The past six months have helped more clearly define the
research agenda for this project. In our attempt to begin collecting data from
CEC graduates, parents, and employers we have encountered a number of
logistical challenges that have made it unexpectedly difficult to proceed as
planned. However, these challenges have provided us with opportunities to
implement data collection systems that should allow us to collect the necessary
data more efficiently in the proceeding tenure of this study.
The highlights of the past six months that will be discussed
in detail in this report are:
·
Faculty satisfaction survey was launched, data
collected and analyzed – faculty overall were found to be satisfied,
experienced, and well educated with a 50% participation rate.
·
Parent and Graduate survey for Cohort 1 released
(Class one consisted of 95 CEC graduates, class of 2001) – Parents and students
appear to be satisfied with the education attained at CEC, although only 4
parent surveys and 1 student survey have been collected thus far (out of a
total of 95 CEC graduates and their parents)
·
Commitment to collect data from all CEC students
and not only from students who successfully attained technical certificates
from West Central Technology College in order to determine how many students
who attend CEC successfully earn certificates and also to identify those who did
not earn certificates so that some of the reasons for not successfully
attaining a certificate can be identified.
·
Introduction of the adult learner as part of the
sampling frame to be studied as part of this research.
The research at CEC has generated quite a bit of interest in
the academic research community as we have been accepted to both the American
Educational Research Association (AERA, www.aera.net)
and International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI, www.ispi.org) conferences.
Plans for the next few months will include continuation of
the data collection efforts from Cohort 1, development of a general survey for
all current CEC students to be administered during the Spring term, collection
of hard performance data for CEC graduates (standardized test scores, grade
point average, etc.) and begin initial plans to start data collection for
Cohort 2.
In Year One, approximately 95 students
earned technical certificates at CEC who also graduated from high school. In
Year Two, this number increased 38% to approximately 157 technical certificate
holders.
The following is a breakdown of this group:
81 or 52% of the students were female, 76 or 48% were male.
This ratio is closer in gender breakdown then Cohort 1, which was 58% to 42%
female to
Figure 1 - Cohort 2 Gender Breakdown
male, respectively.
A closer look at the
gender breakdown by certificate indicates that specific technical certificates
tend to be predominately male or female:
Figure 2 - Cohort 1 and 2 Gender Comparison
It is important to note two things about the gender breakdown
for Cohort 2: 1) Similar to Cohort 1 there was a higher percentage of females
(52%) than males (48%) who earned technical certificates; however, after a
closer look that 2) the certificates were earned
Figure 3 - Technical Certificates Earned by Gender
down gender specific lines and the higher percentage of
females who earned certificates appeared to be linked to the fact that there
were simply more females than males that earned certificates in total. See
Figure 3 for the breakdown by gender of those who earned technical
certificates.
Due to an error in data collection, additional data on
Cohort 2 could not be provided at the time this report was prepared due to
insufficient information on the certificate holders; we are in the process of
collecting the contact information from CEC and West Central so that we can
begin data collection efforts, which will begin by March 2003. A detailed
report will be provided in Report 3.
20 members of the CEC administration, faculty, and staff
responded to our online survey regarding their general demographics,
satisfaction level, educational experience, and general thoughts on multiple
criteria. The return rate was 38% as CEC has a combined staff of 52 employees
shared with West Central Technical
College (4
administrators, 40 directors, 5 support staff, 2 guidance counselors, and 1
technical director). The survey was made available online for a two-week period
from 10/25/02 to 11/8/02. Please see attachment A for the online survey
instrument used.
The following table illustrates the breakdown of
classifications of the 20 people who completed the surveys:
Figure 4 - Faculty/Staff Survey Respondent Classifications
Of the respondents the majority were female (65%) and
Caucasian (75%) as shown in Figure 5 below:
Figure 5 - Gender and Ethnicity of Faculty/Staff
Surveys
In terms of age, teaching experience, and overall education
the respondents were mature, well experienced, and highly educated:
Figure 6 - Age Range of Faculty/Staff
Respondents
55% or 11 of the respondents reported being in the 45-54 age
group with another 15% or 3 respondents reporting in the 55-64 age group. This
means 70% of the respondents or 14 of the 20 respondents reported being 45 or
older.
