Connecting to the World of Work

High School Students from Bostonia Global Charter High School at WOW Conference /Photo by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

Over 600 people came to San Diego from March 23-25, 2023 to join the first World of Work (WOW) Summit convened by the Cajon Valley Union School District. The Summit brought together educators from all over the United States who wanted to see the WOW program in operation in Cajon Valley Union schools, hear from leaders in business and education community about setting a vision for the WOW movement, and discover more about how to accelerate literacy so learners could create gainful employment pathways based on their strengths, interests, and values. I traveled with the River Valley School District from Pennsylvania which shared their STEAM Academy and the successful CyberSecurity pathway at a session during the conference. Joining me were twelve other educators from the Pittsburgh area representing the World of Work, Pittsburgh contingent.

DAY 1

For two years COVID limited my opportunity to visit schools. I was excited to be able to start the conference by visiting two schools and interacting with educators and learners. The Cajon Valley school district arranged for six busloads of people to visit four elementary buildings, a middle school, and a charter high school. I spent the morning at the Bostonia Global Charter High School and the Avocado Elementary School. California, unlike all other states, has separate school districts for grades K-8 and 9-12. The Cajon Valley School District created a charter high school so some of their students could continue along the career pathways begun in their K-8 program.

As I joined the line for the buses to the schools, I spotted my Consortium for Schools Networked (CoSN) colleague, David Jarboe. David, the Director of Instructional Technology and STEAM for the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs, came to San Diego to visit family and discovered that there was a conference in his home area. David not only attended Cajon Valley as a student, but he also became a teacher and then an administrator at Cajon Valley. When we arrived at the Bostonia Global Charter High School, David pointed out the room where he taught when the building was a middle school. We had a chance to hear from a variety of Advisers (teachers) who allow each Scholar (student) to have their own personal pathway. In addition, we heard from a delegation of Scholars who shared why they enjoy learning at Bostonia Global Chart High School. It was refreshing to hear how much the Scholars value their Advisers. It was obvious that the WOW model at Bostonia was built on strong relationships with empowered educators and learners.

Scenes from WOW Conference at Avocado Elementary School / Photos by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

At the Avocado Elementary School I had a chance to interact with students in grades K-5. It was wonderful to see kids share their business cards and to talk with fourth grade entrepreneurs. I observed how well the kids interacted with the adults and I photographed wonderful moments with some of the key people attending the conference, such as Tom Vander Ark from Getting Smart. It was amazing to hear the students outline how they tapped into their RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) personality traits. According to David Jarboe, “I was thoroughly impressed with the students and their ability to articulate their life choices with clarity and purpose. Each student not only described what they wanted to do, but also explained why they had chosen that path. It was evident that they had developed a strong sense of agency and direction. This exemplifies the immense value of programs like World of World and the direct impact they have on students.”

We returned to the Summit Hotel, the Hilton on the Bay, for lunch and a general session before Kevin Honeycutt shared his amazing personal story. Kevin grew up in poverty, attending school in more than 20 states before becoming the first high school and college graduate in his family. He taught K-12 art, summer art camps and wrote and directed high school plays for 13 years. Kevin now travels around the United States working with educators and students to embrace their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. He helps learners find a pathway that allows them to sell their creative products online.

Ashli Detweiler, the Coordinator of the Pittsburgh World of Work project that includes Avonworth, Duquesne, Elizabeth Forward, and the South Fayette School Districts, added, “Keynote speaker, Kevin Honeycutt, asked, what would school look like if we saw school through the eyes of a child? Furthermore, what would school look like if we really loved our kids?”

Photo of Kevin Honeycutt / Photo by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

DAY 2

Horst Schultze provided a wonderful work world connection as the keynote for the General Session. Horst challenged the audience to think about ways to achieve Excellence in Education as he has done in the business world. Horst helped the Ritz Carlton Hotel Chain become the gold standard for hotel services. Today he works with corporations and international projects around the world to reach the highest levels of success. Horst’s words reaffirmed that I’ve always believed: if you reach for the moon you’ll have a team of student astronauts travel with you.

