African American Students Career And College Readiness

College and career readiness is essential to promoting the success of all students. Educational and economic changes in today’s society demands well thought out strategies for preparing students to survive academically, socially, and financially in the future. African American students are at a disadvantage in this strategic planning process due to a long history of racism, injustice, and marginalization. African American Students’ Career and College Readiness: The Journey Unraveled explores the historical, legal, and socio-political issues of education affecting African American students and their career and college readiness. Each chapter has been written based on the authors’ experience and passion for the success of students in the African American population. Some of the chapters will appear to be written in a more conversational and idiomatic tone, whereas others are presented in a more erudite format. Each chapter, however, presents a contextual portrayal of the contemporary, and often dysfunctional, pattern of society’s approach to supporting this population. Contributors also present progressive paradigms for future achievements. Through the pages of this book, readers will understand and hopefully appreciate what can be done to promote positive college bound self-efficacy, procurement of resources in the high school to college transition, exposure and access to college possibilities, and implications for practice in school counseling, education leadership, and higher education.

Praise for the First Edition: "Serves as an excellent foundational text...I am very thankful that the authors wrote this text. [It] is written for school counselors by school counselor educators!" -Gene Eakin, PhD, School Counseling Program Lead, Oregon State University "The school counseling focus makes it unique... This is...a great improvement to other texts I’ve used and I plan to continue using it." -Dr. Carolyn Berger, Chair, Department of Counseling, Nova Southeastern University Fully updated to serve the needs of school counselors in training, this remains the only text to present a comprehensive, developmental, and practical approach to preparing school counselors to conceptualize the career development and college-readiness needs of P-12 students. The second edition reflects the ASCA’s new Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success, which focuses on college and career-readiness standards for all students, 2016 CACREP Standards, and the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act. The text is uniquely grounded in developmental, ecosystemic, and career theories as a basis for career interventions. Considering the range of psychosocial, cognitive, and academic development spanning P-12 students, the authors review relevant developmental and career theories as a foundation for the design of sequential and developmentally appropriate career and college-readiness curricula and interventions. The text provides school counselors and educators concrete examples of how to select, implement, and evaluate the outcomes of interventions grounded in various career counseling theories and addresses career development and college readiness needs by grade level. Also included is expanded information on diversity; reflections and advice from actual school counselors; updated statistics, references, and appendices; and an updated Instructor’s Manual, test bank, and PowerPoint slides. New to the Second Edition: Features a “Building a College-Going Culture” section that expands coverage on college readiness counseling Reflects updated legislation and policy information including ASCA’s new Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success, 2016 CACREP Standards, Every Students Succeeds Act, and the Reach Higher Initiative Completely new chapter on college and career decision making "Voices from the Field" highlighting experiences from actual school counselors Enhanced instructor resources including Instructor’s Guide, test bank, and PowerPoint slides Key Features: The only comprehensive text devoted to career and college counseling for school counselors; written by former school counselors Disseminates current data and research focusing on college readiness needs of diverse populations Includes interventions grounded in theory and connected to national standards

Most Americans no longer question whether and which students should be prepared for college. Rather, it is now widely accepted that ALL students should be prepared for postsecondary education in some form (e.g., certificate, 2- or 4-year degree), as these credentials are not only required for many jobs but are also the surest path to upward mobility (Carnevale, Rose, Cheah, 2011). There is also greater recognition that in addition to a more traditional approach to preparation for postsecondary education (e.g., taking college preparatory classes), students should also graduate high school with technical knowledge and employability skills to secure, retain, and advance their employment when they leave school, at whatever level that may be. Simply put, today's high school graduates need a broad-based education that combines an array of knowledge, skills, and experiences to prepare them for life after high school. And indeed, state's definitions of college and career readiness have broadened in recent years to include a variety of skills and dispositions, such as critical thinking skills, social emotional skills such as collaboration, and interpersonal skills such as resilience and perseverance (English, Rasmussen, Cushing, & Therriault, 2016). The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, the key federal K-12 legislation, explicitly supports the notion of a "well-rounded" student, emphasizing readiness in areas beyond its predecessor's (the No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB) focus on core academic content. ESSA mandates that states ensure that students are provided an enriched, accelerated curriculum beyond courses and content areas in which state assessments are given (e.g., mathematics, reading) and that is aligned with the postsecondary experiences students are likely to encounter. ESSA also supports an expansion of readiness goals through provisions for the improvement of conditions for student learning that support social-emotional learning, intrapersonal skills, and other employability skills. And ESSA includes provisions in states' accountability systems that support emphasis on broader definitions of readiness. Additionally, ESSA's accountability framework includes important principles for supporting a broader definition of what students need to know and be able to do once they graduate high school. Accountability systems under ESSA may include multiple measures of college and career readiness. Indeed, several states had already added a career-focused indicator prior to ESSA passing (such as pathway completion or technical assessment achievement) to their accountability systems, and the number of states publicly reporting such indicators continues to increase (Achieve & AdvanceCTE, 2016). As definitions and measures of college and career readiness continue to evolve, we know one thing for sure: we need to better prepare ALL students for success after high school. This book explores the ways in which some education researchers are approaching this task.