50% of CEC faculty/staff respondents had 21+ years of
teaching experience, 70% over 8 years of experience, and 85% over at least 4+
years of teaching experience:
Combined with the age variable, this suggests that CEC
faculty and staff are highly experienced and mature in terms of both age and
teaching experience. Figure 7 below shows the specific breakdowns:
Figure 7 - Teaching Experience of Faculty/Staff
Close to 50% of the respondents held master’s degrees:
Figure 8 - Education of
Faculty/Staff Respondents
Respondents were asked how teaching at CEC was different
than then their teaching experience at other schools. The responses centered on
more motivated students, more freedom to innovate and be creative, support and
encouragement from administration, and hands-on instruction that does not make
moving onto college the central focus.
Some difficulties included the inability to “recruit” prospective
students and being removed from the base high schools causing communication
problems. Figure 9 illustrates some of these direct quotes:
Figure 9 - In what way is CEC
different than other schools?
|
Faculty/Staff Comments
|
|
Harder to recruit
(the right students) because prospective students are not in your building…to
work with counselors and those involved with registration at other schools.
Equipment and administrative support is much improved over most schools.
|
|
I feel that almost
everyone has a common goal, that being student success whether it leads to
college, tech college, or workforce. At the base schools the main emphasis is
on college irregardless if that is the best solution for the student. Those
that are not college material are deemed unworthy of some teachers best
efforts. Consequently, teachers who teach non-college classes are second
class.
|
|
Compared to other
High Schools, I feel the atmosphere here at CEC is much more relaxed,
students are more focused and student behavior in most cases is better.
|
|
We are a hands-on
and skills-based educational facility. It is different because we do not
believe that college is a necessity for every student. We encourage our students to work in
industry, health, and technical fields. We teach work ethics in every
classroom on a daily basis and our policies and procedures of operation
reflect this.
|
|
The students are
generally more interested in being in school because they have chosen to be
in programs that interest them. With higher interest comes better discipline
and motivation.
|
|
The focus is
vocational/career post secondary training
|
|
…discussions with
other teachers have reinforced my belief that CEC
1) has open-minded, professional,
respected administrators
2) recognizes the need for innovation
3) demands student responsibility
4) is free of excessive
extra-curricular distractions.
Students are free to participate in extra-curricular activities at their
base high school but we don't have an excessive number of students missing
class for club meetings, etc
|
|
More professional
atmosphere and more cooperation among faculty.
|
|
Students behave
better in this environment. Student
success is #1. Administrators
constantly encourage you and your students.
I have taught in 5 other schools-the difference is unbelievable.
|
|
Students are much
more motivated to pursue their own goals. It is imperative that we focus on
how our classes help students reach those goals. we also do not have many of
the distractions that other high schools have such as pep rallies, etc.
|
|
You are treated as
a professional, I can concentrate on my subject matter without homeroom and
other distractions, I am encouraged to innovate and use hands-on, real-world
projects. The spirit of cooperation is encouraged by administration and
faculty. It is fun to be here each day.
|
When asked what kind of qualities
were necessary to succeed at a school like CEC, responses focused on
flexibility, creativity, the ability to “think outside of the box”, and a
strong belief in students and preparing them for their future. Figure 10
represents some of these direct quotes:
Figure 10 - What qualities would be
needed to teach at CEC?
Previous interviews and
observations with faculty, staff, and students suggested that students at CEC
were treated with more respect. 100% of the respondents agreed with this
statement:
Figure 11 – Why are students treated
with more respect at CEC?
|
Faculty/Staff Responses
|
|
Strong focus on
work ethics
|
|
We as a staff
really want these kids to succeed.
|
|
They may be given
more responsibility for their own learning than in some high school classes.
|
|
Because the
directors treat them as if they are adults in a work type atmosphere.
|
|
All of my students
are basically College students and I treat them as such, therefore they act
accordingly.
|
|
Simply because they
are treated as adults and they rise to the challenge.
|
|
We came into this
with the idea of expecting more from the students and ourselves. Respect is
part of this attitude. Our programs are also more conducive to
individualization, which brings us closer to our students. This also fosters
greater respect.
