At our June 7th 2018 Student Outcomes Conference (SOCon) 17 schools and districts shared their student "bright spots" or achievements, and the practices and systems that they put in place that made that success possible. Here are the bright spots in the area of student development of post-secondary and employability skills!

High school students with Individual Education Plans and 504 Plans may be eligible for government-funded programs and services. Most of these offerings will be available to persons with documented disabilities after they exit high school but some individuals may be able to access services before they leave school.  In either case, students and families should understand the options and how to apply for them well in advance of the child’s final year in school.

How can educators better prepare students for work in what appears to be a shrinking job market? For now, the answer may lie in helping students, perhaps as early as kindergarten, to develop work-related skills and abilities. If the demand for human labor will be reduced over the next two decades, that means that today’s toddlers will be entering a labor force offering jobs, most of which do not yet exist.  In order to help prepare students for the workforce, Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) learning standards were developed. CDOS learning standards and activities begin in kindergarten and continue through grade 12.