Curry and Milsom take an intentional and realistic approach to career development that is inclusive of all students at each developmental stage, and they recognize that the training and path to pursuing a career is unique to each person. They offer action-oriented career development approaches that school counselors can utilize to supplement classroom learning and engage communities. This book is beneficial to new and veteran school counselors, and highlights relevant and real life issues students are dealing with and the impact on their career choices. Dodie Limberg, PhD Associate Professor, University of South Carolina This text is written to help school counselors conceptualize the career and college readiness needs of diverse P-12 students and design culturally relevant interventions. The focus is on helping readers to translate theoretical knowledge into practice. Grounded in current data and research, the text helps counselors to design sequential and developmentally appropriate career and college readiness curricula interventions and strategies. Addressing career development and college readiness by grade level, it describes and underscores the importance of collaborative approaches and interventions supporting school/family/community partnerships. Case examples and "Voices from the Field"written by practicing school counselors demonstrate and reinforce concepts and interventions in each chapter. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers and an instructor's manual. New to the Third Edition: Updated workforce, educational, and demographic statistics Enhanced content on culturally responsive school counseling practices The impact of social media on student development Coverage of the changing culture of higher education recruitment Postsecondary transition planning for students with disabilities Work-based learning opportunities career and technical education pathways Gap year information Verbatim advice and wisdom from experienced counselors who demonstrate concepts and interventions Enhanced instructor's manual including sample syllabus, PowerPoints, project-based learning activities, discussion prompts, exam questions, and related online activities, games, and apps Key Features: Provides current data and research addressing career and college readiness needs of diverse populations Reviews developmental, ecosystemic, and career theories Describes interventions and strategies grounded in theory Discusses collaborative approaches supporting school/family/community partnerships Offers separate chapters on interventions by grade level Mirrors the most recent versions of the ASCA National Model and CACREP standards

Most Americans no longer question whether and which students should be prepared for college. Rather, it is now widely accepted that ALL students should be prepared for postsecondary education in some form (e.g., certificate, 2- or 4-year degree), as these credentials are not only required for many jobs but are also the surest path to upward mobility (Carnevale, Rose, Cheah, 2011). There is also greater recognition that in addition to a more traditional approach to preparation for postsecondary education (e.g., taking college preparatory classes), students should also graduate high school with technical knowledge and employability skills to secure, retain, and advance their employment when they leave school, at whatever level that may be. Simply put, today’s high school graduates need a broad-based education that combines an array of knowledge, skills, and experiences to prepare them for life after high school. And indeed, state’s definitions of college and career readiness have broadened in recent years to include a variety of skills and dispositions, such as critical thinking skills, social emotional skills such as collaboration, and interpersonal skills such as resilience and perseverance (English, Rasmussen, Cushing, & Therriault, 2016). The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, the key federal K-12 legislation, explicitly supports the notion of a “well-rounded” student, emphasizing readiness in areas beyond its predecessor’s (the No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB) focus on core academic content. ESSA mandates that states ensure that students are provided an enriched, accelerated curriculum beyond courses and content areas in which state assessments are given (e.g., mathematics, reading) and that is aligned with the postsecondary experiences students are likely to encounter. ESSA also supports an expansion of readiness goals through provisions for the improvement of conditions for student learning that support social-emotional learning, intrapersonal skills, and other employability skills. And ESSA includes provisions in states’ accountability systems that support emphasis on broader definitions of readiness. Additionally, ESSA’s accountability framework includes important principles for supporting a broader definition of what students need to know and be able to do once they graduate high school. Accountability systems under ESSA may include multiple measures of college and career readiness. Indeed, several states had already added a career-focused indicator prior to ESSA passing (such as pathway completion or technical assessment achievement) to their accountability systems, and the number of states publicly reporting such indicators continues to increase (Achieve & AdvanceCTE, 2016). As definitions and measures of college and career readiness continue to evolve, we know one thing for sure: we need to better prepare ALL students for success after high school. This book explores the ways in which some education researchers are approaching this task. This was written in Corinne Alfeld's official capacity as part of the national conversation on education, is intended to promote the exchange of ideas among researchers and policy makers and to express views as pail of ongoing research and analysis, and is not intended to necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Department of Education.

A problematic, yet uncommon, assumption among many higher education researchers is that recruitment, retention, and engagement of African-American males is relatively similar and stable across all majority White colleges and universities. In fact, the harsh reality is that selective public research universities (SPRUs) have distinctive academic cultures that increase the difficulty of diversifying their faculty and student populations. This book will discuss how traditions and elitist assumptions make it very difficult to recruit, retain, and engage African-American males. The authors will examine these issues from multiple perspectives in three sections that highlight research, policies and practices impacting the experiences of African American males, including Pre-Collegiate Preparation, African American Male Student Athletes, and Undergraduate and Graduate Considerations for African American Male Initiatives.

Presents a comprehensive viewpoint on preK-12 schooling for African American males. Including theoretical, conceptual, and research based chapters, this edited volume offers readers compelling evidence of the education challenges and successes for this student population.

Workforce readiness is an issue that is of great national and societal importance. For the United States and other countries to thrive in a globally interconnected environment of wide-ranging opportunities and threats, the need to develop and maintain a skilled and adaptable workforce is critical. National investments in job training and schools remain essential in stimulating businesses and employment agencies to collaborate productively with educators who provide both training and vocational guidance. Workforce Readiness and the Future of Work argues that the large-scale multifaceted efforts required to ensure a reliable and strong supply of talent and skill in the U.S. workforce should be addressed systematically, simultaneously, and systemically across disciplines of thought and levels of analysis. In a four-part framework, the authors cover the major areas of: education in the K-12, vocational, postsecondary, and STEM arenas; economic and labor market considerations; employment, organizations, and the world of work; laws, policies, and budgets at the federal, state, local, and military levels. With contributions from leading scholars, this volume informs high-priority workforce effectiveness issues of current and future concern and concrete research, practice, and policy directions to generate novel insights of a multilevel and system-wide nature.