Jobs for the Future
Are we preparing our students with the skills they will need in the 21st century?
Before the economy began to disintegrate, industry people were looking for people who were analytical and were data-crushers. Now they are looking for people who can use analytics as well as “out-of the box” thinkers.
Number crunching jobs are more easily and cheaply done by outsourcing and by computer software. Where America has long prospered has been in its ability to create and innovate.
“Today computers are turning traditional left-brain work, jobs where a series of steps leads to one answer, into a commodity that can be outsourced,” says Daniel Pink, who has written a book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Pink says the shift to right-brain thinking already can be found in companies that welcome well-rounded employees, medical schools that push art studies and classrooms that encourage collaborative problem-solving.
“We’re realizing that our economy is not about standardization,” Daniel Pink says. An impediment has been a No Child Left Behind educational system that is too geared to test-taking. “What’s troubling is that our system is obsessed with standardization at the very time when the future of our economy depends on the opposite.”
HR people are looking for people who have the ability to solve problems in unique ways, lead co-workers and thrive in a loose organizational structure.
In Cambridge, Mass.,
Three Questions we need to ask ourselves:
1. Do you consider yourself more “right brain” or “left brain”?
2. What about your own children?
3. Do you think the education system cultivates both or should it change?
Source: USA Today, July 14, 2009
Schools Have Become America’s Emergency Rooms
Traditional societal problems used to be addressed by the community, churches and families. Today’s challenges are being placed in schools. Problems such as teaching young people to say “no” to sex and drugs, teaching driver’s education and swimming, teaching students to prevent suicide, etc. are being placed in school curricula where schools are already being overburdened by the demands of high stakes testing and No Child Left Behind.
First, schools do not have the time to include these subjects. Nor in the case of drug, alcohol, suicide prevention, have most of us had the training to deal with these societal problems.
In a report from the Partnership/MetLife Foundation, 34% of fathers and 22% of mothers agree that it is the parents’ main responsibility to teach teenagers about drug use.
Whose responsibility do you think these problems are?
Preventing Young People From Committing Suicide
I have just presented at the Virginia Vision’s Conference and a number of people asked me to post this and send it to them. For those of you who have to deal with the problem of suicide, print this and have it available.
It doesn’t seem right that a young person between the ages of 11 and 19- who has lived for such a short time and has a long life ahead – would choose to die. Look up “teenage suicide’ at google.com and you will find 1,100,000 “hits.” And with good reason:
DID YOU KNOW?
• In the next 24 hours 1,439 teens will attempt suicide. As many as 250,000 adolescents made a serious unsuccessful effort to kill themselves last year.
• Every 90 minutes a teenager or young adult is successful in killing themselves.
• According to experts, suicide is the third leading cause of teenage deaths after automobile accidents and homicide. Almost as many teens die from suicide as the fourth through the tenth leading causes of death combined.
• The suicide rate in the past 25 years has been decreasing, yet the rate for those between 15 and 24 has tripled. The adolescent suicide rate is nearly 33% higher than that of the overall population.
• Many youths have sought help in the month before the suicide.
• The ratio of male to female suicides is four to one. However young women attempt suicide nine times more frequently. Guns are the most common means of suicide among males. Pills are the most commonly used method of suicide for females.
• White males have had the highest increase in suicide, which rose 50% between 1970 & 1978. The incidence for white females increased 12%. Suicide among young blacks has also dramatically increased.
• Half of all children who have made one suicide attempt will make another, sometimes as many as two a year until they succeed.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
Depression- A teen that is feeling suicidal may see no other way out of their problems, no other escape from emotional pain or no one to whom they can communicate about how they feel. Depression expresses itself in a variety of ways including: changes in appetite; chances in activity level; loss of sleep; lack on interest in activities that normally give pleasure; social withdrawal; and thoughts of death or punishment.
Substance Abuse Problems- Alcohol and some drugs are depressants. Youths who are depressed may take these substances thinking that they will help ease the pain. In reality, they make the situation worse. They may limit their ability to assess risk, cloud their judgment, make good choices and think of solutions to their problems.
Teenage Stress – There are many pressures on teenagers – one’s that they have never experience before. These include social, academic and personal, sexuality and relationship pressures. Some teens struggle with weight and eating problems, while others face learning difficulties in school. Getting in trouble in school or with the law, fighting with parents are risk factors for suicide. A traumatic event like a breakup, failing a test, an unintended pregnancy or getting into an accident can bring on suicidal tendencies.
Violence – There is more violence in the newspapers, on television, on electronic games and in the movies. Many children live in increasingly violent neighborhoods. There is increased violence in the homes including familial violence and sexual abuse. And it is easier to get the tools (guns and pills) of suicide. If there is a gun in the home, youths are 5 times more likely to commit suicide than in homes without a gun.
