[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”20867″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1683769565028{padding-right: 10% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;}”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n
MOREHEAD \u2014 For chemistry students at Rowan County Senior High, lab experiments testing properties of water will produce more than scores for a teacher\u2019s grade book. Students\u2019 findings and questions are designed to spark lively conversations \u2014 in this case about aliens, telescopes scanning for inhabitable planets, and the challenges of colonizing distant moons.<\/p>\n
Turning chemistry into investigations built around storylines that grab students’ interests are now a fixture for building a deeper understanding of academic standards.\u00a0Teachers April Adkins and Brianna Greenhill make chemistry a catalyst for compelling student interaction.<\/p>\n
Last school year, nearby Carter Caves became the surprise classroom to study intermolecular forces \u2014 a field trip to explore how rainwater and limestone interact to carve massive underground chambers, trails and habitat.<\/p>\n
Water experiments this fall were part of a chemistry unit asking students to look for patterns in molecules like carbohydrates, enzyme proteins, metal ions, and more that are building blocks of life on Earth. Students reported patterns of elements, charged particles, and water present across the samples. That knowledge helps students understand discoveries from the infrared astronomy of the new James Webb Space Telescope, and how it uses spectroscopy to analyze the atmosphere of distant planets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hooked,\u201d said Adkins, a 12-year teacher. \u201cWe are hearing from parents and the community that kids are talking about chemistry at home, which is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaving academic content and relevant topics into engaging learning experiences also promotes other skills: Using evidence and findings to generate questions, design investigations, function as a team, regroup at dead ends, and present results \u2014 all now part of high school chemistry in Morehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cProblem-solving, communication and research are just parts of the learning process,\u201d said Greenhill, now in her 14th year teaching. \u201cThese are things that can happen when students are absorbing content knowledge more.\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are skills that will last through their lives,\u201d Adkins added.<\/p>\n
Curiosity and creativity are taking root in an increasing number of Kentucky schools and districts as fuel for stronger academic understanding and high-demand problem-solving skills.<\/p>\n
Hands-on “deeper learning” can be a spark for educators seeking outcomes beyond mere passing grades. Such experiences fit well with existing efforts to assure student mastery of academic standards, provide re-teaching to make sure that students fully understand fundamentals, and address individual learning styles and needs.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”20581″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text single_style=””]MATH TEACHER ALISSA NANNIE works with students on the properties of similar figures at\u00a0Grace James Academy of Excellence in Jefferson County.<\/i><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]More engaging learning experiences are also rooted in local desires to deliver more meaningful education experiences and a diploma that connects with adult success.<\/p>\n In response to an interconnected, technological world, Kentucky schools and districts have been drafting new \u201cgraduate profiles.\u201d As a result, skills like problem solving, communication, adaptability, citizenship, and more are becoming part of the goal of academic achievement.<\/p>\n In Rowan County, the focus on deeper student learning has grown over the past four years. It has encouraged both in-depth projects like those created by the high school chemistry teachers and the district\u2019s graduate profile, stating its intent to equip all students as lifelong learners, effective communicators, global citizens, critical thinkers, and active collaborators.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started down this road by asking what we are expecting students to master and what skills our community is wanting in high school students,\u201d explained Brandy Carver, the former Rowan County Senior High principal who now serves as the district\u2019s director of professional learning and districtwide programs.<\/p>\n Carver said that the updated focus points educators toward stronger connections with employers and the community while boosting student engagement.<\/p>\n She said that the district is committed to producing graduates better prepared for the world beyond high school.<\/p>\n While proficiency in reading, writing, math, science, and other academic fundamentals is essential, good grades are an inadequate measure of the know-how needed to thrive as adults.<\/p>\n Examining 82 million job postings in 2019 and 2020, the group America Succeeds, based in Denver, found that skills in communication, leadership, self-management, and critical thinking were the most common attributes sought in postings across all job categories.<\/p>\n The non-profit group developed a list of \u201cdurable skills\u201d most needed in today\u2019s workforce. Employers want to see that job candidates can apply knowledge \u2014 collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking \u2014 along with characteristics like leadership, fortitude, character, growth mindset, self-awareness, and personal management.<\/p>\n The group said that in an economy that values agility, \u201cstudents and workers will need to commit to \u2018up-skilling\u2019 and \u2018re-skilling\u2019 as they respond to economic shifts and disruptions.\u201d<\/p>\n In its 2021 report, \u201cThe High Demand for Durable Skills,\u201d America Succeeds calls on state policymakers and school leaders to ensure students are ready for the job market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best preparation in the face of uncertainty and rapid innovation is a combination of academics, digital literacy, and durable skills,\u201d the report stated. \u201cWe need intentional, strategic policies and practices that strengthen the linkages between education and workforce.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]Many Kentucky schools are moving in that direction.