Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 6, 1995 TAG: 9511060013
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ For Bruce Neal, the classroom has taken on a new meaning. Now he sees a closer connection between schoolwork and the workplace.
Neal, a William Byrd High School junior, knows how to do some house wiring, but he doesn't understand all of the principles of electricity.
His understanding has grown in recent weeks, though, as he studied circuits, volts, amperes and other electrical terms in a "Principles of Technology" class taught by science teacher Billy Meador.
"It has helped me in wiring a house," Neal said. "I understand things better now."
Electricity is one of the subjects covered in the course, which features extensive use of laboratory equipment and educational technology.
Meador's technology class helps students see the connection between academics and the work world.
Some educators call it a "hands-on" curriculum, although Meador dislikes that term.
The course is part of William Byrd's "High Schools That Work" program, which seeks to combine academic and vocational education and upgrade the academic curriculum for vocational students.
William Byrd is one of four schools in Western Virginia and 33 statewide that are participating in the national project, which was developed as a result of recommendations by the Southern Regional Education Board.
The program is designed to better prepare students for the workplace and ease the transition from school to job.
The other area schools in the program are Salem, Staunton River and Franklin County high schools.
Schools in the program are eligible for a $20,000-a-year state grant. Richard Turner, assistant principal at William Byrd, said the money has been used mainly to buy equipment and train the teaching staff to develop an integrated instructional approach for academic and technical courses.
In one of Meador's recent classes, students worked with an electrical power supply box, voltage meters, bulbs and electrical switches to learn more about the principles of electricity.
James Fuqua, a junior, said the approach helped him better understand electricity.
"It's pretty enlightening," Fuqua said. "There is a lot of lab work and that helps you to learn more."
Although the focus of the High School That Works program is on students in general and vocational studies, Meador said his course can benefit college-bound students in an academic curriculum. Some students in his chemistry and physics courses have taken the principles of technology course to boost their technical knowledge.
Turner said one goal of the program, which is in its second year, is to get academic and vocational teachers to plan and work together.
"We encourage them to take an interdisciplinary approach, to work with other teachers in coordinating their courses," he said.
William Byrd teacher Betty Semones said teachers are encouraged to do cross-discipline units that might involve math, science and writing, for instance.
Turner said some teachers have worked several days at different jobs - including the Roanoke Airport Marriott and the air traffic control tower at the Roanoke Regional Airport - to better understand what skills are required.
Turner said one of the program's objectives is to eliminate the "general education track" of basic and general courses that don't prepare students for anything.
"It doesn't get them ready either for the workplace or college," he said. "We want to prepare students either for a career or college."
The program is built on the premise that students in vocational courses can succeed in rigorous academic courses if expectations are raised, innovative teaching methods are used and teachers work together.
The program includes a close working relationship with businesses in determining the curriculum and skills that students need in the workplace.
Business people make up half of the advisory committee at William Byrd that helps oversee the program.
"Business people are invited to attend classes and give us feedback on what they would like for us to teach," Turner said. They are asked to complete a questionnaire on their views of the role of schools and what the schools can do to help them.
Steve Musselwhite, a Vinton developer and member of William Byrd's advisory committee, said the business connection is one of the program's strengths.
"The schools are being responsive to the business community's needs. It is a model program that shows how the schools and business can work together," Musselwhite said.
Franklin County High also has developed a partnership with the business community.
"We have consulted with business people on what they want in workers - the work ethics and the skills they are looking for," said Terri Robertson, director of the program at the school.
Franklin County High has developed a speakers bureau of business people who visit classes and talk to students about job applications, resume writing, interviews and other skills they will need, Robertson said.
She said the biggest benefit of the program is that it has helped the school address the needs of different types of students.
Students who are going to community colleges and those going directly into the workplace do not necessarily have the same academic needs, she said.
Salem High School has a strong business link in its program, too. A group of more than 40 business people meets several times each year with Superintendent Wayne Tripp to discuss how to work more closely with the schools.
At all schools, administrators said the program has helped boost teacher morale and generated enthusiasm.
Said Turner: "The teachers feel like they are part of something that is making a difference for these students."
by CNB