By Mark Tallman

KASB’s recent annual convention showcased nearly 40 examples of students demonstrating skills that will help them thrive as individuals, on the job and as part of a community. The demonstration showed how schools are working to prepare students to be successful adults. 

Under a set of goals and initiatives called “Kansans Can,” Kansas education leaders have been working to address three key areas related to student success. This work comes after a decade of research and consultation with parents, employers, and educators.

Personal and Interpersonal Skills

Many parents and employers say the most important things students need are personal and interpersonal skills. These include resilience, perseverance, self-regulation, empathy, teamwork conflict management, goal setting, problem solving, and time management. Success in school and virtually any job or social role requires these skills. The State Department of Education has labeled these skills, Kansans Can Competencies.

The organization America Succeeds issued a research report related to these types of skills that found the following:

• Seven of the ten most requested skills in job postings are these types of skills
• Employers seek these skills nearly four times more frequently than the top five technical or hard skills
• These skills are demanded in jobs more aligned to the future of work
• Jobs requiring these skills are less at risk of loss to automation

However, these skills have traditionally not been a priority in the subject matter focus of schools, partly because many jobs in the past have not required them.

Work Credentials

Going forward, more Kansas and U.S. jobs will require something beyond a high school diploma. Studies indicate Kansas will require at least 70 percent of employees to have a postsecondary credential. Currently 54.5 percent of the Kansas working age population has a high caliber credential. This is two points above the national average but short of the projected need.

The biggest gaps are for jobs requiring industry recognized certifications, technical certificates, or two-year associate’s degrees. Yet schools have traditionally focused on academic preparation for four-degree degrees and higher.

Community Involvement

Kansans seem to want students to develop a stronger sense of connection to others, to understand their role as citizens, and to support and sustain communities across Kansas. They want students to give back as well as get ahead.

Convention Showcase

Programs featured at the KASB district showcase provided examples of how to address these three areas. Following are some of the main themes from students and educators.

Learning by Doing

Most of the programs showcased enable students to both learn and demonstrate what they are learning by doing something. This includes creating products to sell, growing food, coordinating a marketing campaign, building houses, making robots, leading organizations, or helping others.

Entrepreneurship and Organizational Management

Many of the featured projects are student-run businesses, giving students a chance to be creators, entrepreneurs, and managers, as well as employees. 

Combining Disciplines and Leadership Skills

These types of programs enable students to combine what they learn in multiple subjects, so they are applying the lessons of reading, math, science, and the arts. Many of the activities are tied to Career and Technical Education pathways, which are focused on skills for specific careers but often appeal to students with multiple interests. For example, a student-run business may draw students from business, marketing, design, and other areas, all working together. Other activities, like robotic competitions, draw students interested in both science and music, because both are now linked by technology.

Exploring Postsecondary Education and Career Plans

Talking to students revealed young people thinking hard about their futures. By starting individual career planning in high school or even earlier gives students time to explore options. They can change their minds at a point in life where it will not be as disruptive as shifting plans as an adult. These programs give real world experience in not only types of careers but on the job experiences they can carry into any workplace. The skills, experiences and credentials earned in these programs are foundations for later success.

Community Connections

While the programs described may seem to be focused on workforce preparation they are also supporting public education’s broader purpose of instilling character and fostering civic participation. Many of the showcase programs incorporate these ideas. They have older students supporting younger ones. They blend students of all abilities and disabilities. They provide services to the community, such as building homes, servicing cars, offering marketing resources, partnering with local organizations, and sharing information, music, and art.

These showcase programs helped school leaders across Kansas see new possibilities for student learning in ways that address public needs and preferences. Sharing examples of this type of skill development in your own communities will help maintain public support and confidence in public education.