Later that afternoon I joined the River Valley School District team to share their STEAM Academy Success Story creating a CyberSecurity Career Pathway. Phillip Martell, the Superintendent of the River Valley School District, a rural district about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, set the stage for the CyberSecurity project and then Missy Milanak, outlined how she developed the course tapping into resources at the University of Pittsburgh as well as state and national standards. Jeff Geesey then added how the course taps into national certification from CompTIA and provides real world experiences including industry certification opportunities for high school students.

Photos of River Valley team presenting at WOW Conference / Photos by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

According to Philip Martell, the Superintendent of the River Valley School District, “WoW gives our River Valley students exposure to career options at an early age. Students have the opportunity to learn about careers, receive hands-on experiences, meet professionals, and practice skills needed for that career.”

At the end of the afternoon the Conference moved to the Midway Aircraft Carrier docked in San Diego for a wonderful opportunity to socialize and enjoy the beauty of San Diego. I joined my colleague David Jarboe, his niece who now teaches in Cajon Valley, and Horst Schultze for a wonderful conversation.

DAY 3

Tom Murray kicked off Day 3 with a wonderful set of interactive activities. Tom is most passionate about creating cultures of innovation where teachers are empowered to create the types of learning experiences today’s modern learners need to thrive. For his morning session Tom had the audience “working” in pairs to draw a variety of images. The challenge: the person doing the drawing had to follow the directions of their partner and to make the challenge even more exaggerated, the drawer could not see what they were drawing. This provided a great lesson in how we, educators, need to guide learners and the degree of trust that’s required.

Final Thoughts

Jeff Geesey summarized the impact of the conference quite well, “In my opinion, this conference was worth every minute! Specifically, the keynote speakers were certainly beyond informative with their collective and intriguing insights into transformative K-12 education. The inspiration of their messages certainly resonated with me.”

Jeff added, “From my perspective as an educational consultant for River Valley, it is notable that it is on a parallel, as well as highly productive trajectory for not only today, but tomorrow and the future. The district is strategically focused on outcomes that are directly correlated to students interest, strengths and values. This is not the only attribute of the students education as it is fully integrated with workforce development on-ramps to career pathways.”

According to Philip Martell, “Visiting Cajon Valley Schools and seeing career development based on a deep understanding of each individual student was a highlight of the WoW Summit. The WoW framework makes a difference for learners because it cultivates career development and paths to gainful employment K-12.”

Phil then related the experience to how River Valley will take what it learned. “The goal is for our River Valley students to have a personalized career experience. We currently use the WoW/Beable framework along with the RIASEC model which allows students to explore different careers to see what their interests are so that we can build career opportunities within their learning path K-12.”

For me the conference combined a great opportunity to see a real movement underway in an amazing school district with great national leaders providing context and deeper understanding into the impact of the World of Work. When we design a learning environment based on strengths, interests, and values, we have a much greater chance to see every learner succeed and find a pathway for their future.

Ashli Detweiler summarized how the WOW Summit impacted her, “From start to finish, the World of Work Summit 2023 was another example of why now, more than ever, we must ensure success for our next generation of learners. After attending the Summit, one can only leave with a sense of excitement but also urgency. The excitement stems from as school districts, we have to come together to work alongside one another because the students in our region, in our different schools, belong to all of us. They represent our future. With this statement, also comes urgency. As districts, we cannot wait. We have to start the lift now of providing students with equitable opportunities to ensure each child is set for gainful employment and happiness for the years to come. So, what would school look like if we saw school through the eyes of a child? As districts, we need to play together. As districts, we need to learn from one another. As districts, we need to put an emphasis on happiness. Most importantly, as districts, we have to love one another’s kids as if they were our own.“

Bringing the World of Work to Pittsburgh

The World of Work (WoW) is surging in the Pittsburgh K-12 area in 2023. World of Work is a career initiative that started in the Cajon Valley Union School District, San Diego CA. There are now districts across the United States who are using this model to prepare students in K-12 for their future directions. In the Pittsburgh region four districts have received a grant from the Grable Foundation to collaboratively work on this initiative: Duquesne City School, Avonworth, Elizabeth Forward, and South Fayette. In addition, the River Valley School District about 30 miles east of the city of Pittsburgh is pursuing its own model based on the Cajon Valley framework.