|
|
Students are reffered
(sp) to as team members which suggest they have a stake in their success here
at CEC
|
|
Although there are
some students who might say no. These
are the students who fail to show responsibility in terms of attendance and
other work ethics and we constantly stay on them to try and improve these
skills. However, the students who have
adapted to our high expectations will probably wholeheartedly agree that they
are treated more respectfully. This is
a majority of the students.
|
|
It is definitely
the case
|
|
The students are
learning skills that will prepare them in their career. We are serious about helping them - they
respond.
|
|
We asssume (sp)
that students will do what is asked of them. Most of the instructional staff
here are very experienced also and have learned how to deal with minor
discipline problems without turning them into major ones.
|
|
If I believe we are
preparing students to accept responsibility, I must give them that
opportunity. Our faith in their
abilities is seen as respect.
|
|
Students know that
teachers genuinely care about them and their success.
|
Another trend we noticed in our
initial research was the frequent mention of how much being relatively activity
free enabled instructors to focus more strictly on teaching. 85% of the respondents
agreed with the statement this was an important, relatively unique quality
about CEC. However, qualitative comments reflected ironically on the fact that
students still attended these extracurricular activities at their base high
schools, which caused problems and even though CEC’s focus was more
co-curricular and concerned with the future of the student:
Figure 12 - Lack of
extracurricular activities enable instructors
more time to focus on instruction?
|
Faculty/Staff Responses
|
|
Activities are
co-curricular
|
|
We have one
focus--learning a career
|
|
We still have pep
rallies and such, and they actually seem more distractive because we have
activities going on at three different schools, all on their own schedules.
We also have had a lot of students out of classes for statewide testing.
These things are a part of every school experience.
|
|
Most
extracurricular activities still take place at the base high schools.
However, there are a few clubs that meet at the CEC, but those are directly
related to the instruction that students are receiving. (i.e. FBLA and VICA)
|
|
I feel we have more
interruptions because we have 3 homecomings, 3 proms, numerous pep rallys
etc. that are not coordinated among the base schools when possible. These disruptions
can be very detrimental to instruction.
|
|
Our focus is on the
career growth of the individual team member.
|
|
Though we do not
have these activities at CEC, our students have the right and opportunity to
attend them at their base high schools.
|
|
students allowed to
attend pep rallies at base school (as they should be; they are still in high
school)
|
|
Yes, because most
of the extracurricular activities are at the three base schools. We do, however, have Career/Technology
Student Organizations here at CEC.
|
|
Those parts of the
high school experience are met at our students' base high schools and we are
free to to concentrate on subject matter.
|
|
Any activity that
CEC has is to increase the student's awareness of occupational opportunties,
skills and leadership.
|
When asked about why they chose to
come to CEC, responses focused on an opportunity to work in a new, unique
environment, belief in the mission of CEC, the opportunity to provide
real-world application to their respective subject matters, and working with
students to better prepare them for life:
Figure 13 - Why did you choose to
work at CEC?
|
Faculty/Staff Responses
|
|
1. To teach a class
where I would not be stretched as thin as before.
2. To teach in the positive environment this school offers.
3. To teach in a school that has goals of excellence and does something about
reaching them.
4. To teach on better equipment.
|
|
I was offered the
position because of my background. It sounded like a unique situation and I
wanted to be a part of it.
|
|
It is a vocational
teacher's dream come true to be able to focus on career growth and work
ethics and not on academics and sports.
I feel like I can finally accomplish what is best for the student -
educaiton of the whole student for a successful future.
|
|
I liked the idea of
being able to do more non-traditional things in my...classes. I get to teach
all levels ... like to try new things from time to time.
|
|
I was ready for a
change and this appealed to me since I enjoy young people.
|
|
schedule,
atmosphere
|
|
I trully enjoy and
agree the mission of the center
|
|
I wanted to be in a
setting where students are directing their energies toward taking steps to
achieve their career goals.
|
|
Because I felt like
I could emphasize the real world applications… because I had been in the
workplace and I could tell them how important it was for me to be able to
communicate effectively.
|
|
I was excited about
the new concept and what it could offer the student and the community.
|
|
The approach to
instruction is one that I have believed in for a long while and one that I
have successfully implemented in other schools. It is wonderful to have a
whole school focused on doing what works rather than trying to implement a
system that is not designed to do what we need for education to do.
|
|
I believe in the
program and its goals. I wanted to be
a part of what I saw as a necessary change in the way we prepare students for
life.
