The inaugural session of our Act 45 course Using Human-Centered Design (HCD) to Support Student Growth & Achievement is getting excellent reviews as educators enter the home stretch of their work. Participants report both enjoying the course and also reaping benefits from learning among peers. New Kensington-Arnold School District Superintendent Chris Sefcheck, Ed.D., for example, […]
Annual Conference again gives attendees ideas and contacts
It was the third he’d attended, but Kris Hupp said he seems always to get something new out our annual Future Ready Partnerships Conference (FRPC). Among takeaways from this year’s, the Cornell School District Director of Technology & Instructional Innovation said he and two Cornell teachers who accompanied him got some ideas from the “hands […]
New Professional Development option helps teachers discover pathways for students
Teachers in K-12 schools have increasingly been expected to support students in career learning. But it can be a challenge for the many who have had little exposure to jobs or workplaces outside of education. That’s why Cornell School District decided to offer its teachers an Educator in the Workforce (EIW) experience from the Consortium’s […]
Future Ready Leaders get feedback on project plans
Teams participating in Future Ready Leaders (FRL) will come together again in March to share insights from their project implementations. The teams met in January to get feedback from peers on projects that ranged from designing a Google site that helps students align high school electives with college and career plans, to hosting guest speakers […]
Spotlight On: Career Fair with a Twist
Employers may think of career fairs strictly as events in which they’re invited to participate, whether by schools, trade associations or others who might organize them. As UPMC found last fall, however, an employer might have a better shot at recruiting if it instead serves as host. A career fair that the healthcare giant hosted […]
Human-Centered Design can help make school budget changes more strategic and more palatable
Some 40 administrators and others interested in school budgeting came together in January to get tips and tools to help focus the process on specific priorities and make it more transparent. During a January 9th webinar (recorded here), our Human-Centered Design (HCD) coaches helped attendees learn how HCD could help ensure that any changes they […]
Thriving Futures Cohort for Counselors
The Consortium is offering Thriving Futures for school counselors this fall in response to feedback gathered at a preliminary meeting in March. Registrations for the program, which will focus on future readiness, must be made by Sept. 15, and the first of three in-person sessions takes place Oct. 24. Among possible topics on upcoming agendas […]
Professional Development Opportunities
Registration is open for introductory courses in Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Human-Centered Design (HCD) that we’ll be offering in September. The PBL training consists of two sessions, Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Consortium’s offices. The HCD training takes place Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, also from 8:30 […]
Educators learn about opportunities for students in advanced manufacturing
Educators participating in the Industry 4.0 Teacher Academy seemed surprised and reassured that even the advanced manufacturing sector—with high-tech environments that depend on coding, robots, and the like—offers employment opportunities for students without 4-year degrees. “The trend is toward skills-based hiring,” Catalyst Connection’s Director of Workforce Initiatives, Scott Dietz, interjected as attendees peppered business representatives […]
Launching the Student Sustainability Design Challenge!
Companies and community organizations interested in participating in the Student Sustainability Design Challenge we’re offering this year in partnership with the Energy Innovation Center will find information about the program in a video from an August webinar as well as in our Program Description and Timetable. As part of the program, student teams will learn […]