Supt. stresses technology

School leader says state’s high school graduates must be prepared for life in modern workforce.High school graduates must have critical thinking skills to be prepared for modern careers, state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell told Southern California educators Friday.

In an address at the GEAR UP Orange County Conference at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, O’Connell stressed the necessity of training students for careers relevant to technology’s high standards.

“I believe every student must be technologically proficient, to become a well trained, well skilled, problem-solving workforce,” O’Connell said. “We need to prepare students for jobs that we don’t even know what they look like yet.”

GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, helps low-income students prepare and succeed in high school and beyond.

“GEAR UP gives students and parents the opportunity to become aware of the necessity that skills are needed to be learned at an early stage,” said Calvin One Deer, the director of the organization’s grant-funded student programs. “We need to give kids that grip of future reality. One of the things we do is teach families how to create a space at home to study.”

New mandatory high school exit exams, implemented through grant funds, require students to show competency in reading, writing and mathematics, and evaluating the testing results allows schools to get resources to those students that need more help.

“Eighty-five percent of students have already passed, and we’re hoping to get up to 95%,” O’Connell said.

The new graduation requirements, demand “more rigor and relevance in class work,” and ensure “that all students exiting high school are prepared to become contributing members to our economy.”

Analyzing test results will help provide opportunities for all students, not sentence those without fundamental skills to dead-end careers.

“We will never turn our backs on students that want to fulfill their dreams,” O’Connell said. “It’s OK that every student does not go to college, but every student should have the opportunity to go to college. In the past, we could get away with lower expectations of people. Not now.”

Marjorie DeMartino, director of California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, found that O’Connell’s message addressed major concerns for educators.

“The way he distilled future jobs, biotech and nano-tech, directly relates to my role ... developing curriculum for our high school summer science academy,” said DeMartino.

To prepare students for postsecondary education, begin young, O’Connell said.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the answer is quality preschool,” he said.

The Preschool for All Act was O’Connell’s second area of focus; it’s proposed for the June 2006 ballot. It will provide free education for all preschool-aged children whose parents choose to enroll them. The act will gain funding from California’s wealthiest 6%, putting a 1.7% increase on taxable income of more than $800,000 for couples and $400,000 for singles.

O’Connell encouraged schools to collaborate to provide seamless transitions between all stages of schooling, so improvements don’t end where they begin. O’Connell said such an educational system will help students reach their potential.

“I’m absolutely convinced the best is yet to come for public education in the state,” he said.

Darlene Boyd, director of pre-college programs for the Center of Educational Partnerships at UC Irvine, appreciated O’Connell’s concern for developing life-long learners.

“I’m impressed with the superintendent’s strong commitment to encourage the enhancement of curriculum with higher-order thinking, critical-thinking skills, and creative problem-solving skills,” said Boyd.

O’Connell, a Cal State Fullerton graduate in 1975, received his teaching credentials from Cal State Long Beach. In 2002, he was elected the state’s 26th superintendent of public instruction.20060128its1ttncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)State Supt. Jack O’Connell tells educators the importance of preparing students for a technologically advanced workforce.