THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603260141
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The tables were turned at Lake Taylor High School last Thursday.
After an early dismissal of students, the teachers became students. Joined by the faculty from Norfolk Technical Vocational Center, they attended a two-hour forum entitled ``Beyond High School'' held in the school's auditorium.
Attended by some 200 educators, it was the first joint ``in-service'' training session for the faculties of both schools, according to Lake Taylor principal John C. Osteen.
``We have a lot of students that go to NTVC,'' Osteen explained. ``It's nice to have the combined faculties
here. This is a first for us; they always invite us to their facility.''
Presented by Lake Taylor High School's Tech Prep Advisory Committee and the Navy's Fleet Technical Support Center, Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, the event afforded an opportunity for attendees to identify ways to make education more relevant in the workplace.
``This is the third year we've tried to get this together, and it worked this year,'' said Lee Musgrave, vocational specialist with the Norfolk Public Schools. ``We've been trying at the insistence of the Navy. This is vital. This program is beneficial for society because if we don't train kids to be workers with their heads as well as their hands, we're all going to lose.''
To accomplish its objective, the forum's centerpiece was a panel composed of educators, business people, a Navy representative and a student. On the panel were Linda Jones Bass of William Wood and Associates, Jack E. Boyd Jr. of Canon Virginia Inc., Larry L. Parsons of the Fleet Technical Support Center, Kenneth A. Fulghum and Mary Gentry of Norfolk Technical Vocational Center, and teacher Elaine K. Spriggs and student James P. Schopen of Lake Taylor High School.
Lake Taylor guidance counselor Elizabeth M. Bortnick, to whom Lake Taylor teachers and administrators gave much of the credit for organizing the event, moderated the panel discussion.
A wealth of ideas were aired, followed by discussion during a question-and-answer period.
Bass spoke, as others did later, of the decline of the work ethic and the value of teachers who encourage students and give skills relevance.
Parsons noted that, over 25 years, the problems have remained basically the same. He urged schools to teach ``attitude, basics, foundations, and reasoning skills,'' adding that employers will train in the specific technical details.
Gentry and Spriggs described the present situation wherein even advanced degrees aren't a sure ticket to a job. Gentry urged educators to stress the ability to transfer skills learned in the classroom, such as math, to the job site.
Schopen spoke of the need for technical training, such as in computers, and offered praise for dedicated teachers and the Norfolk Public Schools' PRIME program, an attempt to provide continuity to elementary, middle and high school education.
After affirming the need for students to learn their cultural heritage, Boyd, a former teacher, urged that students be armed with ``employability skills.'' He noted that the schools can't teach for a specific employer.
Bortnick brought up the concept of ``shadowing,'' involving mentoring and internships. Boyd expressed interest but pointed out that, from a business perspective, it should be a two-way street.
Capt. Neil J. Collins, commanding officer of the Fleet Technical Support Center, called the session ``excellent. It was a well-planned, candid exchange of ideas concerning the work force. We're pleased to help out. I hope it's a start, a forum to generate ideas. It exceeded my expectations.''
``I think some of the issues being raised are beneficial in terms of bridging the gap,'' Lake Taylor English teacher Sheri Lankford said. ``But more needs to be done. It's an initial step; now there's a need for follow-up steps.''
The Tech Prep concept is one of Norfolk Public Schools' responses to the elimination of the general diploma, Osteen said.
``We've had Tech Prep meetings over the past two or three years,'' he said. ``As we've moved away from the general diploma, we've realized that it's more important that our students are on the right track.''
The Navy and other major employers, while assisting with the education process in various ways, exert pressure on schools to produce the caliber of technically trained individuals, in sufficient numbers, to fill their employment needs.
The Fleet Technical Support Center is in its third year of a partnership with the Norfolk Public Schools involving math tutoring of students by Support Center personnel.
``We have recommended an award for FTSCLANT through a vocational program at the state level,'' Musgrave said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Elizabeth M. Bortnick, a guidance counselor at Lake Taylor High
School, introduces the panelists for the ``Beyond High School''
forum.
by CNB