Education
Schools Tackling the Soft Skills Deficit
Educators around the region are implementing project- and career-oriented learning to engage kids. But in the Center School District, at least, another key constituency is excited too. Neal Weitzel is the director of college and career readiness in the district, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and he recounted parents’ reaction at a recent…
Benchmarking Success
Creating an Austin, Texas-type buzz in the Kansas City area means establishing the 21st century workforce that can succeed in the 21st century workplace, said Sheri Gonzales Warren, an economic development official with the Mid-America Regional Council. “If we do a good job of this,” Gonzales Warren said, “ this would be one of those…
Moving Out But Struggling to Move On
When it comes to education and work, many foster kids are already at a disadvantage when they enter the system, often coming from families beset by generational poverty. Unfortunately, their circumstances are not much improved once they “age out” of foster care, according to findings in a national survey by the organization Child Trends. The…
The Fire Within Fuels Path From Foster Care to University
Dakota Kinslow completed high school by acing tests. His chaotic home life made it impossible to complete work outside of class. He shuttled between various family members after the court removed him from his home when he was very young. His childhood was marked by witnessing drug use and abuse, and at age 13, he…
Don’t Count Out Human Workers Just Yet
“Robots may be taking over the world, but there’s got to be someone who builds them,” Meg Reinhardt says. And, thanks to on-the-job training she began in high school, Reinhardt plans to be one of the people who keep those robots going. Think you need a four-year college degree for that? Well, think again. Reinhardt,…
Making The Case For ‘Workforce Development’
Is it possible to establish a link between the U.S. civil rights movement and the fall of the Berlin Wall? You can, as it turns out, when it comes to job training and career readiness. The video above traces that history, and brings into focus the nebulous term “workforce development.” This introductory piece kicks off…
A Pathway is to a Major …
As a newly minted graduate of Truman High School, Shelby Fordham already has her career path set: earn a doctorate in economics, and then help guide the nation’s economy by working at the Federal Reserve. She attributed that clarity to her experience with the Independence School District’s high school academies, which the district implemented in…
How Do Schools Prepare Students For The Digital Economy?
Jeremy Bonneson, vice principal of Summit Technology Academy in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, asked curiousKC: “How do schools adapt to the ever-changing and disruptive nature of the workforce landscape for today’s digital economy?” The question was right in our wheelhouse because Kansas City PBS is examining local workforce development efforts through its participation in the national…
Take Note: Education Series Returns with a Focus on the Future
In the Kansas City region, the story of education has many chapters. And with the publication of this video, Flatland picks up that story again through the Take Note project we launched last year. We will build on many of the themes we explored through our initial content, including health, safety and school choice. Our…
Career Education in Fourth Grade?
Holland 1916 is a North Kansas City, Missouri, manufacturing company with a history that dates back to the earliest years of the 20th century. But it has not shied away from a new approach to recruiting employees and preparing the workforce of tomorrow. The company regularly hosts fourth-graders at its Burlington Street headquarters to illustrate…