us, about 92 percent of our graduates are working in their career
field, continuing their education, or are in the military.
But the 21st century demands that students be prepared for both
careers and college. To that end, one improvement in career and
technical education is the increased emphasis on more rigorous,
integrated academics. General math and science classes have evolved
into advanced algebra, calculus, microbiology, and anatomy.
Competencies are aligned with the Ohio Department of Education
standards as well as industry certifications and post-secondary
requirements.
Creating this foundation of rigorous academic classes is the first
step in preparing students for college. The next is to break down
perceptual and financial barriers that our students may face. For
example, many of our students arrive at our door not knowing how to
make college a reality. We provide a setting in which students can
achieve and one in which they find themselves doing college-level work
while still in high school. In fact, through 172 articulation
agreements with community colleges, 4-year universities, and other
institutions our students can step directly into post-secondary
education having earned as many as 50 credit hours for the advanced
work done in their career program.
Students also have opportunities to earn college credit in some
core academic classes through a dual enrollment program. Curriculum is
developed that meets college standards, Great Oaks teachers are
certified as adjunct college faculty, and students can earn
transcripted credit valid at any Ohio college or university.
So our students learn that they can--and do--achieve at a college
level. The perception they have of their future changes.
But I also mentioned breaking down financial barriers. The college
credit earned saves them and their parents thousands of dollars
individually. In fact, last year alone students earned more than 2,500
credit hours through the dual enrollment program. That represents
nearly a million dollars in tuition saved, based on Ohio tuition rates.
The result is that currently about 50 percent of our graduates go
directly to post-secondary education.
We also provide second chances to those who have left high school.
Our Gateway to Success program is a nationally recognized program which
helps young adults, who have dropped out from their high school, earn a
high school diploma. It's a unique program for two reasons: First,
those students can actually earn a diploma from the school district
they originally left. Second, Gateway to Success is located on several
area college campuses, which allows students to experience the college
environment. In less than 3 years, more than 200 young adults have
graduated through Gateway to Success. Even more noteworthy is that
about half of these students who thought they wouldn't even finish high
school have since gone on to college.
Preparing students for success in careers and college can only
happen through partnerships with others within the community. I
mentioned the partnerships with colleges and universities that provide
our students with articulated and transcripted college credit, and
which has helped us to develop a college-level academic curriculum.
Equally important are partnerships with business and industry. By
working closely with our partners we understand and anticipate the
workforce development needs of our community. The programs we offer
evolve as the economy evolves.
So, based on labor market needs, we design and offer new programs.
Once we begin to develop a program, we create strong links with leaders
in that field. The career-technical curriculum is designed with their
support and assistance, and the labs are equipped based on their
recommendations. Each of our programs has an ongoing advisory council
to keep our instructors firmly connected to the industry. Those links
are valuable, too, as our students look for apprenticeship, internship,
and co-op opportunities.
One area that has received much attention from educators recently
is the concept of 21st century skills. Business and post-secondary
leaders tell us that successful graduates must be able to work
collaboratively, solve complex problems, use technology, and be
flexible in their education. The nature of career and technical
education is that students are already learning those skills in their
career labs.
Again, I appreciate the chance to give an overview of career and
college readiness from the Great Oaks and career-technical perspective.
By anticipating emerging needs and partnering with others in the
community to create programs and pathways with value, we are able to
provide an education that creates options and opportunities for our
graduates.
Thank you for your time.
______
Attachments
ESEA Reauthorization: Career and College Readiness in Practice
CTE programs are on the leading edge of preparing students
to be both college ready and career ready. True career readiness
requires more than just academic skills.
All too often, the terms ``career ready'' and
``college ready'' are used interchangeably, and discussions
around career readiness are limited to traditional academic
skills that allow students to successfully enroll in post-
secondary education without remediation--what we think of as
college readiness.
While there is no debate that a rigorous level of
academic proficiency is essential for any post-high school
endeavor, the reality is that it takes much more to be truly
considered ready for a career.
Career readiness involves three major skill areas:
core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to
concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and
in routine daily activities; employability skills (such as
critical thinking and responsibility) that are essential in any
career area; and technical, job-specific skills related to a
specific career pathway.
Great Oaks provides rigorous academic skills, as well
as the employability and technical skills that are necessary
for career success.
Students must be engaged in learning and remain in school
in order to achieve college and career ready standards--CTE provides
the relevance necessary to engage and involve students in their high
school education.
Research has shown that students have a decreased
risk of dropping out of high school as they add CTE courses to
their curriculum, up to a point at which they are taking one
CTE course for every two academic courses. (Plank, et al.,
``Dropping Out of High School and the Place of Career and
Technical Education,'' National Research Center for Career and
Technical Education, 2005.)
