Career Counseling with a focus on Rural Schools

1. Career Counselingwith a focus on Rural Schools

2. Acknowledgement and disclaimer Information and materials for this presentation are supported by IES/NCEE’s Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast at Florida State University (Contract ED-IES-17-C-0011) as resources and examples for the viewer's convenience. Their inclusion is not intended as an endorsement by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast or its funding source, the Institute of Education Sciences. In addition, the instructional practices and assessments discussed or shown in this presentation are not intended to mandate, direct, or control a State’s, local educational agency’s, or school’s specific instructional content, academic achievement system and assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction. State and local programs may use any instructional content, achievement system and assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction they wish.

4. REL Southeast – Florida Career Readiness Research Alliance The Florida Career Readiness Research Alliance has initial membership comprised of the Graduation Rates Subcommittee of the Education Council of the United Way of the Big Bend, the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), and the Florida Association of Career and Technical Educators (FACTE). The alliance’s work will focus on increased implementation of evidence-based career readiness practices across Florida school districts, particularly those serving rural students.

5. Training session on Career Counseling: Sharing research and best practices and agenda review – Handout Goal: Participants will leave with the knowledge and ability to utilize the training in their regional and local settings. Objectives: Participants will receive an overview of the draft career counseling training. Participants will reflect upon their experience and discuss implementation of the training and next steps. Next Step: Review the 10 Evidence-based practices for Career Counseling (Handouts)

7. Establish work readiness behaviors and social skills (employability skills) Employability skills: • general skills and knowledge necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors • Have a number of names: • soft skills • workforce readiness skills • career readiness skills • speak to the same set of core skills that employers want (College & Career Readiness & Success Center, 2017)

8. Employability Skills Framework *Source – College & Career Readiness & Success Center The skills that enable individuals to interact effectively with clients, coworkers, and supervisors The thoughtful integration of academic knowledge and technical skills, put to practical use in the workplace The skills employees need to successfully perform work tasks http://www.ccrscenter.org/implementation-tools/integrating-employability-skills

9. Establish work readiness behaviors and social skills (employability skills) Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What types of employability skills supports/training are provided in your district/school? How could employability skills supports/training be better implemented in career guidance efforts in your district/school?

10. (2) Systematically explore the “career-related aspects” that promote better person-environment fit, including initial goal formation, exploratory actions, and computer-assisted career guidance programs Recommendations based on the literature: • Active engagement in a systematic exploration of self and the world of work leads to career decisions that are more congruent and that promote better person–environment fit • Students seem to benefit, both vocationally and academically, from participation in career exploration courses through an increase in their knowledge of careers and their ability to make career-related decisions • These courses may be led by teachers or school counselors and can provide opportunities for in-depth study and hands-on career experiences such as role-playing or even job shadowing • Computer-assisted career guidance programs may be used for self-assessment purposes.

11. Career One Stop: A Free Resource Free resource sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Includes online videos on hundreds of different careers.

12. (2) Systematically explore the “career-related aspects” that promote better person-environment fit, including initial goal formation, exploratory actions, and computer-assisted career guidance programs Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What types of career exploration supports are provided in your district/school? How could career exploration supports be better implemented in career guidance efforts in your district/school?

13. (3) Organize classes around a career goal Recommendations based on the literature: • Integrate academic content with career and skills-based themes through career academies or multiple pathways models • Students should have the opportunity to see the relevance of their academic work by applying academic skills to work-world problems • Can occur through the creation of “schools within a school” around career-related themes such as health, business, or the arts • May also occur through individual or group career counseling and planning with students

14. (3) Organize classes around a career goal (continued) Recommendations based on the literature: • High school students who indicated that their course of study was organized around a career goal expressed greater satisfaction and had higher levels of education associated with their anticipated post-high school setting than did high school students whose course work was not organized around a career goal • Their classes also contained more relevant connections to possible careers, and they participated in more work-based learning experiences and connected activities

16. (3) Organize classes around a career goal Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to organize classes around a career goal? How could classes be better organized around a career goal in your district/school?

17. (4) Integrate instruction that demonstrates the relevance of course content to the world of work Recommendations based on the literature: • Teachers in core academic courses (such as math, science, English, and social studies) use, whenever possible, relevant examples and illustrations from the career field of their courses • Pairing these teachers with Career and Technical Educators (CTE) for common planning is a strategy that may assist

20. (4) Integrate instruction that demonstrates the relevance of course content to the world of work Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to integrate relevant career examples into core academic courses? How could relevant career examples be better integrated into core academic courses in your district/school?

