Tapping Resources
Around The Region

Taft-Career Academic Program

The Taft-Career Academic Program (T-CAP) in Cincinnati builds within each Taft High School student a sense of hope and direction for his or her future. How? By demonstrating directly the relevance of school- work to careers and helping them prepare for entry-level positions in their chosen fields. Teams of educators, employers and citizens, in coordination with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, plan and implement the internship program. Taft High School is the only neighborhood high school in the nation where all regularly attending students -- not just those who indicate interest or meet qualification requirements -- participate in a full school-to-career program. Contact: Helen Rindsberg, 513.977-8052.

Tech Prep Summer Camp

Tech Prep Summer Camp is a week-long program that provides entering ninth-graders an opportunity to explore careers in health, business technology, electronics and manufacturing -- all areas in the Tech Prep curriculum. Last summer, 54 students from Glen Este, Amelia, and Clermont Northeastern Middle Schools participated in the Clermont County camp at Live Oaks. Sixty Hamilton County students took part at Scarlet Oaks and were from Mason, Mt. Healthy, North College Hill, Norwood, St. Bernard/Elmwood Place and Princeton. Each district provided at least one math and/or science teacher who assisted with the students and wrote an applied lesson plan based on the camp experience.

Activities included speakers on careers of the future, goal-setting and self-awareness. Students participated in vocational lab experiences in the Tech Prep cluster areas with Great Oaks instructors.

On the final camp day, students received information on Tech Prep in post-secondary schools Cincinnati State College and UC Raymond Walters College. This session was followed by a tour of Automax, manufacturer of industrial valve controls, where students talked with recent Tech Prep-program graduates who are on the job, and saw business applications of the jobs they performed in vocational lab sessions at camp. Similar programs were held at Butler County Joint Vocational Schools and Warren County Career Centers. Contacts: Ann Jordan, 513.771.8840 or Jan Donley, 513.569.1882.

Building An Equitable School-To-Work System

More than 900 students entering the ninth grade in Region 5 this year will participate in gender-equity experiences at 1998 High-Tech Summer Camps to build awareness of career options. Activities will emphasize math, science and technology careers with resulting encouragement to enter non-traditional high-tech and high-wage careers. Vocational-lab instruction, visits to area employers and post-secondary schools, and discussions on career information will also be offered. The program is a partnership of occupation-specific employers, all Region 5 schools districts and their affiliate vocational planning districts, and agencies such as Urban League of Greater Cincinnati. Up to 12 camps will be held in June 1998 and will explore careers in health, business technology, electronics and manufacturing and construction. Contact: Ann Jordan, 513.771.8840.

Queen City Vocational School-To-Work Project

The Queen City Vocational Technical Center, in cooperation with the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Sciences, is coordinating a new workforce development program that gives under-employed and unemployed workers the opportunity to earn a certificate in manufacturing production. The Greater Cincinnati Pre-Employment Training Consortium includes area employers, Cincinnati Works, the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Contact: Mike Behr, 513.977.8071.

Butler-Warren Counties School-To-Work Project

Talawanda City School District (Oxford, northwest Butler County) is learning about School-To-Work in a big way -- by doing. Thanks to an Ohio School-To-Work System Building Grant, Talawanda will pilot 33 School-To-Work action learning projects this year. The initiative includes something for everyone. All learners in kindergarten through adult education will take part in some form of a school-based, work-based or connecting school-to-work activity.

Students job shadow, visit work sites, solve workplace problems in the classroom, explore careers, visit with "business buddies" via the Internet and design personal plans for academic and career success. The teachers job shadow in industry, learn about organizational change and high-performance work systems, receive training in the use of technology in the classroom, and explore new teaching methods and curricula that link classroom learning to the workplace. Parents and business partners also participate.

Additional highlights of Talawanda's efforts are a districtwide change academy, development of a workforce information network through the district's SchoolNet electronic information system, Junior Achievement in 68 elementary classrooms, several work-based career exploration experiences for middle school students, and organization of high school elective courses around Ohio's in-demand career clusters. Contact: David Schul, 513.727.3464.

Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected offers teachers an opportunity to become more attuned to the changing economy. This institute was held in April and May of 1997 for more than 500 academic and vocational teachers, counselors and administrators involved in the Cincinnati Public Schools Career Paths program. Also involved were eighth-grade Work and Family Life teachers who teach the Career Exploration program. The institute focused on the changing workforce and the skills students need for success in their future careers. Instrumental to the success of the program was the opportunity for teachers to shadow professional business people and learn about the skills students need to be prepared for the 21st century.

Following the shadowing experiences, teachers developed project-based learning activities through an integration of academic and vocational processes. As a result of the institute, students are able to understand the relevance of their academic course of study as teachers continue to integrate real-world experiences with academic standards. Similar programs were offered by five other School-To-Work-sponsored groups in 1997, providing workplace professional development for more than 500 educators. Contact: Jo Ann Poe, 513.475.7161.

Urban STW Collaborative

The Urban STW Collaborative brings together Cincinnati Public Schools, Norwood City Schools, St. Bernard/Elmwood Place schools and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, represented by Purcell-Marian and Roger Bacon. The purpose is to create partnerships with parents, community agencies, business and labor to build a School-To-Work system in the Cincinnati urban area. This grant will raise student achievement; offer students, teachers and parents experiential learning opportunities; integrate educational experiences with workplace realities; and create working partnerships between students, parents, teachers, business and labor leaders, and community stakeholders.

Stakeholders working together will prepare youth for a place in the next century. These expectations will be realized through classroom enhancement activities designed to integrate academic and vocational skills; professional development activities -- including teacher shadowing opportunities; parent-community forums; industry outreach activities; and a regional FUTUREFEST to be held in spring 1998. Contact: Jo Ann Poe, 513.475.7161.

Mt. Healthy City Schools Freshman and Sophomore Academy

A core team of teachers will implement a curriculum of applications-based instruction, career development activities and technology skills for 75 sophomores who participated in the Freshman Academy in the 1996-97 school year. This initiative is an outgrowth of work by Greater Cincinnati Tech Prep Consortium.

The Freshman and Sophomore Academy has set high attendance, behavioral and academic performance expectations to mirror the world of work. Parents and students sign participation contracts.

Students write individual achievement goals for the school year, and parents indicate ways they will support their children in achieving goals. Parents are required to volunteer in meaningful ways throughout the school year. Teachers communicate regularly with parents through team conference calls and face-to-face conferences. Contact: Sue Bochnovich, 513.728.4982.