The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network has
identified the 15 strategies that have the most positive impact
on the dropout rate. These strategies include ``career and
technology education.'' According to the Center, ``A quality
CTE program and a related guidance program are essential for
all students.'' (National Dropout Prevention Center/Network,
``Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention.''
One significant reason students drop out of school is
that they lose interest and motivation in education because the
curriculum does not seem to have a real-world application
(Bridgeland, DiIulio & Morison, ``The Silent Epidemic:
Perspectives of High School Dropouts,'' 2006). Academics are
often presented in isolation, instead of in a way that shines a
spotlight on how the subject is applicable in the context of
the real world.
2006 poll by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc.
of at-risk California 9th- and 10th-graders found that 6 in 10
respondents were not motivated to succeed in school. Of those
students, more than 90 percent said they would be more engaged
in their education if classes helped them acquire skills and
knowledge relevant to future careers.
Through the integration of core academic concepts, CTE
programs support not only students' technical achievement, but academic
achievement as well.
CTE students are scoring above the State average on
ESEA required math and reading assessments in many States.
Students who complete a rigorous academic core
coupled with a career concentration have test scores that equal
or exceed ``college prep'' students. These dual-concentrators
are more likely to pursue post-secondary education, have a
higher grade point average in college and are less likely to
drop out in the first year. (Southern Regional Education Board,
``Facts About High School Career/Technical Studies.'')
Students in project-based, highly integrated CTE and
academic science classes had higher test scores and showed a
much deeper understanding of the principles taught than
students taught in traditional lecture-based classes.
(Riskowski, J.L., et al. Exploring the Effectiveness of an
Interdisciplinary Water Resources Engineering Module in an
Eighth Grade Science Course, International Journal of
Engineering Education, 2009)
Students using the National Research Center for CTE's
Math-in-CTE model, which uses highly integrated CTE and
academic teaching methods and courses, scored significantly
higher on two national math assessments than students using
traditional teaching methods. (Stone, J., et al., Building
Academic Skills in Context, National Research Center for CTE,
2006)
Participation in a ``career major'' significantly
raises the likelihood of college attendance. (DeLuca et al.,
``Vocational Education Today: Participation Rates, Student
Composition, and Early Outcomes of the NLSY97,'' American
Sociological Association, 2004.)
CTE students are significantly more likely than their
non-CTE counterparts to report that they developed problem-
solving, project completion, research, math, college
application, work-related, communication, time management, and
critical thinking skills during high school. (Lekes et al.,
``Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic
Performance, and the Transition to College and Career,''
National Research Center for CTE, 2007.)
We believe that every student needs some post-secondary
education and training in order to truly be career ready, but in order
to most efficiently use time and resources, have made offering these
opportunities to students while they are still in high school a top
priority.
In order to actually be considered ready to enter a
career, an individual must also possess at least some level of
job-specific knowledge and skills. By offering students the
opportunity to earn industry certifications and credentials in
high school, students get a jump start on solid career
pathways.
While more data is still needed in this area,
preliminary research has found that CTE students in a dual
enrollment program were more likely than their peers to:
earn a high school diploma;
enroll in college;
have high post-secondary GPAs; and
earn more credits after 3 years in post-secondary
education.
what is ``career ready?''
National dialogue has escalated around the concepts of college and
career readiness. Influential national and State policymakers have
called for high schools to prepare students to be ready for both
college and a career. But what do these terms really mean?
All too often, the terms ``career ready'' and ``college ready'' are
used interchangeably, and discussions around career readiness are
limited to traditional academic skills that allow students to
successfully enroll in post-secondary education. While there is no
debate that a rigorous level of academic proficiency, especially in
math and literacy, is essential for any post-high school endeavor, the
reality is that it takes much more to be truly considered ready for a
career.
Career readiness involves three major skill areas: core academic
skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in
order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities;
employability skills (such as critical thinking and responsibility)
that are essential in any career area; and technical, job-specific
skills related to a specific career pathway. These skills have been
emphasized across numerous pieces of research and allow students to
enter true career pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and
opportunities for advancement.
academic skills
As has been documented by such organizations as ACT and Achieve,
career-ready core academics and college-ready core academies are
essentially the same, thus creating overlap in the preparation students
need to be ready for post-secondary education and careers.\1\ All
students need foundational academic knowledge, especially in math and
English language arts, and, in today's economic environment, all high
school students need the academic skills necessary to pursue post-
secondary education without remediation--the measure many consider
``college readiness.''
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\1\ Achieve, Inc., ``What is College- and Career-Ready?,''
www.achieve.org/files/Collegeand
CareerReady.pdf.