Philip Martell, the Superintendent of River Valley looks at the WoW movement from a Workforce Development perspective. According to Mr. Martell, Superintendent of River Valley:

“The WoW framework makes a difference for learners because it cultivates career development and paths to gainful employment K-12. WoW gives our River Valley students exposure to career options at an early age. Students have the opportunity to learn about careers, receive hands-on experiences, meet professionals, and practice skills needed for that career. The goal is for our River Valley students to have a personalized career experience. We currently use the WoW/Beable framework along with the RIASEC model which allows students to explore different careers to see what their interests are so that we can build career opportunities within their learning path K-12.”

The Pittsburgh Consortium has similar goals to River Valley with a focus on the child at the center. According to Ashli Detweiler, the Coordinator of the Pittsburgh WoW network:

“At the forefront of the World of Work – Pittsburgh initiative is always the kids. Regardless of the zip code or the district, our mission is to provide all children with the opportunity to be able to explore their own strengths, interests, and workplace values. Our long-term goals include students being able to self identify at the earliest ages, and to continue to grow and reflect as they continue through life. We want all children to leave traditional school settings, and know what will fulfill their life based on who they are as individuals.”

Key to the World of Work framework are a series of activities aligned with the model called RIASEC that was developed by Dr. John Holland based on his research into vocational interests. The WoW framework helps every child develop their own self-awareness and make connections to careers based on their unique strengths, interests, and workplace values. According to the website for the Pittsburgh consortium:

World of Work provides early exposure and self awareness to career paths starting in our youngest grade levels. This exposure is done by supporting the individualized needs of each student learner and matching their interests with career learning. The four steps of World of Work include; Exploration, Simulation, Meet a Pro, and Practice…. Real-life experiences are shared and students see the work they are interested in first-hand. The final stage of practice provides students with enough knowledge and exposure to take what they learned to practice through play, school projects, homework, socialization, and volunteer work!

At this year’s Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference on January 16, 2023, David Miyashiro, the Superintendent for Cajon Valley, was the keynote speaker. He shared with the Pittsburgh audience his perspective. According to Dr. David Miyashiro we need to change the goalposts for learners. We no longer should be looking at test scores, but skills that students accrue that relate to future career opportunities and bring a sense of fulfillment to the learner. According to Dr. Miyashiro,

“Kids cannot aspire to careers they don’t even know exist — life sciences, civil engineering and public service. The traditional K-12 system stigmatizes skilled labor, military service, public service — anything that doesn’t align with a college degree. We’re trying to show K-12 we have to think differently about success and preparation.”

David Mayashiro at TRETC with student from Seneca Valley School District | Photo by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

At TRETC, the WoW team shared some of their accomplishments. Here’s a summary of the past year’s accomplishments from Ashli Detweiler:

“This year we have been able to build a World of Work framework that any teacher in any district can implement into their calendar year. The four pilot districts for this initiative include Avonworth, Duquesne City, Elizabeth Forward and South Fayette. Each district is focusing on one grade level, and there are lead teachers in each of those four grade levels. The lead teachers have been able to accomplish incorporating RIASEC into their daily lessons, and build a common language and understanding amongst their students. There is a career grid that focuses on six different careers in each grade. Lessons and activities that the teachers have created are embedded into their curriculum to continue to build the capacity of having consistent strengths, interests, and a career focus for kids. Also regarding accomplishments include allowing students to understand who they are in this great big world, but also the other kids around them. Once students understand that everyone is gifted and talented in something, other children then have the opportunity to showcase their own talents. This has been an accomplishment that wasn’t anticipated when we started doing this work. However, students understanding one another and accepting that everyone is different has become a beautiful outcome of the World of Work.”

