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continued from page 1 Tomorrow’s workforce
Project Opening Doors, which is funded through a six-year grant of up to $13.2 million from the National Math and Science Initiative, creates incentive and training programs to increase the number of Connecticut high school students who take Advanced Placement Program® (AP) courses in math, science, and English and score a 3 or better on their AP exams. The rationale for the program is based on research that shows a strong correlation between AP courses and high achievement in college. “College admissions officers place great emphasis on rigorous high school courses as predictors of college success,” says Dr. Cam Vautour, president of Project Opening Doors. “Advanced Placement courses are universally accepted as being among the most challenging experiences for students in high schools across the country.” Project Opening Doors employs several strategies, including extensive teacher training in AP, Saturday and summer enrichment programs to help students meet demanding AP requirements, and financial rewards—both for students who earn passing grades on AP tests and for their teachers. So far, nine schools are participating in the project, 15 more are expected to join in the next school year, and enrollment in AP courses has increased by 697 students over last year. The Vanguard Schools Initiative was spearheaded by the Education Foundation and is conducted in partnership with the State Education Re-source Center (SERC) and the State Department of Education. Through this initiative, the Foundation helps the state identify and recognize schools—including those with challenging demographic circumstances—that consistently outperform their peers on standardized student assessments. This past spring, the Education Foundation worked with SERC to identify four Vanguard Schools, bringing the total to 10 schools since the program began, in 2005. As part of the program, the schools receive funding to support their own continuous improvement processes and serve as role models and mentors by sharing their successful strategies with underperforming schools. Recently, one of the new Vanguard Schools—Platt Technical High School in Milford— received funding from United Illuminating to help Eli Whitney Technical High School in Hamden adopt Platt’s successful “Connecticut’s technical high schools are a critical partner in the effort to educate tomorrow’s workforce,” says Shelly Saczynski, director of economic and community development at United Illuminating. “The energy business needs a steady stream of top-notch, skilled professionals across a variety of technical disciplines. This partnership with the Vanguard Schools Initiative, Platt Tech, and Eli Whitney is one example of our strategy to work with educational and community institutions to help develop the skills required for the electric utility industry.” Learning academies are small learning communities within a school. Their lower teacher-to-student ratios allow more productive interaction between teachers and students, and they typically have industry and higher education sponsors. CBIA’s Education Foundation was instrumental in designing the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, one of three career academies that make up the former Hartford Public High School. To help with year-one startup costs not covered by the school budget, the Academy received a grant of $89,900 from United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the school’s lead business “In our home city of Hartford, we’re pleased to sponsor an academy that focuses on engineering and the environment for the next generation of engineers and scientists,” says Andrea Doane, UTC director of corporate citizenship and community investment. “These are vitally important principles to UTC.” The Academy opened in August of this year and has enrolled 360 students. Its curriculum is a The Foundation is also working on two career academies at Wilby High School in Waterbury: one in manufacturing technologies, the other in health and human services. Both emphasize career readiness and a more rigorous curriculum. “Why do I have to study this?”“I mean, I’m never going to use it.” There are few math or science teachers who haven’t heard that from a Recognizing the disconnect that often exists between high school students and the requirements of the working world, the Education Foundation has developed dynamic programs to address the problem. “Our school-to-career programs make it relevant for students,” says Kaufman. “They expose them to the jobs that are out there, that drive Connecticut’s economy, and show them exactly how the subjects they’re studying relate to those jobs.” As part of a three-year, $884,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Education Foundation has been working with the Connecticut Community Colleges’ College of Technology’s Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM) to strengthen the pipeline of students entering manufacturing through the state’s technical high schools. As RCNGM’s primary business partner, CBIA (through the Education Foundation) brings Connecticut technical high school teachers and students together with companies through • Project-based afterschool programs in engineering In addition, to acquaint young people with career options in advanced manufacturing, the Education Foundation held its second Manufacture Your Future Careers Expo at the Connecticut Expo Center this past June. RCNGM furnished primary funding for the event, and 46 companies, business associations, and state agencies provided additional support. Attended by 3,000 middle- and high-school students and hundreds of teachers, the expo gave participants an opportunity to observe how a product is made, start to finish, and see Connecticut-made products ranging from water filtration systems to nuclear submarines. Students also learned about pre-engineering and robotics programs as well as high school and college programs that can prepare them for advanced manufacturing careers. The event had a big impact on attendees. In a pre-expo survey, 14% of attendees responding either agreed or strongly agreed that there were many career opportunities in manufacturing. After the event, 90% gave that response. “The expo has been so successful that it has become a national model,” says Mary deManbey, program manager for the Education Foundation. “Two NSF Centers will use CBIA’s model for future expos held nationally.” With RCNGM support, the Education Foundation has also created manufacturing marketing materials and a DVD and teacher’s guide on advanced manufacturing. As part of its ongoing goal to encourage student interest in high-demand careers, the Foundation has begun producing a new series of DVDs (filmed at CBIA-member companies) and teacher’s guides called Career Pathways. Designed for middle- and high-school students and funded entirely by CBIA, the Career Pathways kits feature educational activities, salary guides, and day-in-the-life profiles of young Connecticut professionals in high-growth occupations. To date, the Foundation has released two Career Pathways kits: one on careers in engineering, the other on the health and biosciences fields. A third—on energy-related careers—is in development. The Career Pathways series can be viewed or downloaded at www.cbia.com.
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