Steps on a Pathway:

Building Pathways to Nontraditional, High-wage, High-demand Careers

www.jspac.org

Joint Special Populations Advisory Committee

Stan Schroeder, Project Director Tammy Montgomery, Program Coordinator

Tammy.Montgomery@gcccd.edu Grossmont-Cuyamaca CCD Auxiliary 8800 Grossmont College Drive El Cajon CA 92020 Office:  619-644-7713 JSPAC project and fiscal management provided by

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

A partnership between the California Department of Education (www.cde.ca.gov) & the

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (www.cccco.edu)

San Diego County Office of Education Maureen Gevirtz, Consultant

nontrad@sdcoe.net 858-268-9726 www.nontrad.info

Nontraditional Careers Statewide Leadership Project

Special Populations Collaborative

West Hills Community College Laurie Harrison laurierharrison@gmail.com 530-265-8116

Introductions Who are you?

What is your title or job? With what segment or organization do

you work? (K-12, adult education, CC, social services…?) What do you hope to get out of

today’s professional development activity?

Elizabeth Wallner Wallner Consulting Services 916-455-4643 eawallner@sbcglobal.net

Presenter Information

Students from Special Populations Individuals with disabilities Individuals from economically

disadvantaged families; including foster children

Single parents, including single pregnant women

Displaced homemakers, Individuals with limited English

proficiency

The Way Out Individuals that

are preparing for Nontraditional fields

Schools: Creating Solutions

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org. Slides 9-18

Step 1: Document Performance Gaps NT CTE Programs are defined by

employment numbers NOT enrollment numbers

Accountability measures have meaning when the data is used for program improvement

What are you looking for? 80/20 rule +/- 10% rule

Over/under representation

ABC Secondary School District Enrollment Comparison 06-07 Gender, Auto Tech Secondary

CourseTotal

Enrolled

# Males

# Female

s

% Males

% Female

s

Comment

Auto Tech I 63 42 21 66.67 33.33 OK

Auto Tech II 58 41 17 70.69 29.31 OK

Auto Tech III 41 33 8 80.49 19.51 Over M

Auto Tech IV 23 21 2 91.30 8.70 Over M

Total Program

185 137 48 74.05 25.94 OK

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org

XYZ Secondary School District Enrollment Comparison ‘06-07 -- Hispanic Students Enrolment

Program Total # Enrolled

# Hispanics

M & F

% Hispanics

% Hispanics enrolled/Dist

Between 18.34% & 38.34%?

Agriculture 225 19 8.44 28.34% No, Under

Auto Tech 185 47 25.40 28.34% Yes

IT Academy 24 1 4.17 28.34% No, Under

Nurses Aide 35 9 25.71 28.34% Yes

Bus. & Off. 145 47 6.21 28.34% No, Under

Marketing 176 35 19.89 28.34% Yes

Total 790 158 20.00 28.34% Yes

Step 1 continued What does the data indicate?

Can you trust the data? Concerns? Timing of measurement? Reliability? Coverage? What else is needed?

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org

Step 2: Identify Root Causes Ways to search for Root Causes

Brainstorming Literature Review Analyzing Student Data Focus Groups Reviewing Program/Institutional Evaluations &

Effectiveness Reviews Peer Benchmarking

Develop an exhaustive list of Root Causes affecting recruitment/retention/participation/completion of SP students in _____ CTE program are:

Pick three and analyze them further

Don’t Settle for Conventional Wisdom and Symptoms—Never Stop Asking Why

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org

Identify Root Causes Continued

Identify Potential Causes Analyze and Evaluate Potential Causes

Causes Within Control Student Motivation and Engagement Effective Instructional Practices Teacher Training/Education School Expectations/Incentives Perceived Career Relevance

Causes Outside Control Student Transfer/Mobility Levels Family Income Parents’ Education School Resources

Organize Your Theory & Select Most Critical Root Causes

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org

Step 3: Select Effective Solutions Things to think about in selecting strategies:

Sound theory – does it make sense to all? Strong evidence – has it worked elsewhere? Cost and time of testing – can our site afford to test

solution! Resources and support – can we afford the solution? Stakeholder support – do we all agree?

