Work-Based Learning in Philadelphia



Work-Based Learning in Philadelphia

Work-Based Learning (WBL) provides an opportunity for students in the 11th and 12th grades to experience the world of work. Several aspects of the program transform what would ordinarily be considered another student job into an educational experience. First, each student has a work-site mentor who undergoes mentor training before any student contact is initiated. Second, at the advent of the WBL experience, the student, employer and teacher work together to create an individualized Learning Plan that connects what is happening at the workplace to what is being learned in the classroom. Third, the types of positions sought are not entry-level, “fax and file” jobs. Instead, the positions are structured to expose students to work environments and professionals reflecting the kinds of career-ladder opportunities associated with academic success. Work-Based Learning began with a dozen students in 1992, and has increased steadily each year, from a few hundred in 1994/95 to more than 3,000 each year, including summer programs, since 1997/98.[i] The results from Work-Based Learning have been extremely positive.

Drexel University Study [ii]-- Frank Linnehan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human Resources at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business, conducted a study of 440 WBL participants, comparing them with non-participants who were also deemed "work-ready.” That is, both groups had been screened and coached for job-readiness through mock-interviews, had a 2.0 grade-point average and 80% attendance, and were provided assistance in preparing a pre-employment portfolio including a resume. The study looked at "work-ready" students in four high schools comparing 1997 and 1998 grades, attendance rates, and peer influence.

The multiple regression analyses indicated that participation in Work-Based Learning had a positive, significant effect on both a student’s GPA and attendance. These effects were found after controlling for the influence of the student’s prior grades, attendance, year in school, and school attended. Longer Work-Based Learning placements (i.e., being placed before the middle of the school year) had more significant, positive effects on students’ grades and attendance when compared to shorter placements and to not being placed at all. An interesting additional finding is that program participation had a positive effect on GPA for those who reported negative peer social groups (i.e. they reported that their friends were more likely to cut school, use drugs, use alcohol, or get into trouble at school), while there was little effect on student GPA for those who reported positive peer influences.

Alumni Opinion Research Survey[iii] -- In October 1998, Madonna Yost, an opinion research firm, conducted a telephone survey of June 1997 graduates which included 272 students who had participated in Work-Based Learning while in high school and 302 alumni from the same schools who had not. The results of the survey, which obtained a cooperation rate of 83%, indicated:

← Almost twice as many WBL alumni than non-WBL alumni said their high school education helped them "very well" or "more than adequately" to prepare them for employment.

← Nearly half (44%) of the program's graduates reported receiving job offers from the organization in which they received their WBL training.

← Most WBL alumni rated the educational quality of their WBL experience as either "excellent" (39%) or "good" (48%).

← Of those who were currently employed, WBL alumni were more likely to be working in their chosen career area than non-WBL alumni (44% vs. 26%, respectively).

← Almost all (97%) WBL alumni would recommend the WBL program to others.

It is also interesting to note that: (a) the two groups pursued post-secondary education or entered the work force (within six months after graduation) in almost the exact same proportions and (b) WBL alumni were just as satisfied as their non-WBL peers when rating how well high school prepared them for college. These findings would seem to counter the claim or even dismissal of School-to-Career that it is only for “non college-bound” students.

School District data analysis[iv] – The District has kept data on Work-Based Learning participants and analyzed it by comparing all WBL students in 11th and 12th grade with their peers city-wide. Again, the results show higher attendance and graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and better grades for WBL participants. These positive results hold true when the scope of the analysis is narrowed to focus solely on students in Small Learning Communities in the comprehensive high schools, comparing them only with students in the same SLC’s with similar grades and attendance rates.

|1997-1998 Data |WBL Students |Non-WBL Students |

|Dropout Rate |0.0% |0.9% |

|Average Attendance |89.9% |85.4% |

|Graduation Rate |96.6% |91.7% |

There have also been assessments that focused on other aspects of School-to-Career, including the involvement of special needs students and the impact of professional development for teachers:

University of Pennsylvania Study[v] -- The National Organization on Disability and the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study of the Start on Success (S.O.S.) program, which they support in collaboration with the District to provide Work-Based Learning for special needs children. The study showed that the program improved student attendance, with average number of absences per year dropping from 80 prior to participation to 13 during participation. Over the previous 3 years, 80% of S.O.S. graduates remained employed either full-time or part-time, or continued with post-secondary education or training or some combination of both, compared with a less than 50% employment rate for disabled youth nationwide.

These studies collectively represent evidence of the success of Work-Based Learning in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, ongoing data collection and evaluation are still needed to inform policy and improve practice. Further assessments are currently in the planning stages and will include a focus on the impact of Service Learning and the effect of Work-Based Learning on post-graduation outcomes in employment and higher education.

Each year, hundreds of employers provide Work-Based Learning experiences to thousands of Philadelphia students. On the employer side, repeat participation levels from year-to-year, the lack of reports of dissatisfaction with the program,[vi] and the significant number of offers of full-time employment to WBL students[vii] all point to the ability of WBL to change perceptions and win supporters on an employer-by-employer basis. The same is true on the student side. The results of the opinion research survey described above[viii] point to students’ overwhelming satisfaction with the program. Anecdotally, we hear over and over from the students themselves, how the experience changes their perceptions of their own abilities, options and worth.

-----------------------

[i] Office of Education for Employment, School District of Philadelphia

[ii] Frank Linnehan, The effect of work-based learning on the academic performance of African-American, urban high school students (1999)

[iii] Madonna Yost Opinion Research, Work-Based Learning Alumni Survey (1999)

[iv] Office of Education for Employment, School District of Philadelphia, Comparisons of Work-Based Learning Participants and Non-Participants in the Same School-to-Career Small Learning Communities (1998)

[v] Margaret Beale Spencer, Christopher Ashford & Joseph Youngblood, II, The Philadelphia Start-On-Success (S-O-S) Scholars Internship Model Demonstration Program (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1998)

[vi] CED, Employer Roles, p. 83

[vii] Madonna Yost, WBL Survey

[viii] ibid

-----------------------

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

Fig. 3 – Comparison of Students Scoring Basic or Above on SAT-9

Note: All students met WBL criteria* and were from the same Small Learning Communities

Fig. 4 – Comparison of Students Scoring Basic or Above on SAT-9

Note: Students did not meet WBL criteria* and were from the same Small Learning Communities

Fig. 1 – Comparison of WBL and Non-WBL students from the same Small Learning Communities

Fig. 2 – Grade Comparison of WBL and Non-WBL students from the same Small Learning Communities

* To be eligible for Work-Based Learning, students had to earn a GPA of 2.0 or better in

the first report period and achieve an average daily attendance of 80% or better.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download