Jacksonville Goes to College Week

Jacksonville Goes to College Week
October 9 – 15, 2011

Creating a multicultural mindset of attending college does not start in middle or high school,
but manifest itself at the primary and elementary levels. Statistics show that two thirds
of current and future jobs will require a college degree, at the minimum a Bachelors.

The U.S. Department of Labor finds that 62 percent of all U.S. jobs now require two-year
or four-year degrees. Careers are being created resulting from the integration of technology,
growing each year as the speed and intelligence of microprocessors grows. How can a person
compete with just a high school diploma when there is a major talent shift from low-skill jobs
to more complex knowledge jobs across the country? Even governmental sentiments are geared
to improved education, “America needs to provide a complete and competitive education for
every child from cradle through career” Higginbottom, H. Director of Domestic Policy.

Throughout America’s history each succeeding generation is better educated and better prepared
for future careers than the previous generation (www.acteonline.org/). When looking at the
educational paradigm shift, high schools working in preparing students for high tech, knowledge management careers. Because of the changes in falling manual labor jobs, dwindling careers
where labor was once performed in the fields and factories affect the skill level and knowledge
level of workers. There is a great discussion on the direction of college attendance and the
change in curriculums that are College Prep, the elimination of vocational education in high
schools and the closing of Skill Centers. The direction in educational circles is guided by
business, industry, medicine, science and incorporation of Knowledge Management skills
whether technical, medical, educational, research and even Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM ) are guiding learning in public and higher educational circles.

KM (knowledge management) comes from acquiring, managing and sharing information. Students are learning how to acquire, interpret, and apply knowledge to higher order thinking skills. This is common place in higher education where research based learning is performed. While teaching Educational Technology (Edu Tec 250) at Edward Waters College I integrate project and knowledge management in my curriculum to empower students and guide them to learn how to manage information, work collaboratively and share resources. If students do not learn these skills as they progress from elementary, middle and high school they will be challenged in higher education with the amount of information that is necessary to be processed and applied in productivity.

Educational research shows that much of students work is invisible (mental processing) and sometimes a challenge to measure with traditional assessment tools because processing goes on inside students heads and on multiple levels of comprehension, awareness and processing. If you have students that do not have a foundation of previous (older) knowledge it is harder to process and apply new knowledge. “Knowledge workers are going to be the primary force in careers and how businesses are successful” (Allan Alter 2005, cioinsight.com/). Public school educators are learning from higher educators (college/university) the importance of (KM) in growing careers that teaching students to manage data, interpret information, and analyze statistics. Business leaders are learning that their informational infrastructure will be managed by people who have been prepared in high schools and higher educational institutions.  Allan Alter has stated, “They (knowledge managers) are the key source of growth in most organizations.”

In relevancy to this DCPS has shown its commitment to guiding students to higher education stating, “Duval County Public Schools serves approximately 125,000 students. The school district is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy, and culturally diverse world (DCPS web site).

This is something that cannot be developed rapidly in higher education, it has to be nurtured as students progress from primary school to high school. Look at the development of Apple, Microsoft, Google, and even Facebook. All started by young entrepreneurs that embraced knowledge management and development. There are options for students who do not have the aspiration or aptitude for college and their needs should be met as well to be successful and contributory to society. Schools districts should not turn a deaf ear, nor ignore students who do not want to attend college, their educational preparation is just as vital to society. Elementary schools such as Andrew Robinson Elementary with the theme “College Preparation” as a guide; classrooms display college/university banners, teacher talk about their educational experiences in college, guest speakers are invited to talk to students (Jacksonville Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars) and mentors / role models (Dr. Johnny Gaffney, City Council) are sought to inspire the desire to work to graduation from high school and onward to college.

This week of October 9^th to October 15^th designed to engage families, communities, school staff, and students in activities that promote college admission and success.  Educators, politicians, law enforcement, parents, clergy, and community stakeholders must work together to empower students with the academic as well as strong social disciplines to attend higher and vocational education becoming successful graduates. It takes a village to raise leaders nurturing success in all our children.

Jacksonville National College Fair
Sat., October 15
Prime Osborn Convention Center, 9 am. to 1 pm.,
Admissions is FREE, parking is $5.
Students in grades 8-12 are encouraged to attend with their families