Uncategorized – Page 6 – Apprentice Learning

April 7, 2014

Valuing Know-How

How do we teach children to do? I was reminded of this lovely article by Addison Del Mastro. What are the skills that make us competent and self-sufficient? Have they changed with technology? Are we educating young people with this in mind?

Know-how is an old-fashioned sort of word. I associate it with my grandfather tinkering under the hood or with the creation story of the industrial United States. Know-how is making a come back! Certainly this is true in the world of computers. The skills for communication are accessible to larger numbers but require more technological knowledge of 2.1 navigation, design, photo imaging, multi-media usage and messaging. We all know those whom we turn to who are better skilled than others! This is also true in the kitchen and in growing food. Lots of people are taking the time to learn the skills required to be self-sufficient and to take pride in their work. Making cheese, pastry production and other highly specialized arts are more accessible to people who also may have a day job but who care about a doing work that is meaningful. Urban farming is another wonderful example of learning skills that have are well-regarding. And sharing know-how with others is happening more and more!

Addison is an intern at the Center for a New America Dream

February 12, 2014

Fewer Dropouts in High Schools

A new report from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education indicates that the high school dropout rate is decreasing across the state, and especially in urban areas. Last year, 5.9 percent of students quit school, representing 969 students out of 16,293, according to state data. This is down from 9.9% in 2005-2006.

That’s a big jump! Why?

The Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) played a significant role in helping young people stay in school with its innovative program, The Re-engagement Center. Another important element included connecting students to jobs and internships. These authentic learning experiences give credence to the value of a high school diploma and to the importance of a college education. Students, now employees, quickly learn the value of academic knowledge and good work habits that can be applied to the workplace.

Read the full article, “Stay in school efforts get high marks in Mass” in the Boston Globe.

Kudos to the staff at Boston’s PIC and the Re-engagement Center for their remarkable work in Boston and let’s not let up with our continued efforts to keep all students engaged and in school.

January 20, 2014

Using 8th Grade to Prepare for the Worst

Ninth graders have the lowest grade point average, the most missed classes, the majority of failing grades, and more misbehavior referrals than any other high school grade level. The 9th grade also has the highest enrollment rate in high schools, mainly due to the fact that approximately 22% of students repeat 9th-grade classes. This number can be even higher in large urban high schools.(McCallumore, Kyle Megan; Sparapani, Ervin F., October 2010, Educational Digest)

Exposure to work at a young age is thought to contribute to the focus and direction young people need to make decisions about their future life pathways. Working at an early age generates a set of additional and longer lasting benefits that are manifest in improved lifetime employment and earnings outcomes as well as improved educational attainment outcomes. (Signaling Success: Boosting Teen Employment Prospects, Commonwealth Corporation 2013)

Ninth grade as a critical year. More students fail ninth grade than any other grade in high school. While nationally, nearly one third of all high school students drop out before completing high school, 75% of students who fail one course in ninth grade will drop out of school before graduating.

There is an urgent need to prepare young people before high school and equipping students with a variety of opportunities to motivate them to succeed such as a part-time job, career goals and pathways, and caring adults who can advise and support them outside of school.

See additional data on the impact of ninth grade on high school dropout rates.

Read a recent article about the importance of 9th grade: Ninth grade: The Most Important Year in High School, The Atlantic, Nov 1 2013

November 4, 2013

E.O. Wilson: Advice to Young Scientists

“So swift is the velocity of the techno-scientific revolution, so startling in its countless twists and turns, that no one can predict its outcome even a decade from the present moment.”

E.O Wilson, the venerable scientist, has written a book aimed at young scientists to encourage them to delve deeply into the ever-changing mysteries of our civilization. Every citizen, every leader needs some understanding of scientific concepts, especially as our world grows more complex. How do we make science accessible? These questions inspire us to reach out to scientific organizations across the city for apprenticeships in their area of expertise.

Watch Professor Wilson’s inspiring TED Talk here: http://on.ted.com/Wilson2012

September 8, 2013

What the Job Creators Want

I came across an article by Evan Burfield in the Huffington Post. It was written a year ago and it still resonates, especially as Apprentice Learning begins Year 2. This week I am reaching out to businesses and organizations to identify placements for Apprentices from two Boston Public Schools, the Mission Hill School and the Boston Teachers Union School.

In securing Apprentice placements, it has been the entrepreneurs who have been the most open to mentoring young adolescents and teaching them about the world of work. Many want to support the young people in the educational pathway. See our Partners Page for a full listing.

Burfield’s article explains another aspect of those willing to invest precious time with 8th graders. It is the future: as Byfield states, “Startups need people who are constantly figuring things out on their own, learning from their peers, and reaching out to mentors for guidance rather than rote instruction. It’s not about what they know, it’s how they learn, think, and communicate.” These are precisely the skills Apprentices practice beforehand and on the job. The newest jobs require flexible thinking and broader skill sets. And many of these skills are best learned and practiced outside of the classroom.

This skill set must be good for business. Entrepreneurs who launched within the last five years are leading the way, part of the fast growing job sector in our new economy. These folks are the job creators. And they are wisely investing in the next generation of people who can get things done.

September 3, 2013

“Hands on as much as possible.”

