EMPLOYER-LINKED CHARTER SCHOOLS: NEW KNOWLEDGE AND PRODUCTS by Suzanne Johnson in collaboration with Jake Blasczyk & Carol Chapin-Olson of the Center on Education and Work

Once upon a time, educators were less concerned than they are today about linkages between schools and what students did with their lives after they graduated. We learned everything we needed to know at our mother’s spinning wheel or our father’s knee.

However, the market revolution changed all that. Today, work is separated from home and formal schooling is separated from both work and home. Recent high school or college graduates will verify that a diploma doesn’t go very far when it comes to dealing with the “real world”. Fortunately, the charter school movement has the freedom to innovate and is stepping up to the plate, incorporating real-world practices with traditional curriculum.

Charter schools employ a broad array of real-world practices that include placements in real-world settings, learning opportunities beyond the use of conventional classrooms or textbooks, and demonstration of mastery under conditions similar to those in the community and professional world.

Building on the research of Public Policy Associates Associates, Charter Friends National Network, and the National Alliance of Business, the Center on Education and Work (CEW) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is studying a select group of charter high schools with programs that bring learning into the real world. According to CEW, these programs “foster connections between students and the world beyond the classroom. As a result, students acquire the skills, experiences, and attitudes needed for success as adults in the world of work, family, and community.”

Real-World Practices Program:
As defined by the CEW, “real-world practices connect student learning to adult life…Educators collaborate with individuals or groups outside of the educational system including employers, cultural institutions and nonprofit community organizations…(More importantly), value is placed on the mastery of skills, attitudes and behaviors associated with successful adulthood, alongside traditionally defined academic performance.”

The CEW project is an ongoing, federally funded research activity. At this juncture, project staff has already studied a select group of charter high schools that connect learning with real-world experiences. The original criteria for inclusion was:

• At least three years in operation
• A commitment to link learning to the world beyond classrooms
• A significant number of the students engaged in learning in a real world context

Initially, researchers gathered information through five strategies:

• On-site visits to 11 charter high schools. Descriptions of existing practices were gathered from staff and student interviews, surveys of seniors and recent graduates, and school documents. Information related to applied research questions was also collected.
• The study of 10 additional charter high schools by remote methods. Descriptions of existing practices were gathered from surveys and telephone interviews of staff and from school documents.
• A survey of 430 charter high school graduates 6-9 months after graduation.
• A survey of 430 charter high schools nationwide.
• Analysis of charter high school data compiled by the National Center on Education Statistics.

This information now serves as the foundation for product development for those interested in the implementation of “real-world” practices.

Products:
The project is now it its second phase. Data has been analyzed, and project staff are now preparing products for dissemination. Currently available is a website that supports the understanding of and implementation of practices that link learning to the larger world. (Available at http://www.cew.wisc.edu/charterschools.)

The following resources will be available over the next four months. (Watch for announcements on the project web site).

• Case studies: : In-depth information on all aspects of eight charter high schools including their use of real-world practices. This product will be helpful to those planning a charter high school or improving the use of real-world practices.
• Handbook: A handbook about charter high schools with real-world practices and contact information
• Compendium: A resource with descriptions of the components of real-world educational programs.
• Reports: A report of major project findings as well as findings from a graduate survey of students who attended charter high schools.
• Student Voices from Charter Schools:An audio CD highlighting student perceptions of charter high schools with real-world practices. Because this audio recording allows students to speak for themselves, it offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of those who attend charter high schools. In addition, the CD will be accompanied by a booklet with highlights of a graduate survey.

Preliminary Findings:
Thus far, project staff has learned much about charter high schools and their use of real-world practices. An important early finding was the discovery that the construct of “employer-linked” practices represented only a narrow segment of the methods used by charter school methods to link student learning to the real world beyond the classroom. Indeed, charter schools fulfill the goal of preparing students for the real world in myriad ways. The case studies in particular will demonstrate the complexity of achieving this goal. Plus, each study ends with a number of observations and insights into charter school operations.

For More Information:
Interested parties are encouraged to view the project website at http://www.cew.wisc.edu/charterschools. Or, contact project director Jake Blasczyk at (800)466-0399 or blasczyk@education.wisc.edu.

This exciting project will benefit educators, their business partners, and other constituencies who wish to be a part of the charter school movement. Undoubtedly, the students have much to gain, and they offer praise for their schools. Amado Dusman, a student at the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, is featured on the Student Voices section of the project website. He proclaims:

One of the most unique things about the school is that it places a great emphasis on
learning through …real-life experiences… These activities and assignments helped
students realize what path they should take after graduation….I believe my time at
high school was time well spent.

Submitted by: Suzanne M. Johnson, MA; Ph.D. student in history at Arizona State University in collaboration with Jake Blasczyk & Carol Chapin-Olson of the Center on Education and Work