<\/p>\n Last summer, the state\u2019s eight regional education cooperatives \u2014 groups that provide support services for school districts \u2014 launched a major campaign to train and support educators in spreading \u201cdeeper learning\u201d experiences and assessments. The co-ops won a $24.5 million grant from the state\u2019s education-focused COVID-relief funds for a three-year effort to support local \u201cdeeper learning\u201d experiences. Of 171 Kentucky school districts, 167 joined the effort.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as a collaborative response to reimagine school for all and accelerate student learning,\u201d said Bart Flener, a former superintendent who directs the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative in Bowling Green. Pandemic shutdowns and remote learning caused administrators to consider new approaches that would improve student success, he said. For co-op leaders, spreading concepts like durable skills and more interesting learning experiences fit the moment.<\/p>\n Observers say that the drive for more meaningful school outcomes is well underway in many areas. Education leaders have been initiating local conversations about essential skills, expanding internships and community service opportunities to connect schools and communities, and supporting classroom outcomes that stretch beyond one-dimensional test scores or an outdated high school diploma.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got an opportunity right now to say let\u2019s look at success in a different way,\u201d Flener said. \u201cVibrant learning experiences \u2014 more collaboration and innovation \u2014 are about how students can use what they know in new situations they are going to face in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n A school culture of student engagement, empowerment, and sense of belonging were top goals in Jefferson County three years ago when it established Grace James Academy of Excellence, a new middle school that will grow to encompass high school years.<\/p>\n Better systems to monitor student achievement, lessons steeped in project-based learning, and a personalized classroom approach are ways the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) magnet school for girls builds involvement and academic results.<\/p>\n Skills like collaboration, resilience, originality and willingness are also bedrocks, even in off-campus experiences that connect students to career pathways and practitioners.<\/p>\n Principal Ronda Cosby said that relevant academics that emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking and the focus on collaboration and communication are a good fit for students, who she describes as eager for more active, involved learning and skill-building connected to a fast-moving economy.<\/p>\n She said that adapting to current economic needs and future demands are often a tougher shift for adults in the system accustomed to a rigid assembly-line model of education.<\/p>\n \u201cSchool does not reflect the generation that we currently serve,\u201d Cosby explained. \u201cSeats in rows, stand-and-deliver teaching, apathetic kids? Students are excited and ready to learn. We need to be wide open to what school can and should be for today\u2019s students.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]At Grace James, the new approach has made student perspective a prime focus for adults, which has produced greater attention to classrooms that are comfortable and appealing to students \u2014 from furniture to layout and atmosphere. Meanwhile, serious student discourse is a goal for what teaching produces in classrooms.<\/p>\n \u201cOur whole job is not to school students, it\u2019s to educate them,\u201d Cosby said. \u201cWe school them to death, then they learn the game of school and become compliant, ritualistic learners. We need learners who are engaged and who own it when it comes to the outcome and performance. We are creating a school that empowers, activates and illuminates academic excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n Planning for outcomes that include skills and student engagement is a major change, said math teacher Alissa Nannie.<\/p>\n \u201cPersonalized learning has really helped me grow,\u201d she said. It requires a stronger connection with students, openness to different approaches and even different answers, a clear focus on the daily goal, and a readiness to keep working to help students understand key ideas, Nannie added.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready to provide so many opportunities for you to show me you\u2019ve mastered what you need to know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Abigail Seow, an eighth grader, said that the school helps students see their academic progress and areas where more work is needed. At the same time, it gives students experiences that help them have \u201ca more open mind\u201d to future careers and ways of being involved.<\/p>\n Fellow eighth grader Diamond Barnes said that the school\u2019s eagerness to hear students\u2019 voices is important. Encouraging students\u2019 interests also makes her pleased to be at Grace James. \u201cWe have deeper connections than just learn and go home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This fall in Rowan County, fifth graders at Tilden Hogge Elementary in the rolling hills north of Morehead had the school playground on their minds like never before.<\/p>\n Far from daydreaming, students were tackling issues previously handled by adults running schools. When the co-ops\u2019 grant offered training for teachers in planning and delivering project-based learning over the summer, six of the 10 teachers at Tilden Hogge volunteered and then trained their colleagues.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”18777″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text single_style=””]FIFTH GRADERS AT TILDEN HOGGE ELEMENTARY spent part of the fall learning about community uses of public spaces, focusing on ways to improve the school playground. Pictured are (from left) Ellie Kidd, Jaida Mays, Milyn Mason, (front) Joel Howard and Colton Branham.<\/i><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]After the training, the school planned projects at each grade level about decision making and community involvement, covering academic standards throughout the process.<\/p>\n Fifth graders at the 200-student school explored how community spaces bring people together. The school\u2019s playground was a focal point.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thinking about our school\u2019s space and what we should do with it,\u201d explained Milyn Mason. Personally, she liked the idea of a bigger see-saw. She said the idea of space to accommodate a movie night for locals came up. Students discussed possibilities in class, examined the space, and asked parents, families, and classmates for input. They\u2019ve also learned about strategies for gaining wider input from the community.