Home Antioch Study: Career Themed Academics Help Improve Antioch Schools

Study: Career Themed Academics Help Improve Antioch Schools

by ECT

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When education is not benefiting certain students, it’s time to change direction and that is what the Antioch Unified School District did with the implementation of its career-themed learning (Linked Learning).

With a  half-million (500,000) jobs expected to be created in the health care industry by 2020, America’s Edge along with local leaders held a press conference on Friday, May 31 at Dozier-Libby Medical High School to discuss the needs of professional skilled workers

The report entitled, “Ensuring the East Bay’s Economic Success” it highlights the need for productive learning as the report states:

  • 42% of employers report the overall preparation of high school graduates as deficient:
  • 81% report deficiencies in written communications
  • 70% report deficiencies in professionalism; and
  • 70% report deficiencies in critical thinking

According to the report, the linked learning program is helping improve that gap by providing real life experience, internships, and a chance to continue their education after high school. The goal is to build a foundation for success in college and their careers.

Here is a recap of what was said by each of the speakers:

“We are here this morning because California is experiencing a real skills gap,” said Dr. Sean Wright, President of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. “What that means is that we have jobs available and we don’t have workers with skills available to take those jobs. Right here in Antioch we have a 9% unemployment rate and yet in the Chamber of commerce from auto mechanics to the Dow Chemical Company, we have people and employees that cannot fit and find proper employees in this area to fill those jobs so that skills gap is getting bigger. What we do about it is going to be huge in preparing our youth to fill those jobs in the future.”

Amy Anderson, Workforce Development, John Muir Health, shared how skills needed to be developed related to a specific industry.

The healthcare industry has a unique requirement needing a combination of work skills but also caring, compassion, and strong dedication to privacy and confidentiality. We know demand for healthcare workers will continue to grow, our current workforce is aging and retiring, but we can also expect millions of more California’s to obtain health care under the health care reform act,” said  Anderson, Workforce Development, John Muir Health. “Students need to recognize how education is relevant or potential careers and what is expected in the work place. Students also need to develop communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills; these are skills that are absolutely critical to every industry sector.”

She continues to explain that Linked-Learning is a series of learning opportunities that can include, mentorships guest speakers, job shadowing, internships and school base projects and virtual apprenticeships with an idea to give students personalized encounters with industry professionals so they can ask questions and understand  all the possible career choices available to them. Post school work

“As a result when post school work, students aren’t going to say why do we have to learn this. Instead they really know and understand how this school work and learning applies to their future career,” said Anderson.

 Dr. Donald Gill, Superintendent, Antioch Unified School District shared how the programs have actually been helping the District become more successful with its attendance and testing.

“When you look at the traditional high school model that has been in existence for years. It is not working for the vast majority of our students there is a 30% dropout rate in the state of California. Our dropout rate in Antioch is not near that, but it is still substantial and it hovers around 19% and that is not acceptable for a community such as ours,” said

Many of the kids complain they don’t see any relevance to what they are learning about what they are learning about and get bored. That is why we looked at a model that embrace students and encourage them to be involved in their education and that is why we looked at Linked-Learning explained Gill.

“This linked learning program is built around a rigorous academic content program. Meaning its college prep and above. It also has a technical component such as a health services theme,” said Gill. “This innovative approach is really turning education around by creating personal relevant experiences for the kids and engaging them in the learning acting process, igniting their passion and building opportunities for career pathways.”

Dr. Gill shared some stats of how the program works:

  • 97% attendance rate at Dozier-Libby compared to 95% throughout rest of high schools
  • At engineering academy at Antioch HS, they have a 97% attendance average compared to 93% compared to Antioch HS as a whole.
  • When you look at high school exit pass rate, about 95% of English, Language arts and math is passed at Dozier-Libby High School.

  Joy Motts, President, Antioch USD Board of Trustees, says the data backs the success of the programs being implemented.

“We have the data and see what I happening with the students and we see the relationships and graduation rates increasing and truancy rates declining so we are excited and taking this to the next level,” said Joy Motts, President, Antioch USD Board of Trustees

Congressman McNerney reflected on his previous visit to the engineering program at Antioch High School and how impressed he is by this program.

“Antioch has a real spirit and you can see it hear today with this Linked Learning Program,” said Congressman Jerry McNerney. “I saw something there I had not see before, even when I was not in high school, I saw students that were proud, they were engaged, well dressed, they were courteous and they carried themselves with self confidence that I had not seen. I just hadn’t seen it. I am sold on this Linked-Learning program.”

“It’s a real hands on program that shows students what its like which moves them away from the bad pipeline and have a large impact on the City of Antioch because the fewer people you have going into good professions the fewer that go into the bad pipeline. Together we can make a big difference.”