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However, to truly be career-ready, students also need to be able to
apply academics in context, and some academic skills need more
attention and development. For example, employers often cite
deficiencies in English and written communications, such as memos,
letters and complex technical reports. This supports the idea that most
of the written material students will encounter in their careers is
informational in nature, such as technical manuals and research
articles, and they must be equipped academically to analyze and use
these materials. Too often, these skills are not emphasized in
traditional academic classrooms. Workplace deficiencies in math are
also commonly noted, with more attention needed on areas such as data
analysis and statistics, reasoning and solving mathematical
problems.\2\
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\2\ Olsen, Lynn, ``What Does `Ready' Mean?,'' Education Week,
www.educationalliance.org/StateScholars/Downloads/
WhatDoesReadyMean.pdf.
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Students must also be able to apply academic knowledge to authentic
situations they may face in their careers, a skill that takes practice
and intentional instruction that may need to be tailored to a student's
specific career goals. For example, students preparing to be nurses
need to be able to calculate and apply ratios, proportions, rates and
percentages to determine drug dosages,\3\ while construction students
need to be able to apply geometrical principles to design and implement
building plans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Olsen, Lynn, ``What Does `Ready' Mean?''
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employability skills
Employability skills have often been cited by employers as the
skills most critical to workplace success in the 21st-century economy.
These skills include (but are not limited to) critical thinking,
adaptability, problem solving, oral and written communications,
collaboration and teamwork, creativity, responsibility,
professionalism, ethics, and technology use. Numerous groups have
worked with business and industry leaders to identify employability
skills critical to employee success, including the 1990 U.S. Department
of Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills that
produced the report ``What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for
America 2000,'' and, more recently, such groups as the Partnership for
21st Century Skills and the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM).
The report ``Critical Skills Needs and Resources for the Changing
Workforce,'' \4\ by SHRM, stated that, ``Overall, employers placed the
greatest weight on employee adaptability and critical thinking skills.
HR (human resource) professionals and employees both reported that
adaptability/flexibility and critical thinking/problem-solving skills
were of greatest importance now compared with 2 years ago.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Society for Human Resource Management, ``Critical Skills Needs
and Resources for the Changing Workforce: Keeping Skills Competitive,''
www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/
CriticalSkillsNeeds.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the 2006 report, ``Are They Really Ready to Work?'' \5\
employability skills ``dominate rankings of knowledge and skills
expected to increase in importance over the next 5 years.'' Employers
identified critical thinking/problem solving, information-technology
application, teamwork/collaboration, creativity/innovation and
diversity as the top five such skills.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families,
Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource
Management, ``Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on
the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st
Century U.S. Workforce,'' www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/
FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Students must be provided opportunities to gain these skills and to
learn to apply them to real-world life and work situations. Many of
these employability skills are also necessary for ``college
readiness,'' creating some additional overlap between the two areas.
technical skills
In order to actually be considered ready to enter a career, an
individual must also possess at least some level of job-specific
knowledge and skills. In the National Association of Manufacturers 2005
Skills Gap Report, ``technical skills'' was the top response to the
question, ``What types of skills will employees need more of over the
next 3 years?'' \6\ While many career opportunities include a strong
element of on-the-job training, some of these technical or industry-
based skills must be acquired in advance. For example, technical skills
are required for licensure in many professions, such as in most health
care fields, or for broader industry certifications, such as the
American Welding Society's Certified Welder credential.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ National Association of Manufacturers, ``2005 Skills Gap
Report--A Survey of the American Manufacturing Workforce,''
www.nam.org//media/Files/s_nam/docs/235800/235731.pdf.ashx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through the States Career Clusters Initiative,\7\ business and
industry leaders have identified key knowledge and skill statements
across 16 career clusters and 79 more specific pathways. These
statements represent what students need to know and be able to do to be
successful in the specified career area. While some of the statements
cover the academic and employability-related areas discussed above,
there are also key technical skills highlighted. The cluster-level
skill statements are very broad, providing students with a foundation
of knowledge that could be applied in numerous related careers. More
specific pathway-level skills begin to hone students' abilities in a
more defined career area.
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\7\ States Career Clusters Initiative, www.careerclusters.org.
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conclusion
Since most of the career opportunities for today's students will
require some form of post-secondary education, there are certainly
times when students will not be able to acquire the necessary academic,
technical or employability skills in high school that will allow them
to be career-ready without further education and training. Additional
knowledge and specialization in one or more of these areas is often
required either immediately after high school or in the future,
depending on a student's career choices.
However, regardless of a student's path, it takes all three of
these broad skill sets for students to be ready for a career. Twenty-
first century high schools should focus on providing all students a
strong foundation across all three areas so they are prepared for
whatever their lives may bring.