|
|
I was ready for a
change and had heard from teachers that were already at CEC how wonderful it
was.
|
Finally, we simply asked them, in
what ways is CEC different? Responses focused on higher morale and overall
spirit of collaboration, a sense of teaching students why they are learning
what they are and how it will be used in the future, higher student motivation,
the freedom to focus strictly on instruction:
Figure 14 - How is CEC different?
|
Faculty/Staff Responses
|
|
the attitude toward
learning is more motivated
|
|
More
Freedom-treated with respect from bosses
|
|
Better equipment,
more administrative support, higher faculty morale.
|
|
CEC is different
than most schools I have been in simply in the way that subjects are taught.
When the students learn a competency, they know how they will use it in the
future. You don't hear students asking, "When am I ever going to need
this?" In addition, the administration and the directors work together
to solve problems. Everyone is in it to help students. There is no
"us" vs. "them" mentality.
|
|
Having both adult
and high school students together in the same class room and the fact that I
have students still in high school taking college level courses.
|
|
I am able to focus
on the student and not on pleasing the latest whims of the
administration. I am not in
competition with sports and academia.
The students are interested in their future and they want to learn
those things that will make them successful; they are not just wasting their
time waiting on graduation to go to college when they can really begin to
learn. At CEC they learn and are
preparing now.
|
|
EVERYONE here wants
to be here, especially the directors. No one is just going through the
motions. Trying different approaches is actually encouraged and even expected
here.
|
|
positive
atmosphere, focus on performance rather than rules
|
|
overall environment
is more focused on vocational/career aspect
|
|
The staff is very
focused. I don't hear negative
talk. The staff utilizes time and
energy.
|
|
Students are here
because they truly want to be here. We
teach no 9th graders and very few 10 graders and therefore the atmosphere
among the studetns is much, much more mature.
|
|
Students are more
focused; teacher's are encouraged; help is provided whenever needed; you are
told how to succeed-not how to get fired.
I could go on forever.
|
|
Instructors are
given much more autonomy in designing curriculum and pedagogy. We are also
expected to cooperate with other instructors much more frequently in
designing projects and evaluations.
|
|
There is a sense of
partnership and collaboration between administration and faculty. We are all here for the students, and that
is as it should be. There is no
turf-guarding. We are encouraged to
try a new technique or approach in presenting material. Students are given privileges but expected
to act with responsibility in return.
|
|
There is constant
feedback, teachers that are dedicated,principals and CEOs are encouragers. I
like the "small school" atmosphere, where students are known by
name. There is collaboration among teachers.
|
Overall faculty/staff satisfaction
at CEC was an important aspect we looked to measure with our survey and the
responses in this area were overwhelmingly positive:
Faculty and staff are equally satisfied with their resources…
|
It is a focus of spending and isn't diluted by
the need to focus on extra-curricular activities. In addition, resources are focused at CEC
rather than spread as seems to be the case in the typical comprehensive high
school.
|
|
A small media center would be wonderful!
|
|
The level of technology is unbelievable. I still miss a media center at times.
|
… the leadership of the school…
“Mr. Whitlock is taking the school
into the 22nd century.”
… and slightly less overall
satisfaction with the general administration, although still high:
Figure 18 - Satisfaction with
Administration
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
14
|
70%
|
|
Neutral
|
3
|
15%
|
|
Agree
|
3
|
15%
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100%
|
|
Faculty/Staff
Responses
|
|
CEO is great and has tremendous vision.
Principle and assistant have too much traditional discipline centered
experience. Their role should be to facilitate education and parents should
be reponsible (sp) for discipline issues.
|
|
Administration basically are new to
administration. They have made some mistakes but are learning. They have
definately (sp) come a long way from the beginning.
|
|
We have a wonderful, supportive work
environment.
|
|
Could not ask for better support. One of our
best assets.
|
Faculty and staff also felt that
students and their parents are also well satisfied with their CEC experience:
Figure 19 - Students are satisfied
with CEC?