In a NYTimes article today, “Expecting the Best Yields Results in Massachusetts”, researchers and teachers alike, agree that science education is much more effective using hands on experience. Hands on experience meant that students had to ‘explore and explain.’ After all, this mimics some of what science professionals do. One science educator describes their district’s approach, “hands on as much as possible.”

Apprentices at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering worked alongside of scientists and engineers learning science concepts. More importantly, they explored materials, asked questions, and shared ideas with science professionals. Apprentices at Wyss meant numerous engineering standards for the 8th graders. According to students, their apprenticeships offered a more complex and interesting view of science.

Watch our video on Apprentice reflections where science became a wider world of professional opportunities.

June 27, 2013

Our Pilot Year

With our pilot year concluding, we have much to celebrate. Apprentices gained poise and keen insights into workplace culture. Our Site Partners were unanimously positive in their feedback, noting that Apprentices arrived ready to go to work and exhibited a seriousness of purpose that belied their ages. And Apprentices have landed in highly selective jobs and summer programs!

It’s still a little early to know if we have helped students over the long term. One of our goals is that Apprentices will be successful in their ninth grade year in high school, typically the most treacherous year for becoming ‘off-track’ for graduation. But we are off to a strong start: seven students have been accepted to programs that combine academics and career interests. And will support them through high school.

Five Apprentices have been selected for Summer Science Academy, at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a paid summer internship where students explore science topics while working in various hospital departments. Two Apprentices have been accepted with full scholarships to MassArt’s program, ArtWard Bound, a four-year college preparatory program that combines academics and study of the arts. And, four students applied to ABCD Summerworks jobs program and will be notified this week if they have been selected from the lottery for paid summer jobs. The remaining students have summer plans that include residential summer camps, academic programs, or family travel. All Apprentices will move into high school next year with a career portfolio and a sense of their own work competencies.

All of our Site Partners expressed an interest in hosting an Apprentice next year.

May 30, 2013

Life is a Journey. Help Launch Us Ours

Apprentice Learning has completed its pilot year with the Mission Hill School and our website reflects the remarkable learning Apprentices experienced on the job.

Help us spread the word. We are seeking placements, known as Site Partners, to serve additional schools and students. Currently, we have over 100 students at two school interested in participating.

And we are growing! In June we will announce a second Partner School.

Want to get involved and live in the Boston area? We can use your help. Please contact us at info@apprenticelearning.org.

Onward!

May 8, 2013

Why We Work with 8th Graders

Take a closer look at why and when students drop out of high school. Breakthrough Collaborative’s 2011 brief assembles compelling data on the country’s dropout crisis. Read the full brief , “Challenges of the Ninth Grade Transition“.

Among some of the most startling data:
• Ninth grade retention rates and failure rates are higher than any other grade. In fact, a ninth grade student is three to five times more likely to fail a class than students in any other grade.

• Although students who are under‐prepared academically are most likely to fail one or more courses and ultimately drop out, even students who are well prepared
academically and previously high‐achieving can face considerable hurdles when they enter high school.

High school requires students to take charge of their own learning without the continuity of watchful middle school teachers. In Boston, students are no longer transported aboard yellow school buses, instead relying on public transportation. First period classes have an especially high rate of failure because students do not arrive at school on time.

Apprentice Learning prepares students before they begin high school, with experiences that reinforce the importance of punctuality and attendance. As part of our skill set, students travel independently (with lots of support) to worksites. Apprenticing in a professional environment requires that overcome challenges of interacting in an unfamiliar environment, communicating with strangers and asking questions. Building these competencies better prepares students for the unexpected obstacles of 9th grade.

Our students are eager to begin a life with more independence. Our job is to prepare them sufficiently so they can progress with confidence.

May 6, 2013

The Inside Edge That Matters

“Getting an inside edge by using help from family and friends is a powerful, hidden force driving inequality in the United States.” Does this affect employment in certain racial groups?

According to Nancy DiTomaso, it does. A researcher at Rutgers University, Ms. DiTomaso authored a recent NYTimes article entitled, How Social Networks Drive Black Unemployment (5/6/13) , Why this is true, according to Ms. DiTomaso, is because the help we receive from family and friends, through our social networks has a strong racial component.

While the article is lean on data to support its claim, a certain truth that caught my attention: our city’s corporate culture is less diverse than our public schools. For many underserved students of color, the landscape of Boston’s downtown skyline is a wilderness. Students don’t know what happens inside the city’s notable buildings, such as 60 State Street, the Hancock Tower, the Federal Reserve Building, or the financial institutions on Federal Street. These office buildings and many more like them are unexplored regions.

What’s missing is the social capital–the connections to adults that help families introduce their children to wider career opportunities. Apprentice Learning hopes to close that gap by helping students venture into these places just as they might venture out into the wilderness on an Outward Bound expedition.

Ultimately, our goal is that the students’ view of Boston’s skyline be marked with familiarity. All students should dream about their place in vibrant cultures of commerce, medicine, law, biotechnology, innovation, and technology. Especially when these opportunities are within walking distance from their homes.

Apprenticeships give students the chance to work alongside of professionals who can show them the ropes, share their personal stories and come to know students as individuals with the potential to contribute. In turn, Apprentices have an experience that reshapes an unfamiliar environment into one where they can imagine themselves. Experiences like these contribute and strengthen a young person’s social network, academic motivation and ultimately, develop into the type of support so important to landing a highly competitive job.

Category: Uncategorized