Step 4: Pilot Test and Evaluate Solutions … create an evaluation approach that will

allow you to assess how well the improvement strategies and models are working. Choose a study design Select pilot sites Select outcome measures Identify data sources

Grades, surveys, interviews, classroom visits, Train staff

Make sure your improvement strategy

works somewhere before you attempt to apply it

everywhere…

Step 5: Implement Solutions Move from pilot site to sphere of influence Monitor Implementation Adjust as needed!

Don’t say you’ve addressed the problem until you’ve fully implemented solutions and achieved results!

Guide for Program Improvement Perkins IV: NT CTE Program Participation and Completion

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity: www.napequity.org

Students: Creating a Game Plan Students MUST have a goal

Know income requirements for their life Know their strengths

Assessment, assessment, assessment LMI

Learn about the career Growing? Declining Tasks? Income?

Choose a school

Setting Goals Insight: Center For Community Economic

Development Californians for Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Insight is a network that works towards:

Advancing policies and programs that allow working families to move out of poverty

Measures income needed for a family to adequately meet their needs – without public or private assistance. 70 different family compositions Each California county

http://www.insightcced.org/

Where Do My Strengths Lie? Assessment

Where does a student’s interests lie? What is s/he good at? What are her or his transferable skills?

Nontrad102 chapter on assessment www.nontrad.info

Online resources

Exploring Careers & Training Opportunities Labor Market Information

Identify high-growth, high-employment, high-wage occupations

Identify specific information about various occupations (i.e. wages, skills, training, employment projections etc.)

Locate additional help and LMI links

http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/

Creating a plan for all students will create the best opportunity for success for all students

http://www.ncld.org/content/view/403/456/

What is your greatest Barrier to Success?

Change? Adventure?

Low Income

All photos from Microsoft clip art

Guiding Individuals from Low Income Homes

Provide key person to monitor & guide Provide Financial Support

Community resources Assist with fees, transportation, daycare etc.

Provide Emotional Support Role models, mentors, support groups

Provide Career Support CFESS Nontraditional careers information Career and interview clothes

Single Parents & Displaced Homemakers

All photos from Microsoft clip art

Effective Strategies Single Parents

o Get to know the parents and remember that their task is difficult.

o Know Your Campus: o Coordinate, collaborate & confer!

o Buddy Systems Worko Facilitate student collaborations for: co-op daycare,

car-pooling, note-taking, studying, etc.o Look For Signs

o Burn-out, falling grades, poor attendance, etc. o Keep your expectations high but be flexible!

Guide Displaced Homemakers in identifying skills from the home environment that translate into workplace skills

Provide Mentors, Mentors, Mentors (and role models)!

Link students to “Dress for Success” or “Clothes Closets”

Explore distance learning options

Effective Strategies Displaced Homemakers

English Language Learners

All photos from Microsoft clip art

Effective Practices When Mentoring Individuals Learning English

Create opportunities for all learners to gain recognition and overcome hardships Group projects, flexible seating arrangements

Don’t assume that the LEP speaker has limited education or knowledge – they can often teach others and don’t need assistance just time

Write lesson objectives on the board Learn basic words in the students language

www.freetranslations.com or www.babelfish.altavista.com Identify possible school or community sources of assistance Learn about the culture of LEP students, and how that

affects classroom interactions

Individuals with Disabilities

All photos from Microsoft clip art

*Success for All Disabled individuals are the most likely

special population students to leave school with an AS degree

Disabled students have the lowest post college earnings of any Special population group

www.vteabp.org

The Risks Limited Educational Opportunities

People with disabilities may become frustrated and fail This may cause them to drop out of educational programs

Limited Vocational Options People with disabilities may have trouble finding and keeping a job. Limited literacy skills and poor organizational skills can lead to low job

satisfaction and underemployment. Isolation

Adults with disabilities may misinterpret others' gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice. Adults with LD may feel inadequate and incapable and they may remember being teased, criticized, or even rejected by their peers.

Difficulty with Independent Living Adults with severe disabilities may have difficulty with tasks such as

writing checks, filling out forms, taking phone messages and following directions.

http://www.ncld.org/content/view/403/456/

The Rewards Creative Problem-Solving

… must learn to work around their disabilities. … allows them to think "outside the box," often leading to more creative solutions and imaginative answers to problems.