Ed Hidalgo with Philip Martell and Beth Carr at TRETC | Photo by Norton Gusky CC BY 2.0

Educators across the Pittsburgh region will have a great opportunity to explore the World of Work K-12 Workforce Development on Friday, March 3, 2023 at the River Valley STEAM Center campus. Ed Hidalgo, the Innovation and Engagement Advisor for the Cajon Valley School District, will outline the Cajon Valley model that personalizes pathways for every student. Joining Ed for this look at the importance of focusing on the World of Work will be Beth Carr from Beable, a software platform that provides personalized learning experiences using the RIASEC model, and Philip Martell, the Superintendent of River Valley.

The Beable software is a great resource, but not required for all students to use. According to Ashli Detweiler, “Only Duquesne City is using the Beable software for the literacy component. Because our goal is to build a free framework for any district to implement, we have been utilizing Google to ensure we are being equitable with sharing. Should districts want our resources they could be embedded into a Canvas Course.”

(Updated information 3/6/2023)

All the roads for a better understanding of the World of Work led to the River Valley STEAM center campus, on Friday, March 3. Here’s a video overview of what happened at the WOW Summit.

Both the River Valley and Pittsburgh teams will be heading to the World of Work Conference in San Diego, CA March 23-25. Philip Martell, Jeff Geesey, the Workforce Development Coordinator for RV, Ashli Detweiler, and Michelle Miller, the Superintendent of the South Fayette School District, will be speakers at the event.

Artificial Intelligence in K-12

Why is it important for all learners (students, parents, teachers, community members) to become more aware of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? To answer this question I reached out to a series of educators in the Pittsburgh region who are working with K-12 students and educators. I’ll take a look at the work being done at the Readiness Institute (RI) of Penn State, resources and insights from the Birdbrain Technologies company, a spin-off from Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab, and teachers at the Winchester Thurston (WT) School who have developed a course in Machine Learning for High School.

Why is AI important for K-12 students to learn?

According to Bambi Brewer who worked on curricular materials for Birdbrain Technologies:

I think it is important for everyone to learn something about AI because AI systems are making decisions in our world right now, and I think everyone should have the information they need to help us as a society make responsible decisions about what kinds of systems we use and what decisions we do or don’t want them to make.

In my conversation with Lance Lindauer, the Executive Director for PART (Partnership to Advance Responsible Technology), we discussed the importance of AI as a part of digital technology education. Lance believes it’s important for learners to understand how to exert control over their personal agency when using various forms of technology. Also, as technology today is infused into all fields – health, education, manufacturing, transportation – and it’s vital for people to see that technology as something that is not scary, rather it has tremendous benefits when developed and deployed responsibly and ethically. Lance stressed the importance for each person to become an “ambassador” for themselves in a technology economy, and to interact with technology in positive ways to also help benefit one’s community.

Moreover, it’s critical that people understand how to responsibly use that technology. Bambi Brewer extended that idea to algorithms, the mathematical approach to finding patterns that underlies AI:

My goal is to get people talking in an informed way about how we deal with things like the bias that can occur with AI algorithms. Sometimes people see that just because it is technology, it is inherently unbiased, and that just isn’t true. All technology, for better or worse, is the product of the people who create it and embeds their assumptions and biases.

The Birdbrain Technologies website makes the point about looking at AI in the context of addressing questions of curiosity, creative problem solving and real world learning. According to the website:

Deep and joyful learning means digging into questions and issues that make students feel curious and passionate – and artificial intelligence certainly fits the bill!