Lack of parental interest – Many children grow up in single –parent households. Others have two working parents. According to one study, 90% of suicidal teenagers believed their families did not understand them.
Data show that families are spending less time together and more of our young people are spending more and more time in front of television screens.
WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS?
The list below lists the most prevalent causes of youth suicide. The list is not all-inclusive but should assist educators in identifying the most common warning signs. Not all youngsters who exhibit these signs will commit suicide. However the greater the number of warning signs, the greater the likelihood of suicide predictors.
Warning Signs
Youth are most at risk of attempting suicide are those who:
• Made previous suicide attempts
• Talks about committing suicide
• Feels that “it is all my fault”
• Exhibit anger
• Signs of serious depression, moodiness, hopelessness, withdrawal
• Is a loner.
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol
• Changes in the sleeping or eating habits of the student.
• Cries often.
• Chronic or sudden truancy
• Gives away possessions
• Recent suicide of a loved one or family member
• Preoccupied with death and dying
• Loses interest in their personal appearance
• Turmoil within family (divorce, remarriage, separation, merging of two families)
• Have a family history of suicide
• Have had a recent stressful event or loss in their lives
• Have easy access to lethal methods, especially guns
• Show signs of changes in eating and sleeping habits.
• Exhibit rebellious behavior or running away.
• Have difficulty concentrating or decline in quality of school work
• Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities
• Gives verbal hints, such as “I won’t be a problem for you much longer,” or “Nothing matters.”
• Conflicts around sexual orientation
• Experienced a romantic break up
• Accessibility of firearms
• Increased pressure to perform, achieve, be responsible
• Taking unnecessary risks
The greater the number of warning signs, the greater the risk.
WHAT CAN EDUCATORS DO?
• While no one single symptom – or even a combination of factors is a predictor of suicide. If you suspect that a student is suicidal, teachers and students should tell a counselor or an administrator.
• Always take suicidal comments very seriously. If a student says that he or she is thinking about suicide, you need to take the comments seriously. If you assume that the person is only seeking attention, you may be making a serious and potentially fatal decision.
• Listen attentively to everything that a potential suicide person has to say. Encourage the person talk as much as he or she wants to. Listen closely so that you can be as supportive as possible, and learn as much as possible about what is cause the pain.
• Comfort the person with words of encouragement. There is no script to follow in these situations.
• Don’t lecture or point out all the reasons a person has to live. Instead, listen and reassure the individual that depression and suicidal tendencies can be treated.
• If you suspect that the individual is at high risk of suicide, do not leave the person alone. If you are in doubt, call 911.
• Know your limits. Most of us have not been trained in how to handle situations like this. Be supportive; listen attentively; let the person know that you are deeply concerned.
• There are a number of local suicides “hotlines.” Their numbers are listed in your local telephone directories. Check the numbers in front of your telephone directory or call the emergency numbers. There is a National Suicide Helpline-1800-SUICIDE. These telephone lines are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by trained professional who can help without ever identifying the name of the individual calling. All calls are confidential.
Website Resources
Teenage Suicide.com, http://www.1-teenage-suicide.com
American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.aap.org/advocacy/childhealthmonth/prevteensuicide.htm
Teen Suicide http://.focusas.com/suicide.html
Teens Health, http://www.kidshealth.org/
Feedback from the SREB Conference
SREB
I delivered two workshops at the Southern Regional Education Board’s Summer Conference in Atlanta. Here are several comments:
“Franklin’s program will make you shake out the cobwebs and think.” Robert Bohnstengel, Principal
“Relevant, appropriate, thought provoking.” Director of Student Achievement
“Franklin is direct, caring and challenges your assumptions about schools. His style allow for you to step back and be reflective.” Robert Anderson, Principal
“Excellent – you will hang on every word!” Department Chair
“Great encouragement for me and my staff to move forward with our improvement plan for our school.” Troy Parton, Superintendent, Paduch ISD
“Focused, high energy, and relevant.” Dave Dollenger, Asst. Principal, Elkton HS
“Fun and eye opening. I loved it, Amy Gogas, Counselor
Franklin is a plethora of informative facts and humor. A breath of fresh fun; an example of how learning can be relevant, current and in tune with today’s youth! WOW!” Linda Rodriguez, Counselor
“Franklin is energetic and enthusiastic speaking with important messages. He offers practical suggestions based on researched.”
Dr. Linda Warren, Lead Teacher for Administration
“The presentation was enlightening and refreshing for a veteran teacher that is examining ways to implement different strategies for non-traditional students. Franklin was fantastic. I learned. Wow, a teacher learned. Thanks.
Tremetrice Wheeler, Department Chair
“Should have been the keynote speaker.” Denise Ward, Asst. Superintendent
Developing National Standards
If we look at the high performing countries as defined by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), we see that they have NATIONAL STANDARDS. America has state, regional and local standards. That may be changing.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is offering federal cash incentives to achieve one of his priorities: developing national standards for reading and math to replace a current hodgepodge of benchmarks in the states.
