connected learning.

School-to-career principles offer deeper learning opportunities for students, who can see the purpose and application for new knowledge and skills.

Even before "A Nation at Risk" appeared in 1983, and certainly since that time, we have been served a non-stop supply studies and surveys that bemoan the decline of quality in American public schools. Amidst the reports and lists of recommendations is a reform direction that has its center in "connected" contextual learning.

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 included in its authorizing language a specific call for an educational system that creates a smoother transition between school and the workplace. It suggests that students should fully understand and appreciate the purpose of the curriculum they study, and how the knowledge and skills associated with their learning connect to their future.

Six years ago, an article in Fortune magazine (April 28, 1994) made the following assumptions:

1. Students' skills are failing to keep pace with rising workforce qualifications and school reform has not kept pace with expectations.

2. Business involvement in education has yielded a staggering lack of progress in proportion to the size of its investment.

3. Business-education partnerships are difficult to manage at the implementation level, and few achieve significant results.

As discouraging as this sounds, one positive statement came out of the same article. "Results are achievable by business-education partnerships that are strategic, concentrate on the quality of their management and hold all partners accountable." This has become the chief operating principle of productive partnerships today.

Of course, being strategic requires time. Fortunately, many successful school-to-career programs and partnership efforts are proving that patience, clear objectives and accountability are producing measurable payoffs.

If there was an answer for how we could increase academic rigor for all students, would we be willing to listen and then use the methodologies? Clearly, there are still many doubters who refuse to let go of the traditionally honored "screening and sorting" model that limits access to the most aggressive curriculum to the "best and the brightest."

What about the vast majority of young people today who do not complete a college/university experience? Is it possible to better prepare those who complete academic training with high school and/or community college diplomas as well as college-bound students with a more rigorous and meaningful educational experience?

Fortunately, there is an answer and it exists in the definition of school-to-career principles. In its simplest form, deep learning occurs when the learner sees purpose and application for newly acquired knowledge and skills.

Although not a particularly new concept, the lights are going on in the heads of many educators regarding the vital importance of connected learning. Often referred to as contextualized learning, school-to-career, hands-on, tech prep or practical learning, the notion of connected learning is probably the most consistent thread found in nearly every reform model of the last 50 years.

Many California and U.S. educational design models have often been justifiably accused of having curriculum that is "a mile wide and an inch deep." Although the intentions of the educational community were pure, efforts to expose students to every bit of knowledge, skill and concept we could conjure up have unwittingly contributed to the diluting of the educational experience.

At the core of meaningful learning is an experience that creates an "ah-hah," or -- using the jargon of today's brain research -- increases the number of neuron synapses and consequently enhances one's potential for recalling and ultimately using information in a productive way. For students who have on-the-job opportunities to see applications of the theories they learn, "ah-hahs" are a common occurrence.

Examples of niche programs that have demonstrated that academic rigor and career connections are not mutually exclusive are now abundant in California schools. They occur most successfully where businesses and elected officials support the community's obligation to partner with K-12 schools, providing job-shadowing opportunities, internships and classroom instruction provided directly by business partners.

Rigor and application can co-exist

Those communities that have developed effective school-to-career programs recognize that the conversation of conflict between application education and academic rigor is misplaced. In the words of former U.S. School-to-Work Director J.D. Hoye, "School-to-career and academic rigor are not mutually exclusive; rather, increased rigor and depth of learning through application is what enlightened school-to-career programs are achieving."

Alan Greenspan recently made it quite clear that one of our nation's most pressing economic issues involves how we deal with our youthful workforce. Perhaps while we argue the issue of rigor, we ought to also recognize the need to make our classrooms interesting and relevant. Students involved in School-to-Career programs demonstrate better test scores, attendance and even college acceptance rates. They sense the value of their education and consequently thrive in a more connected environment.

Ten essential principles

In a booklet entitled "Looking Forward: School-to-Work Principles and Strategies for Sustainability," a group of interested business, government and education representatives restated 10 important principles of school-to-career (see "FINDING MEANING"), most of which were imbedded in the original School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994. A thorough understanding of these principles should make it clear that connected learning benefits all students. Whether they ultimately receive post-secondary diplomas or enter the workforce after high school graduation, all experience a deeper and more meaningful education.

The forgotten two-thirds

Although 50 percent of high school graduates surveyed indicate they intend to matriculate to four-year universities, only 25 percent actually do enroll and complete a degree within five years. Those who enter the workforce directly and those who do not complete post-secondary diplomas make up more than two-thirds of our nation's high school graduates. Their education must be better connected in order to provide an appropriate foundation that will enable them to be successful in the workplace.

In a recent survey of teens, 90 percent said that school would be more interesting and meaningful if it were taught in connection with what goes on in our economy and how specific products and services interrelate. Learning will always be more interesting and meaningful when its purpose is understood by the learner. In partnerships with business and industry, learning can become more "connected," and ultimately -- and most importantly -- more productive and satisfying.

FINDING MEANING

The 10 important principles of school-to-career include:

1 STC promotes high standards of academic learning and performance for all young people. In New York, studies have shown that STC students more often were engaged in problem-solving activities, used their imagination and creativity, engaged in teamwork and learned and practiced new skills (Westchester Institute for Human Services Research Inc., 1998).

2 STC incorporates industry-valued standards that help inform curricula and lead to respected and portable credentials.

3 STC provides opportunities for contextual learning. Most meaningful instruction is delivered contextually.

4 STC helps to create smaller, more effective learning communities that are broad in base, including businesses and other non-school organizations.

5 STC expands opportunities for all young people and exposes them to a broad array of career opportunities, reducing the gulf between the "haves" and "have-nots,"

6 STC provides program continuity between K-12 and postsecondary education and training, a critical area of articulation clearly now in its infancy.

7 STC provides work-based learning that is directly tied to classroom learning. This works best when business is involved in curriculum development.

8 STC assists employers in providing high quality, work-based learning opportunities. This allows schools to invest more human resources in the workplace.

9 STC connects young people with supportive adults, mentors and other role models.

10 STC promotes the role of brokering/ intermediary organizations. Another impressive byproduct of STC is involvement of secondary organizations in facilitating connected activities between the school and the workplace, thus enhancing the nature of a "learning community" (Peter Senge).

David E. Brown is superintendent of Napa Valley Unified School District.