A survey of leaders in the business world paints a dire picture for the future of the American workforce.
Nearly three-quarters of survey participants (70 percent) cite deficiencies among incoming high school graduates in “applied” skills, such as professionalism and work ethic, defined as “demonstrating personal accountability, effective work habits, e.g. punctuality, working productively with others, time and workload management.”More than 40 percent of surveyed employers say incoming high school graduates hired are deficiently prepared for the entry-level jobs they fill. The report finds that recent high school graduates lack the basic skills in reading comprehension, writing and math, which many respondents say were needed for successful job performance. The Conference Board
This sounds great for homeschoolers. Not to capitalize on the failures of public institutions or anything
, but how many of us cite character related issues as a motivation for homeschooling? Not surprisingly, of the basic skills cited, writing was singled out as a skill in need of improvement. Good writing skills are critical for communication. Communication is critical to any business trying to compete in the information age. Competition is important in the global economy.
And the global economy is an oft-cited concern in defense of No Child Left Behind whose accountability standards have led to a proliferation of standardized tests. So much so that the testing industry cannot handle the volume of papers to grade, which has already resulted in serious mistakes.
Which brings us to Maryland. Who, with 100% agreement from the local superintendents is doing away with all short and long answer items on the high school exit exam and going completely to a multiple choice format.
The move to a pure multiple-choice format addresses complaints from school systems about how long the tests take to be processed. Written-response questions take much longer to grade than multiple-choice questions because they have to be evaluated by humans, not computers…The Washington Post
Welcome to Roscommon Acres, my little home in the country. I write here about life more abundantly, from the joy of a baby’s smile to the almost unbearable grief of losing a son. I am seeking beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3).
Just place "Tiggy" in the subject line.
We don’t need no stinkin’ writing… sorry, couldn’t resist.
Eloquently put…I’m sure you are rising to the top of the applicant pool. : )
In all seriousness, not only are these skills and characteristics not always taught within the public school walls, they are not always demonstrated by the people doing the teaching. And I don’t mean to bag on all public school teachers because there are some great ones!
I truly believe this carries over into the arena of skills. If our attitudes are lax in regard to our presentation and demeanor, than it would naturally seem to lead to a lax attitude in regards skill development as well…in many cases (not all.)
As one long term educator recently said to me: they [the students] just need to jump through the hoops, regardless if it’s busy work or if they like it or get anything from it.
Shawna, you are exactly right.
What I think is funny is that these really are “socialization” issues. And the public schools don’t seem to be doing a very good job. In fact, I believe this is also the same study that says that employers would sooner higher someone with the character qualities listed that had weak skills rather than someone with stronger skills, but not the listed “applied” skills.
Some things are worth investing in to educate a new employee, and if they demonstrate these skills, the investment will likely pay off. It doesn’t matter how skilled they are in other areas, if they have now personal accountability, etc., they are likely to be a poor investment because you will not be able to trust them.
Yes, agreed, Dana. So much for the public system’s advantages in teaching proper socialization, preparing for a working future etc..
Susan