Career Development Program. Akron Public Schools. Akron, Ohio

摘要

The goals of the Career Development Program of Akron, Ohio, are to increase students' self - awareness and self - esteem, knowledge of the world of work, and skills in decisionmaking. Objectives in seven areas have been developed, based on these goals: the self, the individual and the environment, education and training, the world of work, economics, employability and work adjustment, and decisionmaking. The project focuses on students in grades K - 10 and offers some services to students in grades 11 and 12 as well. The district comprises 47 elementary schools, 10 junior high schools, and 9 senior high schools, serving about 50,000 students in a total population of over 275,000. One full - time director coordinates the efforts of four elementary level career coordinators and four secondary level career coordinators. A full - time secretary and three part - time paraprofessionals complete the staff. Parent and community involvement in the program is considered essential. Parents are encouraged to stimulate career - development discussions and behavior in the home and act as volunteers in school - career activities. Community members act as representatives of business, labor, industry, government, and social services in giving input to the program as planners and resource person. Materials available for dissemination are ''Flight Plan: Toward a Career Choice -- School - Community Collaboration,'' an implementation manual; curriculum guides for the K - 6 levels; and other selected materials. Equal numbers of randomly selected program and nonprogram stuents were selected in the spring of 1976 for testing ona posttest - only basis. Program students' performance on the test was significantly better than nonprogram students. The appendices provide a discussion of learner outcomers in career education for K - 10 and a description of the program planning process.