Terese Rainwater Program Director State Scholars Initiative WICHE

1
Terese Rainwater Program DirectorState
Scholars InitiativeWICHE
SSI Overview
2

• The U.S. economy has traded in its hard hat for
  a briefcase. The country that made the assembly
  line famous now employs more office workers than
  factory workers.
• Source Educational Testing Service, Can We
  Achieve Equity with Generation Y?, 2000,
  Princeton, NJ, p. 35.

3
What is SSI?

• The goal of State Scholars Initiative is to
  increase the number of high school students
  taking a rigorous course of study.
• To do this SSI brings business leaders into
  classrooms, where these leaders work with
  educators to motivate middle and high school
  students to take and complete a rigorous course
  of study.
• The course of study is patterned after the
  recommendations of the National Commission on
  Excellence in Education.

4
What is SSI?
Upper 25
Minor focus majority already motivated
Middle 50
SSIs Heaviest Focus greatest opportunity
Lower 25
special challenges
5
What is SSI?
4-Year College
Workforce (Civilian Military)
Community or Technical College
6
What is SSI?

• The State Scholars Initiative is designed to help
  all students succeed not just those who want a
  bachelors degree.
• Those who plan to enter career pathway programs
  at two-year colleges and technical institutes are
  finding they have to complete rigorous
  requirements for entry into programs in in-demand
  fields like nursing, computer science, and
  engineering technologies.

7
State Career Clusters

• How SSI relates to State Career Clusters
• All clusters recommend four years of math
• Ten clusters recommend pre-calculus or stats
• Five clusters recommend calculus
• All clusters (except finance) recommend four
  years of science, including chemistry and physics
• Four clusters recommend AP chemistry, biology,
  and physics
• Source Presentation Creating a High School
  Diploma that Counts, American Diploma Project,
  2002.

8
Why is SSI important?

• U. S. businesses know high school students are
  not prepared for college or the workplace
• According to the Committee for Economic
  Development, only 31 percent of high school
  students complete the rigorous set courses
  recommended by the National Commission on
  Excellence in Education.

Source Cracks in the Education Pipeline A
Business Leaders Guide to Higher Education
Reform. Committee for Economic Development, May
2005
9
Why is SSI important?

• U. S. businesses know high school students are
  not prepared for college or the workplace
• 70 of the 30 fastest-growing jobs will require
  an education beyond high school.
• 40 of all new jobs will require at least an
  associates degree.
• Total college-level job openings between
  1990-2008 will nearly equal the number of college
  educated entrants to the workforce.
• Source US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
  Statistics, The Outlook for College Graduates,
  1998-2008, 2000, in Getting Ready Pays Off!

10
Job Skills

• All jobs require high-level skills
• Requirements for tool and die makers
• - Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
  postsecondary training
• - Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics
• Requirements for sheet metal workers
• - Four of five years of apprenticeship
• - Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and technical
  reading
• Source Presentation Creating a High School
  Diploma that Counts, American Diploma Project,
  2002.

11
Why is SSI important?

• High school students know they are not prepared
  for college or the workplace
• According to a February 2005 survey conducted by
  Peter Hart Research Associates, approximately 40
  percent of high school graduates reported key
  gaps in their preparation. With a majority
  noting that if they could take high school over
  again, they would work harder and take more
  challenging courses.
• Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion
  Strategies
• (Washington, DC Achieve, Inc. February 2005)

12
Minority Interest Far Exceeds Availability of
Advanced Math
Source National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering, Progress Toward Power A Follow-up
Survey of Parents Attitudes about Math and
Science. Research Letter, October 2001.
13
Why is SSI important?

• Variation in K-12 graduation requirements
  produces uneven performance
• In general , state K-12 systems require 2-3 years
  of mathematics, while most higher education
  systems require 3 years or more.
• Most higher education systems want at least
  Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, while most
  K-12 systems stop at Algebra I or Geometry.
• Source Aligning K-12 and Postsecondary
  Expectations State Policy in Transition. NASH,
  October 2002.

14
What people are saying

• "The Scholars Initiative has served to enrich and
  deepen our efforts to increase achievement
  expectations for our high school students. A
  direct outcome of this effort has been the
  dramatic increase in the number of students
  taking higher level mathematics courses.  The
  Scholars Initiative is an example of a well
  thought out and carefully crafted school
  improvement strategy that actually works when
  implemented."  
• William R. Glass
• Associate Superintendent
• Danbury Public Schools
• Danbury, CT

15
How SSI makes it happen

• State-level business/education partnerships work
  with students in middle and high schools,
  encouraging them to excel.
• Currently, 21 partnerships are in the SSI network

16
Current Network
Mississippi Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico
North Carolina Oklahoma Rhode Island
Tennessee Utah Virginia West Virginia

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan

17
Motivating Students

• Training business people to make presentations to
  8th graders right before they select their high
  school courses.
• Business volunteers help students understand the
  career options and monetary benefits of taking
  rigorous courses (defined in the Scholars core).
• State Scholars programs provide academic support,
  incentives, and special recognition to SSI
  students. This ongoing support helps ensure
  student success in the more difficult courses.

18
Sustaining the Program

• In addition to receiving the SSI federal grant
  monies, business/education partnerships are asked
  to support the states program through financial
  and in-kind contributions.
• Programs need to fund
• - training for business representatives to make
  effective student presentations
• - summer student academies
• - staff development for school staff
• - marketing campaigns
• - student scholarships
• - incentives and recognition events.

19
Chart provided by Kristen Conklin, NGA
20
Who we are

• The Western Interstate Commission for Higher
  Education is a regional organization created by
  the Western Regional Education Compact, adopted
  in the 1950s by Western states.
• WICHE began operations in 1953 and is governed by
  three gubernatorially-appointed Commissioners
  from each of its 15 member states.
• WICHE was created to facilitate resource sharing
  among the higher education systems of the West.
  It has implemented a number of regional
  activities to accomplish its objectives. WICHE
  also has supported a number of national
  initiatives.
• In September 2005, WICHE was chosen to direct the
  U. S. Department of Education-funded State
  Scholars Initiative (SSI), a national program
  that works to motivate students to complete a
  rigorous course of study in high school.

21
Contact SSI

• TERESE RAINWATERProgram Director, State Scholars
  Initiative303.541.0225  Email
  trainwater_at_wiche.edu
• JERE MOCK Director of Programs and Services,
  WICHE 303.541.0222  Email jmock_at_wiche.edu
• CHRISTIAN MARTINEZProgram Coordinator, State
  Scholars Initiative303.541.0210   Email
  cmartinez_at_wiche.edu
• MICHELLE MEDAL Administrative Coordinator, State
  Scholars Initiative303.541.0224 
  Emailmmedal_at_wiche.edu

22
The work reported herein was supported under
State Scholars Initiative, PR/Award Number
V051U050006 as administered by the Office of
Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department
of Education. However, the contents do not
necessarily represent the positions or policies
of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education
or the U.S. Department of Education, and you
should not assume endorsement by the Federal
Government.