What We’re Reading: Week of May 16, 2022
Happy Friday! This week, we’re reading stories on how high schoolers are thinking about their postsecondary futures, the impact of career exploration in middle school, building the teacher pipeline, and more. As always, thanks for reading with us!
College & Career Readiness
Growing careers in a Milwaukee urban garden, WorkingNation
In densely populated areas, urban gardens have historically been a way to preserve green space and contribute to environmentally friendly goals like reducing the carbon footprints of food production and distribution. But for a program in highly-segregated Milwaukee, a nonprofit urban garden is growing careers and life skills.
How the last two years have changed the goals of high school graduates, District Administration
A new analysis reveals changing mindsets that could hold keys for K-12 educators as they work with graduating students.
Survey: 1 in 4 High School Seniors Changed Post-Graduation Plans Due to COVID, The 74 Million
Data from YouthTruth shows English learners, LGBTQ youth and students of color were more likely to reconsider their next steps after high school. The results are based on responses from over 28,000 high school seniors from both 2019 and this year, allowing for comparison to the last senior class to graduate before the pandemic.
A New AP Precalculus Course Aims to Diversify the Math Pipeline, EdWeek
In an effort to better prepare all students for college-level math courses, the College Board will offer a new AP Precalculus course beginning in fall 2023. It will cover a “broad spectrum of function types that are foundational for careers in mathematics, physics, biology, health science, social science, and data science,” according to the course framework.
COVID-19
4 high school students talk mental health and how the pandemic changed them, NPR
More than 2 in 5 teens have reported persistently feeling sad or hopeless, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of high school students. Many who were already struggling with trauma or mental health problems before the pandemic were deeply affected by the prolonged isolation.
Higher Education
Are four-year colleges worth the cost? More Californians question the value of a degree, Sacramento Bee
Three in four state residents say a four-year college degree is valuable, but many are skeptical about whether higher education will pay off with better opportunities and economic success, according to a new statewide poll.
Middle School
Career planning in middle school prepares students for better workforce choices, Hechinger Report
Arizona CTE school district finds that starting career literacy early, with fun, hands-on experiences improves outcomes.
Policy
As businesses hunt for educated workers, states are loosening the purse strings for higher ed again, Hechinger Report
Thirty-eight governors raised the topic of higher education spending during their state-of-the-state addresses, an analysis by the National Governors Association found. Collectively, they called for increasing it by billions of dollars over the next five years.
Workforce Development
4 Steps to Building Your Own School Staffing Pipeline, EdWeek
School leaders across the country struggled to staff classrooms this winter during the omicron wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Not Adam Lane, the principal of Haines City Senior High School in Polk County, Fla., who always had a teacher in the classroom or a substitute ready to fill in. EdWeek sat down with him to learn how he built a staffing pipeline.
Unlike boomers, millennials didn’t find good jobs until their 30s. Here’s what it means for colleges and employers., Higher Ed Dive
New reports describe how education-work pipelines fail many young adults, especially those of low socioeconomic status. What can prompt changes?