Duncan has stated that the efforts of 46 states to develop common, internationally measured standards for student achievement would be bolstered by up to $350 million in federal funds to help them develop tests to assess those standards.
Education decisions generally are controlled by the states, and the federal government cannot mandate national standards. That makes for wide variation from state to state. Students and schools deemed failing in one state might get passing grades in another.
It will be up to states to adopt the new standards. But Duncan has been using his bully pulpit to push the effort — and now he’s using Washington’s checkbook, too. He said spending up to $350 million to support state efforts to craft assessments would be Washington’s largest-ever investment in encouraging a set of common standards.
The money will come from the federal Education Department’s $5 billion fund to reward states that adopt innovations the Obama administration supports.
Duncan said that people are “coming to realize that 50 states doing their own thing doesn’t make sense.”
Every state except Alaska, South Carolina, Missouri and Texas has signed on to an effort to develop standards by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. But getting the states to adopt whatever emerges will be politically difficult.
Helping Students Graduate Presentation Excerpt
Over 7 1/2 minutes of my presentation delivered at Coastal Community College is now posted on the You Tube Website.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgNU5UhDAX0) For additonal information, feel free to contact me at franklin@schargel.com if you are interested in having me speak at your school, district or conference.
Television Interview
| August 9, 2009 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 10:30 am |
On Sunday, August 9. I will be interviewed by Nicole Brady on KOB TV’s Eye on New Mexico discussing the high school graduation rate in New Mexico as well as the nation.
KOB is New Mexico’s NBC affiliate.
It is possible to view the broadcast for the entire week on KOB’s website.
Follow the Educational Stimulus Money
Education Week has supplied a way to see how your state is applying the Federal Stimulus monies it receives. It appears that many states have not applied for it and that fewer have developed plans for disbursement.
The following provides national and state-by-state breakdowns of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has been budgeted for distribution by the U.S. Department of Education, based on estimates by the department. These amounts, which are rounded to the nearest whole number, do not include funds that are to be awarded through competitive grants, such as the Race to the Top fund and the Investing in What Works and Innovation grants. | LAST UPDATED: 7/13/2009
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/infographics/follow_stimulus.html
RELATED STORIES:
• Initial Aid Is Puzzle to Track
• Stimulus Patching Budgets
• Rush to Pump Out Stimulus Cash Highlights Disparities in Funding
Fargo, North Dakota
| October 7, 2009 |
I am honored to be presenting an all-day workshop to the Fargo, North Dakota School System entitled, Helping Students Graduate: Tools and Strategies to Keep Students in School.
Who Says That Education is Important?
The Obama administration warned states it might withhold millions of dollars if they use stimulus money to plug budget holes instead of boosting aid for schools.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan made the threat in a letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Duncan wrote he is displeased at a plan by Pennsylvania’s Republican-led Senate to reduce the share of the state budget for education while leaving its rainy-day surplus untouched. To do so “is a disservice to our children,” Duncan wrote.
“Each state has an obligation to … protecting our children’s education,” he wrote.
Duncan said the plan might hurt Pennsylvania’s chance to compete for a $5 billion competitive grant fund created by the stimulus law to reward states and school districts that adopt innovations Obama supports.
The education secretary applied similar pressure to Tennessee lawmakers last month after Democrats there blocked a bill to let more kids into charter schools. Duncan warned the state could lose out on extra stimulus dollars, and it appears to have worked: This week, lawmakers revived the bill and put it on a fast track toward passage.
In Pennsylvania, the issue is over school spending, which takes up a huge share of state budgets. State Senate Republicans argue the economy is forcing states across the country to make up for budget cuts with federal stimulus dollars. The Republicans in Pennsylvania State Legislature would like to use the earmarked federal stimulus money instead of the tapping the state’s rainy day fund.
States use rainy-day funds to set aside extra revenue when times are good to use in economic downturns. The surplus funds make it easier for states to borrow money and, when times are tough, help lawmakers avoid tax increases or spending cuts that might worsen a downturn.
In Texas, Arizona and many other states, state lawmakers are still arguing over school spending cuts and the use of stimulus dollars.
Obama did not intend for state lawmakers to simply cut state education spending and replace it with stimulus dollars.
Congress made that tough to enforce; the stimulus law generally does not prohibit states from using some of the money to replace precious state aid for schools. The result is that school districts could wind up with no additional state aid even as local tax revenues plummet.
But Duncan does have leverage; he alone has control over the $5 billion incentive fund. And in some cases, he may be able to withhold some stimulus dollars that have been allocated for a particular state.
My thoughts: When running for election candidates frequently state how important education is and how the future of the country is dependent on our young people. Once elected, they seem to forget their rhetoric. Hopefully the voters won’t forget.