In a course co-taught by Computer Science Chair David Nassar and Social Studies Chair Michael Naragon, Winchester Thurston students examine the dynamic ways in which social relationships and political policies shape and are shaped by technological changes. This interdisciplinary approach, according to Naragon, allows students “to become citizen-coders who understand the inner workings of A.I., which is often a black box to many.” This understanding helps students exercise greater amounts of agency, which in turn encourages them to become true “ambassadors.” According to David Nassar:

This will enable them to better predict the possible social and political consequences of technological change. Data science is becoming such an essential aspect to digital literacy today; it is critical that students are exposed to the way in which AI and Machine Learning work and are used so that they can employ it themselves when needed, and also vet when it may be misused.

How is AI incorporated into K-12 programs and projects?

For the past two summers Lance Lindauer has spent time with high school students that are part of the Readiness Institute at Penn State. The Readiness Institute runs a five week summer program for upcoming seniors in high school. According to Lance the program tries to provide students with real world needs rooted in emerging-technology trends and data. Lance works with the students to understand the link between AI and digital technology and how it can interact with informing public policy, guide regional strategic decision making and investment, or boost education curriculum. In another school program, PART works with local middle schools and high schools on how to comprehend innovation and various technology topics by facilitating student-centered learning through podcasting. PART is working with local entities like Future Grind and the team at the Saturday Light Brigade (www.slb.org), a Pittsburgh-based multimedia non-profit, to express their point of view. Students not only gain insights into AI and the related technologies, but develop agency.

The Readiness Institute also runs a 4 week Saturday program during the school year as part of the Mark Cuban’s Foundation for AI Bootcamp. According to the RI website: Over the course of four half-days, students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. The Bootcamp brings local AI experts from universities and local companies to work with the students. The program has four components:

identify AI in the real world
build their own application
discuss AI ethics and bias in data
meet and learn from AI experts

Bambi Brewer created for Birdbrain Technologies a series of free resources that teachers, parents, or learners can tap into. The resources require the use of one of the physical robots – the Finch or Hummingbird – that Birdbrain developed with CMU:

AI RESOURCES FOR THE FINCH ROBOT 2.0:
AI with Finch in Python
AI with Finch in Snap!
AI RESOURCES FOR THE FINCH ROBOT 2.0:
AI with Hummingbird in Snap!

Bambi shared one fun example of how students can gain insights into “image recognition,” one of the byproducts of AI:

“…the funniest example to create was using image recognition to detect different Star Wars characters and control what the robot does based on the character that appears. For example, it plays Darth Vader’s music when it detects the Darth Vader mask.”

David Nassar (left) and Michael Naragon (right) engage in conversation with their students about binary classifiers in their co-taught course, Machine Learning and the Social Implications of A.I., at Winchester Thurston School.

At the Winchester Thurston School, a K-12 independent school in Pittsburgh, high school students are immersed in a course in Machine Learning. The course is a cross-discipline look at the impact of Machine Learning, one of the essential elements of Artificial Intelligence, on society and students’ lives. The topics that the course investigates are not limited, however, to the high school. Students throughout the K-12 program investigate the impact of AI/Machine Learning on their lives. This investigation culminates in a course with an original research project which is overseen by Naragon and Nassar. According to David Nassar who has been working on the course for four years with Michael Naragon:

“We have had students create full-scale research projects exploring how A.I. is used for facial recognition, classification of words used in presidential speeches, classification of hate speech in tweets, making medical diagnoses, and even predicting lifespans. We have had larger discussions on the use of A.I. and machine learning in the criminal justice system, the self-driving car industry, and in advertising. There are so many uses to A.I. and Machine Learning, and each year we seek to find novel ways to let our students explore them.”

Summary:

Artificial Intelligence has gained quite a bit of media coverage, but what we really want is for students, parents, and teachers to understand the role and responsible use for all digital technologies. As Bambi Brewer explains, “ The goal isn’t for advanced CS students to learn how to create the algorithms (even though that is interesting too), it is for anyone to be able to understand what AI is, and what programs that use it can and can’t do well.”

Emma Hance, the program manager and strategic planning specialist for the Readiness Institute states: AI and algorithms are shaped by the individuals who create them, so if we truly want to move toward a more equitable future, we need to have a diverse group of individuals involved at every step in the development process.