"Measuring Success" issue (June)

A newsletter (for adults) about career readiness (for kids).

Dear Readers,

The school summer holidays are well underway. And while I’m excited about the launch of countless readiness and exploration programs this past year, I’m also pausing to reflect upon a vitally important part of this work: measuring success. With the U.S. spending nearly half a trillion dollars on public education, it is paramount that we know how—and how well—career readiness initiatives are serving young people. To that end, we recently funded and published a new report with Education Strategy Group (ESG) that examines how states are exploring new ways to measure and support the long-term success of students in their reporting, accountability, and incentive systems. The main takeaway? States are doing great work, but generally could be drawing stronger and longer-term connections between what happens in K-12 and postsecondary outcomes in order to ensure K-12 accountability and a clearer picture of how schools are enabling or hindering economic mobility. (Read the report or catch the highlights in this press release.) Only when schools and organizations have this picture can they accurately target their work to address specific gaps and shortcomings.

The really good news? There’s a ton of movement and activity to measure. Every month brings new stories of highly effective programs that are closing the gap between learning and earning, like this mentorship program in Nashville that connects nurses with students who hope to pursue healthcare professions. (Read the story.) In Nebraska, more businesses are being urged to launch youth apprenticeships to bolster an already thriving work-based learning landscape in the state. (Read the story.) And, the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) program is giving young people the chance to get hands-on work experience in high-demand fields before graduation. (Read the story.)

There are also powerful stories of individuals who are changing the career exploration and readiness landscape, or who have found success by following their own pathway. Like Ranjita Bhagwan, now a principal engineer at Google, who is a shining example how a love of STEM can be nurtured from a young age. (Read Ranjita’s story.) Or, like Hinrik Jósafat Atlason, who developed an AI-powered audio assistant to make classroom material more accessible. Atlason’s AI-powered tutoring is also available to teens through ASA’s free EvolveMe® platform. (Read Hinrik’s story or visit ASA EvolveMe®.) And, like our own Clay Colarusso, who has worked tirelessly over the past six years to help ASA bring free digital career exploration resources to millions of teens, meeting them where they are and helping them focus on building their own paths. (Read Clay’s interview.)

I wish you all a relaxing summer holiday season. No matter your role in the education ecosystem, I urge you to take the time to pause your work, reflect upon what you’ve done, and measure your outcomes. They’re probably more remarkable than you think!

Sincerely,

Jean

P.S. - If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org

ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS & RESEARCH

The State of Career and Technical Education, in Charts (Education Week, June 3, 2024)

Poll Shows Overwhelming Demand for Skilled Trades Classes in LA County High Schools (Harbor Freight, June 1, 2024)

Long Term Program Impact: Alumni Voice (Apprentice Learning, May 21, 2024)

Summit School District Sees Uptick in Extracurricular, Career Readiness Course Enrollment as it Eyes More Work Ahead (Summit Daily, June 4, 2024)

College & Career Ready: Orange Cove High Receives High Marks for Setting Students Up for Success (ABC30, June 4, 2024)

CAPS Network Selects First Cohort for $951K Initiative Toward Rural Kansas Learning Expansion (Startland News, June 4, 2024)

EVENTS

Finally, below is a list of upcoming events and recaps of recent panel presentations and podcasts that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.

REGISTER TO ATTEND

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation EPIC Summer Meeting 2024 (Washington, D.C., June 20 - Learn more)

• 2024 Summer Huddle in Kansas City - CAPS Network (Kansas City, June 24-26 - Learn more)

• Uncharted Learning National Summit (Chicago, July 15-17 - Learn more)

• Horizons Summit (Washington, D.C., July 22-23 - Learn more)

• Big Bang Conference 2024 (Memphis, July 22-25 - Learn more)

• New Pathways to Real-World Learning Experiences (Kansas City, September 17-19 - Learn more)

EVENT RECAPS

• How Can Tech Increase Equitable Access to Career Readiness Resources? (Read the recap)

• Going Beyond Degrees: Where We Stand, and Where We’re Headed (Read the recap)