Experts in the Field

Committed and passionate people abound in the area of college and career readiness.  It is a popular and important topic as evidenced by the national educational system transition into the Common Core era.  Common Core anchor standards for English language arts include college and career readiness standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language.  In scope of research and work I came across a number of experts in the field: Dr. David T. Conley of the University of Oregon, Dr. Jonathan Brennan of Mission College, and Ms. Carol J. Carter of LifeBound.  Dr. Brennan is a national expert in high school and college student success that I met during one of our district’s board meeting.  He has developed and defined nine solutions or student types that promote achievement: 1. neuro-savvy, 2. purposeful, 3. resilient, 4. broadly intelligent, 5. Positive, 6. balanced, 7. creative, 8. empowered, and mindful.  Dr. David Conley has spoken at numerous conferences including the National College and Career Readiness Symposium.  He shared during the Actualizing College and Career Readiness Symposium that the current system is geared around eligibility rather than readiness, that there is an aspiration gap, and that the Common Core Standards align with all the major skills necessary to be college and career ready.  He goes on to define College and Career Ready “as the alignment among student skills, interests, aspirations, and their post-secondary objectives."  Finally, Dr. Carol J. Carter is a student success experts that gives keynote addresses, offers professional development and writes about college readiness.  She attributes several key indicators such as lack of exposure, role models, stability in the home, and being first generation college students to the challenges students in low socioeconomic situations face in being college career ready.  Overall the findings make clear that the endeavor to create college and career ready students is a very challenging task.  There are many indicators in this complex educational function.  The authors mentioned contribute to the growing body of knowledge to define college and career ready in the 21^st century while offering a variety of best practices and approaches to best support students truly be college and career ready.  Still none define their work in the alternative school setting.