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
14
|
70%
|
|
Agree
|
5
|
25%
|
|
Neutral
|
1
|
5%
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100%
|
|
Faculty/Staff
Responses
|
|
Particularly relative to their experiences with
other schools, students seem to be pleased with CEC.
|
|
Student feedback very positive
|
|
It appears that they have to be satisfied - they
keep coming back and enrollment has grown tremendously. So, they must be
talking to their friends about what a wonderful experience it is.
|
|
I know guite a few students who do not want to
go back to their base High Schools.
|
|
You can always find one or two dissatisfied
individuals but for the most part our students would rather be with us than
at their base schools.
|
Most felt that parents were also
satisfied although there was a need for more parental contact…
Figure 20 - Parents satisfied with
CEC?
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
12
|
60%
|
|
Agree
|
5
|
25%
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10%
|
|
No Response
|
1
|
5%
|
|
Total
|
20
|
1
|
|
Faculty/Staff
Responses
|
|
Some parents have asked to take classes with
their child here at CEC. We need more
data on parent satisfaction.
|
|
More parent teacher contact
|
|
I hear very few comments from parents.
|
|
With few exceptions. I have had many parents express their
delight with their student's experience at CEC.
|
In order to triangulate data in support of CEC objectives
across instructors, students, and employers, we asked the faculty their
thoughts regarding whether these performance objectives were realistic. For the
most part, each of the objectives were favorably supported. Below is how the
faculty and staff rated each item:
18. CEC
will help reduce the student drop out rate for all of Coweta County.
95% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
12
|
60
|
|
Agree
|
7
|
35
|
|
Neutral
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
Figure 21 - CEC will Impact
Student Drop Out Rates
Faculty and Staff comments…
|
Data already shows this to be true. Students have an opportunity to focus on
relevant curriculum--a reason to attend school.
|
|
I think the drop out rate here is high, based on
my former experience.
|
|
Students see relevance. They are engaged in what
they are learning. When a student understands that they are learning
something because it will be useful to them in the future, it means a lot
more than just having to learn it because it will be on the test. Students
are less apt to get bored and decide that they are better off to go out and get
a job and make money than to go to school. They don't feel like their time is
being wasted.
|
|
Some students can't survive in a traditional
setting. At CEC they have more options which will keep some students in
school.
|
|
Some students still insist on learning life
lessons the hard way (i.e. discovering later in life that they really should
have gotten their high school diplomas), but I have seen many students who
have responded extremely well to the knowledge that we are preparing them for
the real world - both in terms of technical knowledge and work ethics.
|
|
Most of our students are not drop-out risks, but
this approach to education enables students to have some flexibility in their
scheduling as well as pursue areas of interest so those students who are at
risk of dropping out for those reasons would tend to stay here.
|
|
Students want to be at our school all day rather
than return to their base schools.
Students have success here that they have never experienced before.
We have such a wide choice in course offerings, everyone can find something
of interest.
|
19. 95% of CEC graduates will enter either a post-secondary program
or employment in the area they received their technical certificate in within
90 days of graduation.
75% either agreed or strongly agreed
with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
8
|
40
|
|
Agree
|
7
|
35
|
|
Neutral
|
5
|
25
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
Figure 22 - 95% Objective
Faculty and Staff comments…
|
I am not sure we have the data to support
this. Elements are in place to make
this true, but we don't have good data at this point.
|
|
I don't have any idea.
|
|
The classes they take at CEC make this a more
easily accomplished goal. If they are already taking postsecondary courses,
when they graduate they don't have a lot left to complete for the credential.
90 days vs. 1 1/2 years sounds a lot better to me!
|
|
If the economy holds, our students are prepared
with the skills and work ethic to be successful.
|
20. CEC helps strengthen students' academic knowledge in the areas
of
A. Writing
95% agreed or strongly agreed.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
12
|
60
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
7
|
35
|
|
Neutral
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
B. English
80% agreed or strongly agreed.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
10
|
50
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
6
|
30
|
|
Neutral
|
4
|
20
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
C. Math
85% agreed or strongly agreed.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
11
|
55
|
|
Agree
|
6
|
30
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10
|
|
nr
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
D. Social Studies
75% agreed or strongly agreed.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
8
|
40
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
7
|
35
|
|
nr
|
3
|
15
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
E. Science
Only 55% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement,
indicating some doubts about whether this topic is being covered thoroughly at
CEC.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
6
|
30
|
|
nr
|
5
|
25
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
5
|
25
|
|
Neutral
|
3
|
15
|
|
Disagree
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
21. CEC graduates are better prepared for employment
than other high school graduates.
