Providing equal opportunities for career connection in schools is a struggle, especially in rural communities. An AASA National Conference on Education panel on Friday morning provided success stories and tips on how to get students in rural school districts involved in internships and incorporate more career relevance into their curriculums.
According to the presenters at the one-hour workshop titled “Career-Connected Innovation in Rural America: Re-designing for Student Success in the 21st Century,” the future of work is always changing, so students should be better equipped with the skills to adapt to change in the workforce.
When working in rural communities, community-based design is critical, said Melissa Harris, a partner with Transcend, a national education organization that advocates for equal learning opportunities and emphasizes the importance of working with the community to benefit students.
Without knowing what the people want to learn, there is little opportunity for change in classrooms, she said.
Leaders at Calistoga Unified School District in Calistoga, Calif., took that community-based approach. Superintendent Audra Pittman admitted it was challenging, at first, to implement career-connected school experiences in her district. A major obstacle was connecting with people outside of the small rural communities, she said, but it was important for students to communicate with others to gain real-world experience.
She stressed the importance of students having opportunities to innovate and be a part of a learner-centered community. The importance of relating what students learn in school to what is available in the community is critical too, she said.
Eventually, passion projects, career pathway opportunities and partnerships with local organizations all helped students in her school district. The more the students and school leaders were engaged in the community, the more internships and partnerships they were offered, she said.
The results of the efforts in Calistoga are a reminder that young people can still create successful careers without attending college. Several students in the Calistoga district were given stable jobs directly out of high school because of internships they took part in during high school.
Both presenters emphasized the importance of listening to students and incorporating their ideas as much as possible to ensure their ability to thrive in the future.
“All young people will learn in ways that will enable them to thrive,” Harris said.
(Charli Slaughter, a sophomore at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, is a reporter for Conference Daily Online.)