[Applause.]
Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Jackson.
Crystal, you said in your testimony that your coming to
Metro and what you have done here were some of the wisest
choices you have made in your life. Most people don't--most
students in Columbus and in Franklin County and around the
State don't have something quite like Metro to give them those
opportunities.
How do we structure, how do we encourage students in other
schools to take advantage of early college opportunities? How
do we get students and what clicks in a student's mind to make
her want to do that, to make him want to do that?
Ms. Jordan. I think it is important to remind students
often of the importance of a college education, maybe remind
them that life would be much, much easier with a college
education, even with a Bachelor's degree or a Master's degree.
So, as long as they are reminded often, I think that would
help.
Senator Brown. Did your parents go to college?
Ms. Jordan. Yes. My mom graduated from college. My father
attended college.
Senator Brown. My wife, who is the first in her family to
go to college, grew up in Ashtabula in the northeast corner of
the State and went to Kent State. And she tells the story often
of her first year in college, she would call home to talk to
her parents, who didn't go to college, and ask advice, and they
really never knew what to tell her.
So students that--I am sure it is a mixed bag among
students here whose parents did not have the opportunity or did
not choose to go to college. How do you encourage them to
understand the importance of college? It was easier for me. My
parents went to college. It sounds perhaps a bit easier for
you.
It was expected of me. But in some families and, certainly
what Mr. Caldwell said, in some places, it is almost expected
that they don't. How do we get students more interested that
way? What do you say to them? What do their teachers do? How do
we structure a program in the high school to get them to want
to do that?
Ms. Jordan. I think it is important that teachers stay
close to their students and talk to them often about college.
Like I said, just talk about the importance of the education.
Senator Brown. What about students working with other
students? Were there any ideas you have? These aren't easy
questions. So I don't expect definitive answers. But are there
ways of getting students, is there a way without being, well,
bullying or excluding people or anything to get students, sort
of peers, talking to one another more about the opportunities?
Ms. Jordan. Yes. I think it is important for students who
have already decided to go to college to talk to their peers
and make sure that they stay interested in school and move on
to college.
Senator Brown. Most of your friends--certainly most of your
friends here--are going to college. Most of your friends back
at--you went to Walnut? Is that where you went?
Ms. Jordan. That is my home school.
Senator Brown. That was your home school. That is OK. So
most of your friends there have parents who went to college and
talk about it?
Ms. Jordan. A lot of my friends, actually, are the first to
go to college, but they are sure that they are going. And we
talk about it a lot.
Senator Brown. Mr. Caldwell, your graduation rates are
pretty incredible from high school. What do you do there at
Wolf Creek that other schools in Appalachia don't do to have
those kind of graduation rates?
Mr. Caldwell. That is an excellent question. Wolf Creek is
a very unique community. It is a community that the parents
support. We have a levy passage rate that is phenomenal. If you
ever see us play an extracurricular activity or parliamentary
procedure competition, anything, the gym is full. The community
is behind the school.
Senator Brown. Excuse me. Are you demographically different
in terms of the educational level and the income level of
families, others in Washington or Meigs or Vinton or----
Mr. Caldwell. I am really glad you asked that. We are
unique for the now 31-county Appalachian area. Our average
income of our residents, according to the latest data, 2007
Ohio income tax, is $26,000. So, no.
But by comparison, our unemployment rate is less than 4
percent for our school district community. We have two power
plants in our community. So, believe it or not, Bexley is
ranked right below us on the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
We are, actually, by the State of Ohio classified as high
wealth, embedded----
Senator Brown. Because of the property tax? Because of the
value of property?
Mr. Caldwell. Per pupil valuation.
Senator Brown. Per pupil valuation.
Mr. Caldwell. But thank you, yes.
We are not even closely related to when you referenced
Vinton County or my home county of Meigs County. Very
impoverished in those two particular counties. In my school
district, we do have a 26 percent free and reduced lunch rate,
but we have to beg our families to take advantage of it,
believe it or not. They don't want to take advantage of it. Too
proud.
So, for us, it is expected to graduate. My home school
district, Eastern Meigs County, 85 percent graduation rate.
They have to work on it. Work to get students to attend school
regularly. So it is a culture.
Senator Brown. So why were you able to have such an
increase? A better question, the increase that you mentioned in
your testimony in graduation--in those that you had close to
100 percent. I appreciate your empathy for those that didn't,
and that is the mark of a good superintendent or a good human
being that is always trying to help those that aren't doing
quite as well.
You start with close to 100 percent graduation from high
school, and then you didn't do so well a few years ago with
those going to college. But now you are doing much better. What
can you suggest other counties--in Appalachia Ohio, other
school districts--do on that second issue, to get those that
graduate to go to college, like they do in Wolf Creek?
