Month: April 2011
CTE Programs Give Students a Reason to Stay in School
Studies show that in California there was a dropout rate of about 30% in the 2004-2005 school year. In 2007 one study showed that 6.2 million students in the United States between the ages of 16 and 24 dropped out of high school; that is almost 17,000 a day.
It is no surprise that the rate is so high, this has been an ongoing issue and the big question is how do we stop this from happening? This is a problem we should all be taking notice of, because over time this will cost the United States a lot of money in lost revenue.
One thing to consider – the same studies and research in California showed that 84% of Career and Technical Education students enrolled in a sequence of courses graduated; that cuts the dropout rate almost in half!
Why do CTE programs work for high school students? One theory is that these programs are engaging and relevant to students lives. Other ideas are that it gives students with other interests a reason to make it to school. Another added benefit is that these programs help students with job readiness and achieving industry certifications. These programs are also key to producing individuals that are meeting the needs of businesses in technology.
Educators – has your school seen similar results? Does your school have an above-average CTE program, or do you know of a school that does?
Happy April Fool’s Day!
Whether you are a prankster and get excited just by the thought of the first of April, or you are not a fan of April Fool’s Day because of being pranked one too many times, this blog is for you. If you dislike this holiday, now you might find out who to blame it on!
April Fool’s Day is kind of a mysterious holiday, but one theory is that in France in the 1500’s they changed the calendar to start celebrating the New Year in January instead of late March or April. News of the change did not travel very fast, so there were still people in rural areas celebrating the New Year in April – thus April Fool’s Day. Another theory is that it was common to pull pranks and camouflage yourself at European spring festivals of renewal. Another is that when Constantine ruled over the Roman Empire, his jesters convinced him to allow one of them to take over for a day, and that day was April 1. This jester decreed April 1 to forever be the day of absurdity…Okay, so apparently that last one was a prank pulled on an Associated Press reporter by a professor of American humor, but that’s why it counts even more!
Today pranking is done less in the office and home and has become a tradition for big companies and media to play hoaxes on the public. Some are innocent enough, but sometimes others like ThinkGeek, notorious for releasing fake products on April 1st, end up in a bit of trouble. Their Canned Unicorn Meat product started out as an April Fool’s prank, but ended up granting them a cease and desist from the National Pork Board, which leads me to this tip: always consider the possible ramifications of your pranks, no matter how ridiculously obvious they are.
Have you Liked us on Facebook, or are you following us on Twitter? Feel free to share pictures or video of your office pranks with us! Make sure they’re work appropriate though, and getting the IT department involved earns bonus awesomeness points.
Happy (and safe) pranking!