Why Bother? HIRE Education.

Mr. VanSciver describes an alliance between educators and the Delaware business community that may motivate students to work hard in classes, to improve their attendance, to get along with their peers, and to become involved in extracurricular activities. How can educators better motivate high school students? The Business, Industry, and Education (BIE) Alliance in Delaware has found a way. It all began with the growing concern on the part of several BIE members about the constant comparisons between the U.S. and Japanese education systems. Why don't American students try harder? and can do to 'fix' education system? were questions that regularly came up during meetings. When a committee was formed to investigate the matter, its members discovered that it wasn't the Japanese and American systems that were so different (although variations do exist) but the nations' attitudes toward education. If 40% of the students in schools attended tutorial sessions after argued one BIE member, our students' scores would be much higher. And, offered a colleague, absent students' mothers came to school, took notes, and gathered their homework each day, I bet students' scores would increase. How could achieve the same effect? As one frustrated educator/member pointed out, Our students talk about school and the 'real world' as if they were two different experiences with absolutely no connection. We have got to bridge that gap! He continued, been in education for over 20 years. I can't count the number of times I've said or I've heard others in the school say to students, 'Try as hard as you can in class, get good grades, have the best attendance you can, get along with your classmates, and get involved in school activities because, when you graduate, your prospective employer is going to call and ask about these matters. It will make a difference in whether or not you get a job offer.' In my 20-plus years, I can remember maybe five calls. We've been telling them a lie! And the students know it. The BIE committee went a step further as members asked, is the most powerful influence in teenagers' lives? The answer: Peer pressure! What their friends and classmates do and say is much more important to them than what anyone else says or does. This comment was the genesis of an idea. if, the committee members asked, we had the employers who interview these students tell them why they did or didn't get a job? Imagine the power of a high school senior telling his friends that he didn't get the job because the employer called the school and found out he had missed 35 days of school! Do you think that would make a difference? It was much easier to answer this question than to get people to go along with idea. Employers balked at the legal implications of telling students why they didn't get a job. Others complained about the amount of time it would take. One, however, did call the school and found out that a graduating senior had misrepresented the number of days she had missed. As a result, this student didn't get the position at the bank. After many debates, meetings, and negotiations over a 13-month period, the committee accomplished three major goals. First, it drew up a position paper and distributed it throughout Delaware. The paper identified the problems facing the different parties involved. For educators the problems were defined as follows: Teachers tell students about the importance of good attendance and behavior, learning skills, and the value of participation in extracurricular activities. Students are told that these indicators have a direct impact on their ability to secure a job, keep that job, and advance. Students are also told that employers will contact the school to check on these indicators as part of the employment decision-making process. Educators now believe they haven't been telling students the truth. …