Here are some photographs from the Press Conference at Dozier-Libby High School in Antioch.

Official Press Release:

ANTIOCH, Calif. – Projected growth in California’s health care industry is expected to create over half a million job openings by 2020, creating demand for professional skills that workers in the East Bay may not possess, according to a new report by the business leaders organization America’s Edge.

“The future prosperity of our community is entirely dependent on the caliber of our workforce. We simply must start infusing education with relevance so kids can start imagining and preparing for future careers,” said Dr. Sean Wright, CEO of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce.

That is a key message in the report, “Ensuring the East Bay’s Economic Success: Reversing California’s Health Care ‘Skills Gaps’ Through Linked Learning,” released today by business leaders at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, a Linked Learning school in Antioch. The report provides good news and bad news for employers and the workforce. On the up side, projections show that health care jobs will account for more than 10,000 job openings in Alameda and Contra Costa counties by 2020. However, the state will not have nearly enough qualified workers to fill them without a substantial shift in current education trends.

Closing the Gap

The solution? Linked Learning, a high school education approach that prepares students for college and career with rigorous academics integrated with relevant career-based  coursework and  real-world work-based learning experiences provided by local employers. Linked Learning provides students with the core knowledge and professional skills that businesses need to compete and succeed in the global marketplace.

“This innovative program will help train the next generation of professionals in California and prepare our talented students for careers that will be rewarding and sustainable.  Investments like these in the science, technology, engineering and math fields are critical to keeping our labor force competitive in the global economy,” said Congressman McNerney. “The Linked Learning approach being utilized in the Antioch Unified School District is a unique tool to train the workforce of the future, and I have seen firsthand how much it motivates students.”

The following business leaders, elected officials and higher education leaders gathered this morning to release the report and discuss its implications: U.S. Representative Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton); Dr. Donald Gill, Superintendent of the Antioch Unified School District; Joy Motts, President of the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees; Amy Anderson, a registered nurse and Workforce Development Coordinator with John Muir Health; and Dr. Sean Wright, CEO of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce.

Participants said the fast-paced health care industry requires employees to have high technical proficiency, and to be highly skilled in communication, critical thinking and collaboration. Unfortunately, the state’s economy will continue to be hobbled by an ill-prepared employee pool unless California invests in what works.

To close the skills gap, the business leaders described the power of Linked Learning to transform students’ high school experience, and give them real-world experience through a series of work-based learning opportunities that begin with mentoring and job shadowing and evolve into intensive internships or virtual apprenticeships.

“John Muir Health partners with many area schools to provide work-based learning for students, as we understand the value to not only the students, but also to the future of health care in our community.  For example, we provide activities for the students at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School in Antioch including internships, job shadows, e-mentoring and employee speakers,” Anderson said. “Adding this relevance to their curriculum helps to prepare a future workforce that is culturally competent, diverse and reflects the population of the communities we serve.”

Linked Learning is Growing

In January 2013, the California Department of Education selected 63 local education agencies (LEAs) to participate in the first year of the State Linked Learning Pilot Program – an initiative to develop and support systemic, district-wide systems and policy for the delivery of Linked Learning. Combined, the selected LEAs serve approximately 600,000 high school students across the state. When the Linked Learning Pilot Program is fully implemented, Linked Learning will be available to more than one-third or 1.8 million of the state’s high school students.

Business leaders are urging the state to continue implementation of Linked Learning pathways throughout California to provide students with the skills that businesses need.  They also say employers must seize opportunities to help shape our future workforce by partnering with Linked Learning pathways to inform curriculum and provide those essential hands-on learning experiences for students.

“It takes collaboration between schools and employers to prepare students for college and careers in health care and other highly skilled industries in the 21st century,” said Christopher Cabaldon, Executive Director of the Linked Learning Alliance. “America’s Edge deserves credit for analyzing the skills gap in California and encouraging employers to partner with schools to ensure students will be prepared for highly skilled careers.  With rigorous and relevant Linked Learning opportunities, California students will be up to the challenge of closing the skills gap. We are eager to see employer partnerships with Linked Learning schools expand and flourish in the East Bay and around the state.”

In addition to Dozier-Libby, which is a stand-alone Linked Learning school, there are 12 other health care Linked Learning pathways in the East Bay. Not all of their students will choose a career in the health care industry, but all will be prepared with the skills needed for college and career, and East Bay employers can take comfort in knowing that there are roughly 2,000 students in the “pipeline,” thanks to these pathways. (Please see page 6 of the report for a list of local health care pathways.)

http://www.americasedge.org/press-release/press-release-linked-learning-creating-pipeline-of-health-care-workers/

Contra Costa Times recap
http://www.contracostatimes.com/east-county-times/ci_23364190/study-career-themed-curriculums-needed-fill-health-care

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