21. (5) Encourage career days, work-related experiences (role-playing or job shadowing), and visits to postsecondary campuses • Recommendations based on the literature: • Schools can invite community members who work in different fields to share their experiences in the workplace • Introducing students to these types of experiences encourages students to consider career and postsecondary options early • Schools can also expose students to college campuses by facilitating visits to college campuses that include discussions with admissions or financial aid officials

23. (5) Encourage career days, work-related experiences (role-playing or job shadowing), and visits to postsecondary campuses Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to encourage career days and visits to postsecondary campuses? How could career days and visits to postsecondary campuses be encouraged in your district/school?

24. (6) Include work-based learning (WBL) experiences such as internships, apprenticeships, and school-based enterprises Recommendations based on the literature: • Provide a clear, substantive purpose for and stated value of WBL, emphasizing the learning component in the work experience • Offer resources and information about components of high-quality WBL programs • Provide professional development for teachers and WBL coordinators to develop instructional strategies, including for cognitive transfer of problem-solving skills • Convene meetings with employer associations and labor unions to achieve buy-in for the creation of more meaningful WBL programs connected to school curriculum • Provide resources and guidelines for employer mentor selection, training, and continued engagement

25. Reading for Radio is a school-based enterprise developed by A. Barry Carrus at Dunnellon High School in Marion County. He teaches reading intervention courses using a radio production studio and an Internet broadcast radio station called DHS Radio – “The Growl.” This hands on approach was developed to improve students’ literacy skills and to allow them to learn about radio station operations in preparation for a possible career in that field. Students write, practice, and perform scripts on air. The Reading for Radio program provides an entire yearly curriculum for teachers and students to follow on a weekly basis. The lesson plans encompass all of the standards required within the Florida’s Digital Audio Production curriculum requirements in addition to supplementing those standards with extensive Reading and Writing lessons provided within the program.

26. (6) Include work-based learning experiences such as internships, apprenticeships, and school-based enterprises Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to encourage work-based learning experiences? How could work-based learning experiences be encouraged in your district/school?

27. (7) Increase access to various forms of accurate career planning information, including outcome expectations Recommendation based on the literature: Students use a variety of sources for career information, and it is pertinent that the career information students receive is accurate because erroneous information can lead to unrealistic expectations that may cause students to select goals and take actions that can actually limit positive career outcomes. Therefore, students need to have access to various forms of accurate information. Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to provide accurate career planning information? How could more accurate career planning information be provided in your district/school?

28. https://www.mycareerpathways.org/ Free resource from CareerSource Florida

31. (7) Increase access to various forms of accurate career planning information, including outcome expectations Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to provide accurate career planning information? How could more accurate career planning information be provided in your district/school?

32. (8) Create collaborative opportunities for school counselors, administrators, teachers, families, and community members to discuss career counseling with students • Recommendations based on the literature: • Collaboration is needed among teachers, families, and communities since high school students are going to school counselors, teachers, parents, peers, coaches, and religious leaders for career information • School counselors and administrators may be proactive to seek sources of support and collaboration with coaches, churches, or businesses to host career counseling events for families led by people of influence for students

34. (8) Create collaborative opportunities for school counselors, administrators, teachers, families, and community members to discuss career counseling with students Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to create collaborative opportunities to discuss career counseling? How could more collaborative career counseling opportunities be provided in your district/school?

35. (9) Increase access to group or individual career counseling interventions, academic advising • Recommendation based on the literature: • Target resources towards ensuring that all middle- and high-school students have regular conferences with counselors to discuss their current and future academic programs.

37. (9) Increase access to group or individual career counseling interventions, academic advising Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to increase access to career counseling interventions and academic advising? How could more career counseling intervention and academic advising opportunities be provided in your district/school?

38. (10) Assist students in formulating Individualized Learning Plans • Recommendation based on the literature: • Individualized Learning Plans are a process that helps students engage in the self-exploration of one’s career interests, skills and values, career exploration to identify career aspirations, and career planning and management opportunities to identify postsecondary education and training opportunities and develop employment seeking skills

39. https://www.floridashines.org/

40. (10) Assist students in formulating Individualized Learning Plans Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What steps are taken in your district/school to increase access to Individualized Learning Plans? How could more opportunities to engage with Individualized Learning Plans be provided in your district/school?

41. Additional support In addition to the previous strategies noted, emotional/instrumental support for students from school counselors, teachers, and others (including parents) was found to be connected to improved outcomes (Lapan, Tucker, & Kosciulek, 2003). Questions for reflection, discussion, and planning: What types of emotional/instrumental supports are provided in career guidance efforts your districts/schools? How could emotional/instrumental supports be better implemented in career guidance efforts in your districts/schools?

42. Questions? https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/southeast/ ksmith@fcrr.org

43. Thank you!Stakeholder Feedback Survey