90%
agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
17
|
85
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10
|
|
Agree
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
Students have job-ready skills, particularly if
they are dual-enrolled in technical college classes, and have better
preparation for required "work ethic" than do other grads.
|
|
School focus on applications
|
|
A lot of the WCTC instructors that these
students have, are former business/industry employees. They know what it
takes to be successful in the work place and they relay that to the students.
They also have the same expectations in their classroom that an employer will
have.
|
|
CEC graduates have the opportunity to be better
prepared for employment than other high school graduates but some lack the
enthusiasm, attitude, and responsibility that comes with preparing oneself
for employment.
|
|
Other than the technical instruction, the extent
to which we are continually reminded to work with students on basic
interpersonal skills and work ethic help to prepare our students better than
traditional schools.
|
|
Our business partners tell us this.
|
Figure 23 - Are CEC students
better prepared for employment?
22. CEC helps improve the work ethic of students.
95%
agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
15
|
75
|
|
Agree
|
4
|
20
|
|
Neutral
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
We teach, expect and inspect for work ethic
performance
|
|
Most discipline situations are related to the
appropriate work ethic
|
|
Although many students complain about the
absence policy, I think they understand the reasoning for it (although they
would never admit it!).
|
|
Many of our
students have never been held responsible for they actions before. It is a real eye-opener for many of them.
|
Figure 24 - CEC Helps with Work
Ethic?
23. CEC teaches both hard skills (technical
knowledge) and soft skills (values) to students.
100%
agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
15
|
75
|
|
Agree
|
5
|
25
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
A core component of CEC is its emphasis on those
needs assessed in order to create CEC.
Those needs were for higher levels of work ethic (soft skills) and for
higher technical skills. We can't
expect improved performance in either area without teaching both.
|
|
More interpersonal relationships with students
as a way of cooperative education
|
|
We communicate what we value with our behavior
much more than with our words. The faculty here behaves in ways that stress
the value of hard work, achievement, and cooperation.
|
|
Work ethic
grades and our tighter tardy and attendance policies are cases in point
|
Figure 25 - Does CEC teach hard
and soft skills?
24. The skills learned at CEC are transferable to
either employment or post-secondary education.
95%
agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
16
|
80
|
|
Agree
|
3
|
15
|
|
Neutral
|
1
|
5
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
We now have evidence of improved performance in
both the workplace and in post-secondary education.
|
|
If they are not
then we are not doing our job.
|
Figure 26 - Are skills
transferable to employment and post-secondary education?
25. CEC helps increase student on time performance
(helps reduce tardiness).
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
13
|
65
|
|
Agree
|
5
|
25
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
It is taught, expected and inspected.
|
|
As we make the curriculums more "REAL"
to the student they desire to attend. However I feel an open campus is
warrented. I do think discipline affects attendance positively.
|
|
The last implementation of tardy/ absences
penalty has made a difference but I can feel some apathy among the students
as the semester procedes. Reality will slap them in the face at the end of
the semester.
|
|
They are getting to school on time as a result
of our policies.
|
Figure 27 - Does CEC help with
On-Time-Performance?
26. CEC helps increase overall student attendance
(helps reduce student absenteeism).
85% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
10
|
50
|
|
Agree
|
7
|
35
|
|
Neutral
|
3
|
15
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
It is taught, expected and inspected and
specifically rewarded.
|
|
I find absenteeism to be high and hope the new
policy will improve attendance.
|
27. CEC helps students learn how to conserve or
utilize resources efficiently (helps reduce overall wastefulness of supplies).
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
10
|
50
|
|
Neutral
|
7
|
35
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
3
|
15
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
It is taught, expected and inspected as a part
of work ethic instruction.
|
|
Focus on organization helps reinforce this.
|
|
We could do a much better job in this area by
recycling our paper/cardboard and working with area businesses in helping
them do the same.
|
|
We are working
on that one
|
Figure 28 - Wastefulness of
Supplies
28. CEC helps students learn how to pay attention to
detail and overall accuracy (helps address the problem of failure to check for
accuracy).
90% agreed
with this statement.