Outgoing Personality … some compensate for their learning problems.

Strong Compensatory Skills … many people develop strong skills in other areas.

Persistence … many do not give up when attempting a difficult task. Despite

frustrations, they keep trying until they meet with success.* Empathy

… often provide support and understanding for others. … have experienced the frustration of having a disability, they can be that much more supportive of others.

http://www.ncld.org/content/view/403/456/

Working with Students with Disabilities

Meet with the student S/he is the best “authority” on what s/he can or can’t do

Disseminate class materials Allow for advanced preparation time

Describe and summarize Tell students where you’re going and remind them where

you’ve been! Recognize differences

All students are unique – including “disabled” Communicate with the student not the

student’s assistant

Things to Think About When Counseling Individuals With Disabilities

Should accommodations have an impact on how assignments are graded?

What if accommodations don't seem to be helping?

Individuals who are Training in Nontraditional Careers

Images purchased form www.gettyimages.com

Why focus on Nontraditional? Women have a 90% chance of becoming sole

support of themselves and/or their family at some time in their lives. Girls and Women Today, JSPAC, www.jspac.org

Approximately twice as many female headed households are in poverty as opposed to male headed households. http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032007/pov/new02_1

00_01.htm, US Census Bureau

Gender is not a good predictor of academic skills, interests, or emotional characteristics http://www.napequity.org/pdf/Stereo.pdf, NAPE

Images purchased form www.gettyimages.com

Myths and outcomes…

Girls learn better from female teachers

There is a biological basis for sex differences in math and science

It’s not necessary to look at the interaction of gender and race when dealing with girls in math and science

Effective Practices for Guiding Students in Nontraditional Programs

Evaluate teaching styles, classrooms, materials Achieving Gender Equity: Strategies for the Classroom

by Dianne D. Horgan Recruit in groups, develop support groups

Nontraditional newsletter, address harassment issues, address barriers, professional development for all staff

Market Programs Role models (gender, disabled & culturally diverse) Photos of former nontraditional students Invitations to nontraditional classes

Initiate the participation of students in Other nontraditional classes, mentoring, job shadowing,

tutoring opportunities, career days

Nontraditional Careers Leadership Project

www.nontrad.info Non-Trad 101

Learn the basics about students from special populations and how to serve them

Non-Trad 102 Continue the journey to understanding the barriers and

remedies of serving students from special populations http://cteach.nontrad.info

One stop site to download helpful resource materials. See FREE Teacher Resources section.

Workshops Resources

Nontrad 101 Better success for your students Increased enrollments A better understanding of nontraditional

careers and how they impact student lives Tools to better interact with, prepare for, and

assist, students who choose nontraditional careers

A certification of completion for 15 hours of professional development credit

Nontrad 102

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to assist students, participants, and/or make effective transitions into nontraditional careers or training programs. Chapters include: Assessment LMI Media Influences Academic Support, & Best Practices, including

Apprenticeship Support Services Role Models Transitional Plan and more…

Success For All Despite economic, academic, and demographic disadvantages,

special population students who receive vocational training were able to successfully narrow the earnings and employment gap.

The more education attained, the more stable the employment! Special population women increased their median annual

earnings by 182%, men by 149%. Special population students increased their year-round

employment rates over time and narrowed the gap with non-special population students

www.vteabp.org

Perkins IV Ongoing and significant professional

development Focus on NT Accountability on ALL SP groups

Other California Resources STEM Equity Pipeline Project

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity mimilufkin@napequity.org www.napequity.org

Women Tech Train-the-Trainer Workshops www.iitts.com Donna_milgram@iwitts.com 510-749-0200 ex. 101

Save the Date! JSPAC Special Populations Conference Help us plan the conference, click here to take

a 10 minute survey and tell us what you would like to see, hear, do in Sacramento:

www.deadsmall.com/32F December 3-4, 2008

Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza Sacramento, CA 95814

Workshop Evaluation & Sign-in Sheets

Grant requires them… What parts of the workshop were useful to you? What parts… not so much. What would you like to see included in future

JSPAC/NTCLP workshops?

Thank You!