Mr. Caldwell. It is exposure. I will give you an example. I
am a product of Appalachia. This is difficult testimony for me.
I am 55 years old, and I am intimidated by this entire
environment because this is unique. I have attended----
Senator Brown. Because all these kids are smarter than you
and I? Is that the reason?
[Laughter.]
Mr. Caldwell. Actually, I would say I probably have the
lowest IQ in the room.
Senator Brown. I think you have done very well, Mr.
Caldwell.
Mr. Caldwell. Trust me, it is about exposure. When I said
that our kids took the OACHE grant, and we went to Cleveland,
many of our kids had never been to Cleveland and probably will
never go back.
I remember teaching, if I may, teaching driver's education
when I was in Vinton County. And if you have ever been to
Vinton County, it has one traffic light still to this day.
Senator Brown. In McArthur.
Mr. Caldwell. In McArthur. Still to this day in the entire
county.
Senator Brown. Can't relate to this, can you?
[Laughter.]
Mr. Caldwell. So I told the young man driving, ``Make a
right on 50 and head toward Chillicothe.'' And he said,
``Where?''
I will never forget that. That is about exposure and
opportunity.
Now, if I may, they say when you use athletic analogies, it
is time to retire. So I apologize for this. Maybe it is time.
Four years ago, our girls basketball team played at
Pickerington in the regionals, and we were destroyed by a team
from Columbus. The team was better than us, but part of it was
because we had never been to the regionals.
Now, for the fourth year in a row, we have made it to the
regionals. We still got beat this year in overtime by 3 points
by another Columbus team. We are not intimidated anymore. It is
about exposure and opportunity.
If you invited me up here again next week--that is not
soliciting, by the way.
[Laughter.]
I would be less intimidated just because I have been
exposed to this.
Twenty years ago, when I became a superintendent--actually
18--when I became a superintendent, believe it or not, a trip
to Columbus was still intimidating to me. So Appalachia is
pretty unique in a lot of ways. I hope that answered your
question or gave you thought.
Senator Brown. That was a terrific answer. Thank you. And
thanks for your honesty about that.
I think we have all been there, when we went to college,
when we went to--I mean, I think all of you understand. That
was a great lesson from a very wise person. Whether your IQ is
the highest in the room or not, there is a lot of wisdom there.
But thank you for that.
I think all of us, when we admit in weaker moments, your
teachers, your principal, all of us have been in those
situations where we don't know if we measure up--and now you
do. So thanks.
Ms. Silas-Butler, talk to me more about Project GRAD, about
your feeder schools. What are the schools like Buchtel schools
that are going to be part of Project GRAD, what do they have to
agree to? It is not just something you give them. They earn it.
Talk that through, if you will?
Ms. Silas-Butler. Basically, the way Project GRAD is set
up, in each school district, before Project GRAD can come into
the district, the teachers have to vote. The teachers and
administrative staff have to vote whether or not they will
accept Project GRAD. Because it is not just, oh, we come in and
we provide services. They have to agree to receive the
services.
So before we go into any district, they are exposed to the
information, and sometimes they even visit some of our sites to
make that determination. Then they actually have a vote to
determine whether or not they want Project GRAD to come in.
And once we go into a particular school, 100 percent of the
students are considered Project GRAD students, 100 percent of
the teachers are Project GRAD teachers. So it is not that you
pick and choose your students or you pick and choose whether or
not you want to do the programs. It is 100 percent. You made
that agreement to do so.
For example, in Akron, we have our elementary schools. We
start with our elementary schools. Then we have a feeder
program to our middle school, and then we have our high school.
So those students--typically, they receive the services such as
our math, social services, literacy, college readiness-type
information in our lower grades. They receive that at all
levels.
We provide professional development for teachers. We have
coaching where we send persons into the building to model for
the teachers. We give a lot of support to the administrative
staff, as well as the teaching staff. We also work with the
families.
Those are several of the areas that we work with, and then
once we get to the middle school and high school, we also do
additional programs and services for the teachers, as well as
the students. We also--with our younger students as well, we do
things.
For example, with our program, every fall we have what is
called ``Walk for Success.'' We target certain grade levels
that we will go. For example, in Akron, we visit like the
kindergarten homes, the--it depends on which year and what we
are looking for. But we will visit the homes of all the
kindergarten students, the fifth grade students because they
are transitioning to middle school, our sixth graders because
they are just the new kids on the block at the middle school,
our eighth graders because they are transitioning from eighth
to ninth, our ninth graders.
