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What We’re Reading: Week of March 21, 2022

March 25, 2022

Happy Friday! This week, we’re reading stories on the need to listen to young people when it comes to their college and career readiness journeys, the rise in skilled trades programs, plus an opportunity to nominate a Linked Learning leader for K-12 Dive’s Rising Leaders Spotlight! As always, thanks for reading with us.


College and Career Readiness
Guiding Young People Not to Colleges or Careers — But to Good Lives, EdSurge
Economic and social disparities plays out as teenagers make decisions about what to do after high school. And it’s complicated by common wisdom that advises young people that the path to dreams almost always passes through college—even though only some students make it there, and even fewer graduate.

What Colleges and Job-Training Programs Can Learn From Teenagers’ Hopes and Fears, EdSurge
If leaders of colleges and companies, philanthropies and governments who are busy redesigning postsecondary pathways stopped and listened to teenagers, what would they learn? To find out, EdSurge interviewed nine high school students from across the U.S. about the lives they’re working toward and the choices they’re making to get there.

Graduate profiles help districts prepare students for college and careers, EdSource
In recent years, major reports and many education experts recommend that schools and communities come together to adopt a graduate profile, which defines the skills and knowledge students should have when they leave school, to create agreement about the changes that are needed.


Higher Education
Skilled trade programs are booming after college enrollment dropped in the pandemic, NPR
College enrollment dropped during the pandemic. But programs in the skilled trades are booming. NPR Reporter Elissa Nadworny visits two community colleges where students learn to build houses and fix cars.

This new organization wants to accredit career education, Higher Ed Dive
The Workforce Talent Educators Association will focus its quality assurance on outcomes, says its chief accreditation officer and managing director.


Leadership
We want to hear about your school district's rising leaders, K-12 Dive
Do you have an assistant principal who sets a gold standard on diverse and inclusive disciplinary practices? Do you know an assistant superintendent who makes the grade when it comes to innovative approaches to curriculum and learning design? K-12 Dive wants to hear about them!


Policy
Teachers Can Positively Impact Education Policy, We Just Have to Use Our Teacher Voice, EdSurge
While elected officials failing to listen to teachers is not a new phenomenon, education is at a turning point. We have to get creative about how we get involved because there is power in the classroom teachers sharing their experiences from the classroom, writes educator Geoffrey Carlisle.