OTAN News
Access to Powerful Technology as a Catalyst for Career Pathway Engagement
Amanda Wortman and Nick Schiner
June 2024
This paper “explored the opportunities and affordances presented when historically and systemically excluded (HSE) youth gain access to high-powered technology and tools in their school environment through an innovative program.” Access to good paying STEM jobs is predicated upon effective school to career pathways. Often among excluded HSE youth effective school to career pathways do not exist.
“The Reinvent the Classroom initiative, a collaboration between Digital Promise, HP, Microsoft, and Intel, aims to address this pathway challenge by integrating high-powered and effective technology into education The initiative focuses on the idea that for students to meaningfully find their way to and through career and technical education (CTE) pathways, they must have the opportunity to find synergies among their interests, talents, and skills, and gain access to the required high-powered technologies that fuel powerful learning experiences.”
Participating schools focused on the following:
- Customized professional learning and support for the school’s administration and faculty.
- Induction of educators into programming
- School-Community-Industry partnerships to support the technology’s impact on CTE awareness, interest and engagement.
Anaheim High School’s experience is highlighted in the paper with examples about the workings of the program itself. While not an adult school, many of the ideas can be transferred to our Adult Education CTE programs.