And we go to their homes. We go out as a community. We go
with the teachers, the school staff. We have a lot of community
support, and we go out and we share all the services that we
provide at Project GRAD, as well as what services are available
in the Akron Public Schools and in the community.
I am not trying to talk too long because I could talk on
and on and on. But one of the cornerstones of our project is we
have a learning contract for our kids and our students in high
school. Those students in high school, they sign what is called
a learning contract, which gives them certain requirements that
they must meet in order to receive our scholarship.
Our whole mission is to increase the high school and
college graduation rates. But in addition to that, we provide a
scholarship to those students, and they receive a scholarship
of up to $4,000 each for them to go to college or a trade
school or a technical school. Those students who receive the
scholarship are required to take certain courses in high
school.
For example, under the requirements for graduation, you may
currently only need to have 3 years in math, but we may require
4 years. We require a foreign language. We require that the
students must go to what is called our summer institutes on a
university campus.
As everyone has mentioned today, if you haven't been
exposed to a college, you won't have a clue that you may need
to go to college. So we have our summer institutes on college
campuses. We typically have them on the University of Akron
campus. We have college professors teaching the courses, and
they are exposed to college at an early age.
For example, our sixth and seventh grade students, we do a
program called Kids to College because the earlier you expose
students to college, it becomes a viable option. You know, just
as was stated earlier by Mr. Caldwell, if you have never been
to Columbus before, it is intimidating. If no one in your
family has ever gone to college, little things such as, oh, you
have to pay for textbooks. Gee, I have to pay for textbooks.
You don't take those things into consideration.
Just a host of different things we offer, and I don't want
to take up all the time because I can----
Senator Brown. Thank you then. That is good.
Tell us about what do you see and what are you beginning to
see in college outcomes? This program has been around. I
believe you are in three Ohio cities, right, Lorain, Akron,
Cincinnati?
Ms. Silas-Butler. Yes.
Senator Brown. Tell me what you are seeing in college
outcomes.
Ms. Silas-Butler. What we are seeing is, first of all, that
our students are going to school more prepared for college.
What we are finding that some of the reasons why we have
students who are taking remedial courses in college is because
many of our students haven't taken the ACT but only one time.
And there is a lot of research on how many times you take the
ACT. If you are prepared for--some schools, they start working
with kids as early as eighth grade with the ACT. They explore
the plan and things like that.
Well, we are finding that a lot of our students are taking
remedial courses in college because they have only taken the
ACT one time, and their scores may not be as high as they need
to be. So we are providing tutoring and services much earlier
on for our students so we can have a higher success rate as it
relates to college.
Our graduation rates from high school are at least 80
percent of our students are graduating from high school. This
will be our first year in Akron to have students who will be on
track to graduate from college. Because although we started in
2002, our first group of scholarship recipients started in
2006. So this will be our first year of students.
Those are on the 4-year plan. They are doing very nicely.
We know that many of our students are not financially prepared
to go to college. So they are working. They are taking some
time off. They are going part-time and things like that. But we
are finding more and more students are going to college. We are
finding that they are more successful.
We also have a mentoring component where the students in
college work with our high school students, as well as our
younger students, to be--first, if someone my age, and I am
younger than you, but my age trying to tell the students it is
important to go to college. When they hear from their peers and
they see from their people like the young lady here, Crystal,
telling them how important it is to go to college, they
understand it a lot better than hearing it from someone else.
Senator Brown. Thank you.
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz, you said every student, one of the
criteria for Strive is every student should be supported
outside of school. What do you do about that? What does that
mean?
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. Well, one of the things that we
really noticed when we started looking at the data was that
everything can't happen within the school. And there are a lot
of social service agencies providing services out there that we
hadn't really coordinated well, that we hadn't been kind of
measuring the success of, and hadn't necessarily been linking
appropriately with the schools.
So, basically, on the birth to career kind of path, we have
been starting with the early childhood programs and services,
connecting them up, starting to measure, collect data, measure
how effective they are. And then once they are reaching school
age, especially with what we are calling community learning
centers, really focusing the entire community services--health,
mental, a variety of services to the schools.
For example, you go to school and you have dental services
provided at your school. There are psychiatrists. Everything is
kind of housed within the school so that everyone is working as
partners.
Senator Brown. Are you getting the Cincinnati Business
Committee to connect with students so they can--some things as
specific as internships and others as maybe less specific, more
amorphous like some kind of mentoring? Or are businesses sort
of adopting schools, doing things? I mean, I know there is some
of that. Tell me about that.
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. Yes, there are, actually, and it
varies according to business. But Strive has definitely helped
us to link up with specific needs of schools.
