Education and Career Planning – A Process not an Event!

Career Cruising and the Portfolio

K-5: Career AwarenessIntroduction to the world of careers

6-8: Career ExplorationDiscovering interest areas

Grade 8: TransitionChoosing a career cluster and major (can change easily at any time later)

9-12: Career PreparationAcademics and technical courses, intensive guidance, individual graduation plans

Postsecondary: Career PreparationAchieving credentials: college, certification, apprenticeship, military

Employment: Career AdvancementContinuing Education and Lifelong Learning

Steps to Success

A sense of purpose in one’s work is crucial to building commitment to school. Yet, many adolescents do not have the opportunity to learn the relevance of school to their lives until it is too late.

* Legum, H. L. & Hoare, C. H. (2004). Impact of a Career Intervention on At-Risk Middle School Students' Career Maturity Levels, Academic Achievement, and Self-Esteem. Professional School Counseling, 8(2), pg. 3.

Students involved in career exploration and awareness at the middle school level are more likely to establish an effective plan of study for high school.

Career planning establishes a focus for achievement and helps middle school students identify strategies and tasks necessary to achieve their goals.

*Dahl, Carol A. (2001). Career Planning in Middle School, The Education Digest, 67.

The portfolio is a motivational tool for encouraging the continuous gathering of interests, abilities, credentials, experiences and personal reflection as well as a place to electronically store information as they move through educational settings.

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PORTFOLIOS

Every elementary and secondary school student should be encouraged to develop and maintain an academic and career portfolio.

If students continue to maintain their portfolios from year to year, they will be able to see their growth and progress over time and to become increasingly aware of their own interests, strengths, needs, and aspirations.

The evidence collected in an up-to-date portfolio provides a focus for parents, the teacher-advisor, and the guidance counselor when discussing with students the preparation and revision of their annual education plan.

Students should have easy access to their portfolios so that they can regularly update their contents.

Why Electronic Portfolios

Convenient AccessEasy to Use and UpdateCost-EffectiveFaster AdministrationTransferability

But how do we engage students

in this process?

The Portfolio Completion Standards and related activities provide a progressive plan for career guidance from 6th grade right through to 12th grade.

In the study by Johnson, interviews with sixth and ninth graders, 87% of students' responses uncovered either a low degree of awareness or no awareness at all regarding the type of work involved in their chosen career field.

Johnson, Laurie S. (2000). The Relevance of School to Career: A Study in Student Awareness. Journal of Career Development, 26 (4) 263-275.

The Career Profiles within Career Cruising focus on providing students with relevant, real-life information.

In the study by Johnson, interviews with sixth and ninth graders, 87% of students' responses uncovered either a low degree of awareness or no awareness at all regarding the type of work involved in their chosen career field.

Johnson, Laurie S. (2000). The Relevance of School to Career: A Study in Student Awareness. Journal of Career Development, 26 (4) 263-275.

Inviting others to view a student’s portfolio is also an excellent way to involve parents and other community members in the process.

In recent years, attention has been paid to the importance of successful transition to high school.

Something as simple as logging into the personal portfolio they had at middle school when they enter high school can be very reassuring as can having their new high school teachers be familiar with the program they used in their middle school.

When they are about to leave middle school, they can invite their new teachers, administrators, coaches etc. to view their portfolio.

Just as one cannot hand a first grader a book and say read, one cannot hand an eighth grader a plan of study for high school and beyond and say complete it.

Being a good planner by habit is a skill and acquiring this skill will facilitate life-long career development with it’s necessity for expected and sometimes unexpected decisions along the way.

Intentionally incorporating career awareness and exploration into children’s early experiences as they are making decisions about themselves and the world of work will encourage the process of career planning as a “habit of the mind”.

Magnuson, Carolyn S. & Starr, Marion F. (2000). How Early Is Too Early to Begin Life Career Planning? The Importance of the Elementary School Years. Journal of Career Development, 27(2).

The benefits of improved teacher-student relations is another large area of research.

As reported in a ‘High Schools That Work’ research paper, students with quality middle school relationships are likely to transition well to high school. In addition, when teachers act as advisors, students are more likely to have educational goals and plans for high school.

Schools that use teachers as advisors and mentors can make sure that students and parents receive timely information about careers and college-preparatory programs in high school.

Cooney, Sondra, & Bottoms, Gene. Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link. High Schools That Work, Southern Regional Education Board, http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/briefs/02V08_Middle_Grades_To_HS.pdf

Engaging parents with their child’s school has been the ‘Holy Grail’ for many middle and high school leaders.

One of the most successful strategies initiated by middle and high schools has been to involve the student, parent and counselor in high school and post-secondary planning. Whereas the academic content of school may have moved beyond where a parent feels they can be helpful, there is a lot a parent can do to help with their child’s career and educational development.

Summary

No one intervention is enough. Each school must implement a comprehensive program featuring elements uniquely suited to its student population.

However, a common focus in every program should be the personal academic and career portfolio – a plan for each student and a systemic plan of implementation for the school or district.