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
|
Agree
|
12
|
60
|
|
Strongly Agree
|
6
|
30
|
|
Neutral
|
2
|
10
|
|
Total
|
20
|
100
|
|
Real world anecdotes can help in this area.
|
|
The computer,
medical, and industrial programs really work on this one.
|
Figure 29 - Accuracy of Work
Similar to the faculty survey, the primary purpose of the
parent and graduate surveys were to determine basic demographic information,
overall satisfaction levels, and opportunities for improvement. In addition,
for CEC graduates, we sought information regarding employer/post secondary
education information.
The surveys were mailed approximately on December 13th,
2002. To date we have received four parent responses and one graduate response.
Second notices will be mailed out within the next week and we will be using
phone calls and emails to generate a higher overall response rate.
Some results of interest from the four parent surveys
include:
- 3 of
the 4 respondents agreed or strongly agreed they were satisfied with CEC;
1 respondent remained neutral.
- 2 of
the 4 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that CEC taught their son or
daughter both hard and soft skills; 1 remained neutral and 1 selected N/A.
- 3 of
the 4 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that CEC should be replicated
state and nationwide; 1 respondent again remained neutral.
- 2 of
the 4 said that CEC did achieve its objective of placing their son or
daughter in a job or secondary school in the area they earned their certificate
in within 90 days or less; however, two said that they did not.
- All
4 respondents stated that different class offerings (3) or opportunity to
earn a certificate (1) for reasons their son or daughter decided to attend
CEC.
- 2 of
the respondents stated that the primary accomplishments they wanted their
son or daughter to take away from school were:
- “Knowledge
of knowing what he wanted to do in life”
- “independence
and self-reliance”
- Only
1 of the respondents commented on strengths of CEC, which was “teachers
and course offerings”
- 2 of
the respondents commented on CEC weaknesses:
- “This
program should be eliminated. I
feel that students should not have to take classes other than those made
available at other schools”
- “coordination
with base highschool regarding events, extra-curricular activities, club
meetings, etc.”
- 2 of
the respondents provided current email addresses and contact information
for their sons or daughters.
To date, we have only received one graduate response. This
respondent had only extremely positive things to say about their CEC
experience. Some highlights from this survey include:
- Earned
a technical certificate as Certified Customer Service Specialist
- Found
employment immediately upon high graduation
- “Yes
- After Completing the course and receiving my certificate, I had more
than one job opportunity became available. I chose to work for a local telephone
company and earned more money that summer than any of my friends”
- The
respondent felt properly prepared by CEC
- “Yes
- Having customer service skills - I can apply that to anything I am
involved in. Work, school, even
family. CEC in itself though
helped give me the opportunity to earn skills that I wouldn't have at the
normal high school.”
- The
respondent felt they had an excellent experience at CEC
- “Strongly
Agree - CEC was more than a school.
It was a place that treated the students with respect and had real
belief in our successes. Students
who normally wouldn't have gone very far are owning their own businesses,
attending college, etc.”
- The
respondent felt that soft skills were taught at CEC
- “Strongly
Agree - At CEC, we’re treated as adults.
Therefore, we didn't have to attend class everyday, but we were
treated as employees, so if we were consistent in that we were
reprimanded in a way that a business would, not a normal high school.”
- The
respondent felt that CEC was a different educational experience
- “Strongly
Agree - Every positive part of my personality bloomed after attending
CEC. I was no longer just a face
in the hallway. I was a person who
had others depending on them and who cared about their future.”
- As
far as strengths, the student felt:
- “the
faculty and staff truly cared about its students. They pushed us to be the best and
encouraged us to share our ideas with them. We were real people.”
- The
student wanted to tell politicians and other educators considering whether
to replicate the CEC model:
- “For
the students who don't have much hope for the future, for the ones that
you've lost hope on. This is their
chance. By enabling them with the
opportunity to learn skills about a field of their interest, you are
giving them hope and another chance.”
The overall
research status is strong. One major set back has been the failure to collect
pregraduation survey data from Cohort 2 (certificate holders from 2002), which
was done by internal CEC staff for Cohort 1. However, pregraduation survey data
are only of limited use and validity and contact information for these graduate
are available and will be collected.
