How do our kids learn all the things that they need to be successful? I wonder about that a lot. There is just so much to learn! Most of the time, education reformers are focused on helping kids learn the academic skills they need to be successful – very important! But youth need to learn a lot more than just academics to be successful in college, a career, and life. To name just a few skills: self-determination, persistence, teamwork, time management, critical thinking, self-reflection, problem solving, conflict management, relationship building, and accepting feedback.
And then there are the really concrete tasks youth need to learn, like applying for student financial aid and managing their money; taking care of their car, if they have one, or figuring out how to get around on public transportation; doing laundry and preparing meals; writing a compelling resume; networking; and developing effective job interview techniques. When and how in the world do our kids learn all these things? And how do our public systems and programs support them in doing that?
For some kids, their families and caregivers help them learn these skills, and it’s built into the fabric of their lives from their earliest childhood days. But for many other youth, they are left to learn these and other important life skills the best they can, on their own, without the support of families, caregivers, or institutions. But that certainly isn’t fair, and it means we are losing the talents of many young people.
We all know youth can’t learn everything they need to learn in school. That is a completely unfair expectation of our schools and teachers. And we know that there are certain things that are best learned in settings other than formal classrooms.
That’s one reason I’m such a huge supporter of out-of-school time (OST) learning, which I consider to include afterschool, summer, and extended learning, extracurricular activities, sports, clubs, service and volunteer activities, work-based learning, and virtual learning. And it’s why AYPF has focused its fourth policy pillar on Expanding Learning and Skill Development.
In thinking about how to support expanded learning and skill development, we promote policies that:
- Provide equitable opportunities for all youth to access multiple venues for learning.
- Ensure high quality offerings across all venues and trained personnel to work with youth.
- Support intermediary organizations that coordinate learning across multiple venues.
- Recognize learning that takes place out of school so learners get credit for it.
- Help students develop a wide range of skills across multiple domains.
Where do we see examples of this happening? Boston After School & Beyond (BAS&B), an intermediary that supports high quality OST learning. BAS&B developed a framework called the Achieve, Connect, Thrive (ACT) Skills Framework that displays the skills young people need to achieve success in school, college, and careers, such as creativity, critical thinking, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Boston’s large OST sector has committed to teach, measure, and improve these skills, and efforts are being made to expand the use of digital badges that measure social-emotional skills.
The Providence Afterschool Alliance (PASA) has embarked on an effort to help students earn digital badges through their participation in certain PASA courses. Badges can be earned in teamwork, critical thinking, perseverance, communication, and engagement. Students that earn digital badges can list them on resumes, job applications, and college applications. To demonstrate the value of the badges, the City of Providence will extend an offer of a summer job in 2018 to any Providence student who earned a digital badge.
In Chicago, After School Matters provides opportunities for youth to develop skills important to success in college and careers through a structured, age-appropriate apprenticeship and internship model starting with youth who are at least 14 years old. Youth who are at least 16 are able to participate in introductory work experiences alongside a supportive After School Matters staff person and can earn up to $10.50 per hour. Programs deliver hard skills in the arts, communications, science, sports, or technology and help youth develop other critical skills such as personal mindset, planning for success, social awareness, verbal communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.
On a different note, Career and Technical Student Organizations, like FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America), Skills USA, and HOSA – Future Health Professionals, provide opportunities for high school and postsecondary students to engage in performance-based mastery, exhibitions of learning, and competitions with industry leaders to demonstrate occupational, technical, academic, and employability skills and competencies that they learn through real world problem-solving and projects. Youth are mentored and coached by employers, have ongoing opportunities for leadership and development, and learn many practical skills that will lead to career success.
All of these exciting programs are available to all students, regardless of income or background. As such, they are helping to level the playing field for many youth, and there are many other programs like these around the country that do an equally great job.
As individuals, we can also take steps ourselves to help young people we meet or know be prepared for adulthood. For example, when I talk to new college graduates about jobs and careers, I always tell them about our benefits package at AYPF, so they can start learning about what that looks like in the nonprofit sector. I share stories about my network and colleagues with whom I’ve worked for years that have become a support group that I can call on when I need help. I tell them stories about ways I was able to develop important skills, like learning how to compromise or understanding a hierarchy, not during class time, but outside of school, and make explicit how those skills have benefitted my career and life.
All of us, in big or small ways, can play a role in helping young people, especially those who lack support and are traditionally underserved, develop skills for success.