Tech Directions - December 2008 - (Page 7)

nity colleges and not the high school level, but we may evolve to where it counts more.” Career Academy Benefits In its latest summary of ﬁndings from a long-term study of career academies, MDRC concludes that they “appear” to offer young men the equivalent of an earnings boost they would get from a year or two of postsecondary education. MDRC has followed students from nine high schools around the country from the time they entered 9th grade until eight years after their scheduled graduation. According to MDRC, the most important ﬁndings from the study include: • Career academies produced sustained earnings gains averaging 11 percent more per year for program participants than for those in the control group, or a $16,704 boost in total earnings over the eight years of the follow-up. • The impacts on earnings are concentrated among young men and students at risk of academic failure. Young men saw an annual earnings gain of 17 percent, or nearly $30,000 over the eight years. • Career development in high schools does not have to come at the expense of academic preparation. More than 90 percent of the students graduated from high school or received a GED, and half earned a postsecondary degree or credential. • Participants in career academies were more likely to be living independently with children and a spouse or a partner. Young men were more likely to be married. MDRC notes that the career academy movement began 40 years ago, and the academies now operate in more than 2,500 high schools across the country. 21st Century Skills The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which has the backing of most major high-tech businesses in the country, is taking its vision of the skills students need to the professional development ﬁeld. The Partnership’s deﬁnition of skills is broad and encompasses technical skills as well as applied learning. The new P21 Professional Development Afﬁliate program makes a network of experts available to help states and districts integrate 21st century skills into their professional development activities. The Afﬁliate program will work through national, state, and regional organizations that offer training and professional development programs to school administrators and instructional leaders. Participants will become part of a national network committed to infusing the framework for 21st century skills into K-12 classrooms. The training will be offered three times during the upcoming calendar year. The Partnership also has enlisted policy makers in several states as state partners in the effort to infuse the 21st century skills framework into schools. The states include Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. www.techdirections.com WASHINGTON 7 http://www.21stcenturyskills.org http://www.tormach.com http://www.tormach.com http://www.techdirections.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech Directions - December 2008

Tech Directions - December 2008 Contents Advertisers Index Technically Speaking Direct from Washington The Report Technology Today Technology’s Past Mastering Computers Digital Portfolios—Powerful Marketing Tool for Communication Students Choosing the Right CC Welding Unit—Student Success Depends on It Think Green—Increasing Awareness of Garbage and Recycling Think Green—Teach Students Smart Ways to Reduce Home Energy Use Go International! Build a Simplified Shortwave Receiver Mooresville Middle School Snags Web Site of the Month Gifts for Geeks More than Fun

Tech Directions - December 2008

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