<\/p>\n Students studied the challenge of creating and measuring responses to open-ended questions versus a set list when designing a survey. They found that interview responses often provided the best input. \u201cIt\u2019s been really interesting to learn about what a survey researcher does,\u201d said Joel Howard. He hoped that a new swing set would make the cut once the group reached a final conclusion, which the group said would come with charts to back up their recommendations.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need data to create new things,\u201d noted Colton Branham. He said that students discussed space and how things might fit. They were also mindful of safety issues and costs before they present final recommendations.<\/p>\n Principal Brandy Breeze said the process has covered academic standards while reaching into the community, giving students a new taste of ownership and deep involvement as they learn. \u201cIt will grow from here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of reading to do, but I\u2019ve been excited,\u201d fifth-grader Jaida Mays said of the school space project. She enjoys reading as well as solving problems in math. \u201cI didn\u2019t know it was going to be fun. We\u2019re pretty lucky \u2014 I don\u2019t think kids at many schools have gotten to do this before.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n TOP PHOTO: Chemistry students at Rowan County Senior High test properties of water and other materials in lab experiments as part of a project focused on the ingredients required to support life.\u00a0<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner background_color=”#fdfaa6″ css=”.vc_custom_1673437777931{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-color: #fdfaa6 !important;}”][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n A FOUR-PART 1. RETHINKING NECESSARY SKILLS & ENGAGING EXPERIENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n An eye beyond high school \u00a0<\/strong>Resources for thinking about how schools connect with preparation for adult life beyond high school, and workforce trends in particular:<\/p>\n Some basic elements of education<\/strong>\u00a0 Kentucky\u2019s 1990 overhaul of education laws included an overarching statement about the intent of its system of public education. Amended in 2000, KRS 158.645<\/a>\u00a0spells out eight capacities all students should acquire. The list begins and ends with statements that connect directly with the concepts behind local graduate profiles and summaries of durable skills: The law begins by calling for \u201ccommunication skills necessary to function in a complex and changing civilization.\u201d It also expects sufficient preparation to choose and pursue one\u2019s life’s work intelligently, and skills that enable each student to \u201dcompete favorably with students in other states.\u201d<\/p>\n Help wanted<\/strong>\u00a0 The non-profit group America Succeeds<\/a> examined 80 million national job postings in 2020 and 2021 to determine what employers defined as \u201chigh demand\u201d attributes. The group found that even more than technical skills or specialized knowledge, \u201can important set of durable \u2018soft skills\u2019 that last a lifetime\u201d are in high demand. That list includes critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity that involve ways to use knowledge. In addition, character skills like fortitude, growth mindset, and leadership were also commonly sought. See the skill areas and associated tasks in the group\u2019s report, The High Demand for Durable Skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kentucky demand<\/strong>\u00a0 The Prichard Committee commissioned America Succeeds to analyze skills that Kentucky employers are seeking<\/a>. The resulting study of 885,000 open positions over the past two years found that 74 percent requested at least one durable skill, and 42 percent requested at least three. Published in late 2022, the analysis showed that communication and leadership skills are regularly requested for available positions. Metacognition, including planning and multi-tasking; critical thinking, from research to troubleshooting; and collaboration, like teamwork or coordinating roles rounded out the Top 5 skills being sought.<\/p>\n Kentucky data<\/strong>\u00a0 The Kentucky Center for Statistics publishes a host of charts and reports compiling data about education outcomes and labor market trends. A 2020 report with explanation<\/a> looks at Kentucky employment projections across hundreds of occupations between 2018 and 2028. The center\u2019s website also collects a range of recent reports and online dashboards<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner background_color=”#fafbb9″ css=”.vc_custom_1673438254176{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-color: #fafbb9 !important;}”][vc_column_text single_style=””]This special report on durable skills and deeper learning showcases emerging issues and school efforts to better connect school work and adult success.<\/em><\/p>\n ABOUT THE SERIES<\/p>\n THIS STORY: \u00a01. RETHINKING NECESSARY SKILLS & ENGAGING EXPERIENCES<\/a> <\/strong>to better prepare students for challenges to learn, work, and thrive beyond high school.<\/p>\n 2. UPDATING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0with local graduate profiles, greater student voice, and new connections to employers and communities.<\/p>\n 3. RENEWING PROFESSIONAL POSSIBILITIES<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>as educators explore creative options for learning experiences and personalized connections that spark student interest.<\/p>\nDURABLE SKILLS IN HIGH DEMAND<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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We started down this road by asking what we are expecting students to master and what skills our community is wanting in high school students.<\/h2>\n
\u2014 Brandy Carver, Rowan County Schools<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
EDUCATION BEYOND THE ASSEMBLY LINE<\/h3>\n
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Seats in rows, stand-and-deliver teaching, apathetic kids? Students are excited and ready to learn. We need to be wide open to what school can and should be for today\u2019s students.<\/h2>\n
\u2014 Ronda Cosby, principal of Grace James Academy of Excellence in Jefferson County<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
EXPANDING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS, EDUCATORS<\/h3>\n
M A Y \u00a0 2 0 2 3<\/h6>\n
\nSPECIAL REPORT<\/span><\/p>\n