Taft Information Technology High School in Cincinnati is
partnered with Cincinnati Bell, and they have actually had a
partnership where the CEO, Jack Cassidy, and the principal of
the school talk regularly, meet regularly, establish goals
together. They have mentors----
Senator Brown. Is any business doing it as well as
Cincinnati Bell?
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. What is that?
Senator Brown. Is any other company doing it as thoroughly
and as----
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. There are others that are looking to
that as a model. GE is one with Aiken, and there are others
that have similar programs. But I wouldn't say any to that sort
of extent, yes.
Senator Brown. You said the teacher is the most important
factor in all of this. I think most of us would agree with
that. Make a pitch to these students about why they should be
teachers.
[Laughter.]
Let me get her off the hook for a second while she is
thinking. How many of you right now as students think you want
to be teachers? High school, college, grade school, what?
Male Speaker. I want to be a high school----
Male Speaker. I am thinking grade school to high school.
Male Speaker. I would like to be a history professor.
Senator Brown. OK. So only three of you? Somebody back
there, what do you want to teach?
Female Speaker. Speaker. Elementary----
Senator Brown. Elementary. OK.
So convince the rest of them. Is there somebody else?
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. There is one more.
Female Speaker. I want to be a high school literature
teacher.
Senator Brown. High school literature. Anybody else want to
be a teacher? I mean, I don't expect you to know what you are
going to do yet, and I expect those that think they know what
they are going to do to change their minds, and that is all OK.
Tell them why they should be teachers.
Ms. Phillips-Schwartz. Well, I have some experience in this
because I have a degree in education, and I am actually going
to teach in the future. That is my plan.
But I think it is simply that you have the tremendous
opportunity to impact the future and make a difference in the
world. I mean, I think there are very few careers in which you
can really say you put in a hard day's work and really have
impacted the future positively.
Senator Brown. So now all of you want to be teachers,
right?
[Laughter.]
Mr. Jackson, you mentioned the electrical contractors
example. I have done about 150 roundtables around Ohio where I
will meet, I will sit down with 15 or 20 people like we did
yesterday with the workforce investment group in Akron and just
listen, ask them questions. Ask each of the 15 or 20 or 22,
whatever, questions. We will do it for an hour and a half or
so.
The first one I did was in Cincinnati back in my first year
in the Senate, in early 2007. And I remember it was a group to
talk about jobs and economic development and how we do it. One
guy there was a building trades person. I think he was a
pipefitter. I am not sure if he was a laborer or a pipefitter
or electrician or a carpenter, but it doesn't matter.
But he was talking about the long-term shortage in this
country of trades people, people that want to be carpenters and
pipe fitters and electricians and laborers and boilermakers and
millwrights. And we talked about how those jobs are. No. 1,
they are absolutely tickets to the middle class. No. 2, that
they manage their own pensions. So there aren't the problems of
companies running away with pensions as we have seen too often.
And No. 3, they have good healthcare.
If you are talking to students, now how do you--he was
talking about the acute shortage there is going to be in the
next 10 or 20 years in building trades. How do we answer that?
How do you convince young men and women about the trades,
especially in an economy right now where there are a lot of
carpenters and electricians and pipe fitters that aren't
working, but will be 2 years, 3 years, 5, 10, 20 years from
now?
What do you do to get more young men and women wanting to
be electricians and pipe fitters and carpenters and
millwrights?
Mr. Jackson. I am old enough to go through the 1980s and
the 1970s when we have seen the building trades and the
letdown. We went through the same enrollment problems and the
same shortages. I think one of the things is that, as a Nation,
we have lost respect for the skilled tradesman, and I think
that everybody's goal is to go to college and that is what has
made our country, that is what made these facilities.
I think it is for college and career ready. I think that
the trade has changed, that you just don't stop with that
trade. There is continuing education that goes along with that.
And we believe that any career technical education program does
prepare you.
We know that in your life, you change careers seven or
eight times or even more. It is tough right now in the trades,
especially when they look at the national news and the local
news, and they look at the construction and new construction.
But it will come back and that we have to be prepared as a
Nation, as a State, that we have to have the skilled trades
represented. We have to have that. If we lose that sight, we
will fail.
It is very difficult, but we have a lot of young people
that still have that desire. They still like working with their
hands. They still love to have that ability to work outside.
Not everyone wants to work behind a desk.
There is a lot of education that goes back to career
orientation and exploration that really students understand.
When they think of construction trades, they only know what
they have been exposed to or what they have seen on TV. Well,
there are so many career pathways. There are so many different
jobs in the construction trades that they are not even aware
of, which some are working out in the field and some is working
behind the scenes and so on.
I think we have to do a better job, not only in the
construction trades or manufacturing or the transportation
industry, but all of the career fields and do a better job of
explaining what are career opportunities for young people.
