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Critical Issue: High School Redesign

How can New Jersey redesign its high schools to prepare students to meet the challenges of tomorrow?

That question will be the focus of the Critical Issues Session at Workshop 2007.

Dr. Jay Doolan, an assistant commissioner with the New Jersey State Department of Education, will lead the panel discussion on cooperative efforts to redesign the state’s high schools, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24. Representatives of business and education will serve as panelists.

Why high school redesign? The world as we know it is changing. Our economy is now global. Each day, new technologies are being developed, reshaping our way of life. Technological advances are eliminating low-skill jobs.

There was a time when mail was delivered by horse, and it took six months for a letter from New Jersey to reach California. Now, it only takes only seconds to send and receive messages via fax or the Internet.

Lower-skilled jobs are being eliminated. Toll takers are being displaced by E-Z Pass, telephone operators by voice recognition software, and bank tellers by ATMs. As a result, high schools must change to adequately prepare students for the world of work or the next level of education.

What you will learn. The panel will focus the importance of further education, workforce readiness, and preparedness for college or business. Discussion will explore the American Diploma Project and its benchmarks, and how schools should prepare students.