Another
complication has been on how to define properly a CEC cohort. Initially, the
unit of analysis for this research was all students who attended CEC for two
semesters or more and earned a technical certificate. However, after some
consideration, it has become clear to me that, although we will maintain these
criteria in defining our research-sampling frame, some additional data must be
collected from CEC students who never successfully earned a technical certificate.
Ratios and percentages should be identified for students who either
successfully or unsuccessfully attained certificates. Rationale for this
include:
1. Students
who earn technical certificates at CEC represent an elite group of students:
students who took the initiative to attend CEC and complete a technical
certificate. The question that must be answered then is: “Would these students
have succeeded simply because of whom they are or because of the education they
received at CEC?” In other words, “would these students be succeeding even if
they never attended CEC?”
Hard performance data will need to
be collected for students who attended CEC and graduated high school so that
students who earn technical certificates can be compared to those who did not.
2. Not
all students who attend CEC earn technical students. We must understand the
reasons why students both succeed and do not succeed in earning technical
certificates at CEC. In addition, we must determine the success rate for
students who have earned certificates for Cohorts 1 and 2.
Below are the
research activities that will be taking place within the next couple of months:
We will send out a second notice to
Cohort 1 students and parents during the week of January 20th. In
addition, we will begin identifying additional means of contacting CEC
graduates directly such as through email or telephone. Minimal response rate
from the 95 graduates from CEC’s cohort 1 will be 10% for both parent and graduate
surveys (10 surveys or more).
To date we already have one student
who has agreed to allow us to contact them for further research. These
respondents should provide us with an opportunity to begin data collection into
transfer of knowledge and skills from real world employers and post-secondary
educators. We will contact graduates and
ask if we can speak with their former employers/supervisors regarding work
skills, hard and soft skills, and general preparation.
In attempt to measure the
satisfaction level for both students on track to earn a technical certificate
and those who are not, we will look to release a current student survey that
will serve as the pregraduation survey for this year’s cohort, Cohort 3. This
survey will serve multiple purposes:
1. We
will collect data from CEC students who will not ultimately earn a technical
certificate and be included in the sampling frame for Cohort 3.
2. We
will collect email addresses for Cohort 3 members that should enable us to
collect post-graduation surveys from them.
Shortly after collecting the
necessary contact information, we will begin contacting parents and graduates
from Cohort 2, defined as students who earned a technical certificate during
the academic year of Fall 2001 to Spring 2002 and also attended two CEC for at
least two semesters.
The survey results from the
faculty/staff survey suggest that the inputs articulated to be included in a
CEC education are indeed in place. Faculty were confident that CEC was
providing a quality education in terms of both hard and soft skills and that it
would make a difference across all four charter objectives:
1. CEC
will provide meaningful skills and knowledge to its students;
2. CEC
will meet its stated targets in terms of reducing the drop out rate in Coweta
County;
3. CEC
will meet its stated objective of placing 95% of its graduates in the area they
earned a technical certificate in within 90 days or less
4. CEC
will improve standardized test scores in writing, English, math, social
studies, and science.
This is a key finding because it
suggests that faculty/staff buy-in and commitment to CEC’s end performance
objectives are present. In addition, the results suggest confidence that indeed
the inputs necessary to generated CEC’s stated outputs and outcomes are actually
taking place.
·
60% of the faculty at CEC have 16 years or more
teaching experience. 70% have eight years of more.
·
70% of the faculty are 45 years or older; the
45-54 age cohort represented 11 or 55% of the 20 respondents.
·
80% have a bachelor’s or higher, 45% of which
have masters degrees.
One of the questions stemming from
results from Cohort 1 was why the large number of females earning technical
certificates (58% female, 42% male) and would the trend repeat itself in Cohort
2? The answer is yes, but only slightly with 52% of the certificate earners
being female and 48% being male. Both cohorts earned technical certificates
along gender specific technical areas and had higher percentages of females
attaining certificates simply because their were more females in the female
specific technical certificate areas (Patient Care Assistant, Child Care
Assistant, and Basic Dental Assistant).
As stated earlier not all CEC
students end up earning technical certificates and the reasons for this must be
understood. In addition, the overall percentage of those who attend CEC and
ultimately earn a technical certificate must be established for all three
Cohort groups. Furthermore, adult
learners are included in Cohort 2 certificate holders and present an
interesting unit of analysis for this study. Some attempt will be made to
interview and collect data from these graduates.