Senator Brown. One of my missions in the U.S. Senate in the
next 10 years is to make Ohio a leader in clean energy
production. Ohio is--we have more jobs in solar energy in
Toledo manufacturing, solar manufacturing in Toledo, OH, than
any city in America.
The Governor and I were in Cleveland yesterday or 2 days
ago. We are on this path to likely being the first city, the
first place in the world to have wind turbine fields in fresh
water, in Lake Erie off the coast of Cleveland, and Ohio can be
a real leader in this. We build things very well in this
country, better than anywhere in the world.
Young people, manufacturing, my guess is if I ask you to
put your hands up if you wanted to go into manufacturing, there
would be no more than one or two or three of you, fewer than
teachers, as important as all of that is. One of the things I
have thought about is--how many students are there at Great
Oaks, roughly?
Mr. Jackson. Oh, we serve probably around 12,000 between
9th and 12th graders, yes.
Senator Brown. Do you try to get students to go into an
auto plant or to go in--I mean, you don't have a lot of auto
plants right in Cincinnati. But go into the GE plant or to go
into a place where they make things?
Fifteen years ago, I took my daughters, who are now grown,
through an auto plant that was in our neighborhood, a Ford
plant. And they got to see Thunderbirds made and how they paint
the car and how they put the windshield on and how they attach
the doors.
And I mean, they didn't end up going into manufacturing,
but they were pretty intrigued by that. Maybe I was more
intrigued than they were. But they were pretty intrigued by
seeing that.
Do we, at our JVS and our vocational schools and our career
centers, have programs to let students see these things when
they are in 8th grade or 10th grade or whatever the best time
to see people actually making things and what it might lead to?
Mr. Jackson. When they come to career technical centers,
very much. We don't exist without our business and industry
involvement. We don't exist, and we shouldn't exist. So we are
very close to them and work with them and our students with
mentoring programs, job shadowing, and all those different
components.
I think it goes back to career education. When you talk
about K through 8, what is the exposure of careers. Then again,
I used to be a high school principal, a career technical
director, used to talk to my colleagues. This is 20-some years
ago. And, ``Oh, you are the one who teaches them to go to
work.''
And I kept thinking, ``Well, what are you supposed to be
doing?'' You know, I mean, you are going to high school. Isn't
that what you are supposed to be doing, too?
So I think the bridge has to happen that the reason that
these students are in school is for a career, and I know that
is what their parents are wanting, the careers, job, move out.
And sometimes I think that that bridge has got to be gapped a
little bit more is that this is about career pathways.
This is about making decisions along the way. What am I
good at? What do I like? And again, what is the exposure that
students must have to be able to make some good decisions?
And sometimes I think that we are just in a lockstep that
you go through and we are backward 200 years ago in some of how
we deliver education. I don't know if that answers your
question.
Senator Brown. That was good. Thank you.
Thank you all. Thanks for your testimony.
I have just a couple of closing comments.
I am still thinking about your comment on being intimidated
when you came here, and the intimidation. My wife, who is a
writer, is a very good writer. She is actually a Pulitzer Prize
winner for the Cleveland paper. And she and I have noticed--we
have talked about this a lot--that when we go to meetings and
we go to groups of this size or we go to a roundtable of 15
people, that women, especially young women, are a lot less
likely to speak up than young men.
One of the reasons we have a majority of women on this
panel is that it is important to me. I am the father of
daughters, two daughters. And it is so often in a group there
will 50 people in the group, and I will speak, and then I will
take questions. And there is roughly half women and men of any
age, and it is almost always the men that speak up.
And part of the reason we came to a high school and part of
the reason we have a panel that is a majority women is to
encourage you to speak up. There is a quote that someone said
some years ago, ``Speak up even if your voice shakes.''
Even if you are intimidated, even if you think you are
nervous, you probably won't sound nervous when you speak up.
And it is an opportunity to speak out and get stronger and make
a difference in this world. So I would just close with that.
And then I would read this. My daughter sent me this quote
right before this, about an hour ago. It is Abraham Lincoln. He
said, ``The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will
be the philosophy of Government in the next.'' Which I have
never heard before, but it is a wonderful quote.
I thank you all for being here. I thank you, the panel
especially.
Anyone on the panel that would like to add anything else,
the roll is open, the record is open for 7 days. So if you
would like to get in touch with our office and add anything, if
you want to write a whole speech, Kristi, on why people should
go into education, you could even do that. But if any of you
have anything you want to add, the roll is open for another
week.
I appreciate you. I appreciate especially Metro. I
appreciate the students sitting here quietly, most of you
staying awake. I really appreciate that.
[Laughter.]
The meeting is adjourned. Thanks.
[Whereupon, at 3:30 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]