Expanding Career Skills Through School Board Governance

Many school boards are now focused on the importance of extending career skills to their students, as a recent study showed that only 35% of people learned skills that would have improved their employment opportunities. This is quite troubling, as career development is vital in preparing individuals for a successful and satisfying life after school. In fact, career development should form an important part of every student’s learning life, and is certainly something worth doing.

School Education

But it isn’t just school boards that need to worry about the value of career development. Professional development, or learning new skills and knowledge that will be beneficial to them in their careers, can be beneficial for students of all ages. There are many career-minded adults who never took the time to learn a new skill, even though they had the opportunity, and as a result they are now stuck in jobs that don’t fit their skills, knowledge, or personality type.

Fortunately, there are now many career-oriented organizations that have recognized the importance of teaching students the skills necessary for them to succeed. These organizations often have a technical instruction division. They conduct classes, workshops, and seminars to teach students about job skills, management skills, and technical instruction skills. The majority of these courses are designed to give students a broad overview of the concepts involved in fulfilling careers. However, for students who really want to pursue a particular profession, they are also trained in the application skills required. This usually involves hands-on practice with real jobs or scenarios in which they will be required to make critical decisions under pressure.

Unfortunately, not every individual has access to professional level compensation training. In this case, career development organizations often have affiliate programs with professional level compensation associations like the International Association of School Boards (IASB) and the Accreditation Council for Business Education (ACBE). Through these programs, professional level compensation training is provided to individuals interested in pursuing careers in public administration, education, government, and the health care industry.

Career development associations also provide technical assistance and resources to school board governance leaders and teachers. At the local and regional levels, they provide support for school boards during budgeting processes and periodic certification and accreditation processes. At the district and regional levels, they provide information and guidance on curriculum and staffing issues. At the district and regional levels, they also work with parents, student leaders, and other stakeholders to improve student achievement and teacher performance. At the state and national levels, they work with legislators, policy makers, educators, and business leaders to improve quality of education. Most career development associations have a website where members can get additional information on how to get the career skills and knowledge they need to advance their careers.

Becoming more knowledgeable about professional standards and methods by which school boards set academic standards is critical to becoming an effective leader. Effective leaders make sure that school boards are responsive to the needs of students and parents. They also ensure that teachers and school boards are responsive to the needs of students.

Meetings

The work requires regular meetings between managers and members of governing bodies. Meetings also help school boards learn what members expect from them, what needs to be done, and how they should do it. Career development associations provide an invaluable resource for school boards and management that are interested in improving their effectiveness.