Celeste, 24, was a high school drop out; she was functionally illiterate, reading at a fourth-grade level, with fifth-grade math skills. She lacked self-confidence and was in need of remedial help.

Juan and Celeste decided to apply to FAST BREAK, a computer-assisted employment training program. Entry requirements included:

* Pass reading and math tests at least at the eighth-grade level (or Level 3 of WorkKeys)
* Commit to eight-hour days for eight weeks
* Work or go to school upon graduating

Juan and Celeste liked the idea of a short program that led to a job paying more than minimum wage and were enthused about using computers several hours a day. They both looked forward to classes with lots of individual attention and interaction between classmates.

Juan passed the entry exam. He was surprised to learn that half of high school graduates who took the test did not pass. Celeste, a dropout, twice failed the test despite having gone to an adult school to improve her skills. To accommodate Celeste and others who could not meet the entry skill standards, the city council provided funds for “Step Up”, a program that uses courseware in combination with one-to-one and small-group tutoring to raise math and reading scores to the levels required by FAST BREAK. Celeste enrolled immediately.

BEGINNING THE FAST BREAK

The first day Juan reported to FAST BREAK, he knew he was in for an unusual experience. After signing in, an instructor immediately showed him how to logon to a computer with his own password. “No waiting,” he thought. “That’s good.” Then the normally shy Juan joined a small group, and he introduced another group member to the entire class. He said to himself, “The class just started a few minutes ago, and already I had to stand up and talk in front of everyone. I guess I’m going to have to get over my shyness in a hurry.”

The program director explained, that to graduate from the program, students must achieve at least tenth-grade math and reading proficiencies (roughly Level 4/5 of WorkKeys), demonstrate exemplary attendance and punctuality, master essential computer skills, develop a portfolio of their best work, give a speech on their career plan, demonstrate satisfactory cooperation and interpersonal relations, and remain drug-free. If they were going to college after the program, they would have to apply prior to completing the program. If they were going into the job market, they would need to conduct two interviews with occupational incumbents in their career choice area and incorporate what they learned into their career speech. Juan’s head was spinning, “How am I going to be able to do all this?”

Before the first day was over, Juan was introduced to the computers operating system, started his courseware math and reading lessons, and participated in an interesting discussion that followed a video on the new world of work confronting young people. Juan observed he learned more in a day at FAST BREAK than in a couple of weeks of high school.

WORKLIKE ENVIRONMENT

As Juan progressed through the program, he experienced the growing self-confidence that comes from achieving new skills, speaking before groups, learning how to find and use information to solve work-related problems, and how to work effectively with others. He appreciated the workplace environment where students and staff helped one another and treated one another with respect. He was impressed with the multiple opportunities to practice the principles of the high-performance workplace: hard work, high expectations, continual improvement, daily practice of fundamentals, teamwork, personal responsibility and discipline, reward for excellence and effort, and the importance of the customer.

Juan and his classmates often remarked that they wished they had this program in high school. Much of it was the same content they had in their high school English, math, science and social studies classes, yet they understood much more because FAST BREAK integrated the subjects and used courseware to help teach and reinforce the most important elements. They also liked the team approach of the instructors, and that students had to master basic levels before being allowed to progress to more difficult levels. Some dropouts found they had little difficulty passing GED tests after graduating FAST TRACK. Other students used the program as a head start on college, particularly in math since the instructors and courseware could take them through college geometry and algebra.

Juan also liked the voluntary Saturday workshops on occupational safety (including CPR), dressing and grooming for success, and Internet search skills and etiquette.

Another popular activity was the catered “power lunch” with a well-known business leader from the community. The students themselves organized the event. Students had to dress up (the instructor loaned Juan a tie and taught him how to tie it).The honored guest led a meal time discussion on what it takes to succeed in business. Juan long remembered the stimulating discussion, and the fact that he never had a meal with so many forks.

CENTRAL ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology helped students get the most out of every day. No one took attendance, logging on took care of that. Computer courseware helped push students to their limits. The web-based network and management system (e.g. Core Skills Mastery, KeyTrain, Apex, NovaNet, PLATO, etc.) enabled staff to track individual progress and work productively with students having widely different abilities and learning rates. The staff routinely invited students to use the management system to review their progress; the students liked the continual feedback from staff.

A typical lesson integrated academics with computer applications. For example, students would read a work problem requiring a numerical solution, then use a calculator and spreadsheet software to calculate and verify the answer. Finally, using a word processor, results were written up in the form of a memo or letter. Five-person student teams would then come up with a stronger letter, drawing on the initial products of the team members.

Students could access web-based job banks to identify prospective local employers and obtain career information from state and national systems that described various jobs and the places students could go for postsecondary training. They could find out about labor market demand, wages, job duties and entry requirements for virtually any occupation in any county in any state. Juan, who decided to become a graphic artist, had to defend his career plan as part of a final oral examination, conducted like a job interview by all the staff and students. He appreciated their positive reviews of his well-organized PowerPoint presentation that included graphs showing state and local job trends in his field of interest.

Juan developed his resume, again using a word processor. He also made and reviewed videotapes of mock interviews, which helped him gain poise, self-confidence and a sense of humor when in front of others.

Juan graduated. No longer shy, his writing, interpersonal skills and portfolio that featured creatively illustrated PowerPoint presentations helped him land an entry-level job at a graphic arts company.

SATISFIED EMPLOYERS AND COLLEGES

“What impresses me most about these FAST BREAK graduates,” said one corporate director of human resources “is how much they care about their jobs. They are eager and responsible; learn fast, and know the value of loyalty. They don’t leave you for a quarter more per hour somewhere else, because they realize their earnings can grow here if they work hard and produce.”

“Since coming over from FAST BREAK,” the owner of a printing company observed, “Rebecca Sanchez jumped right in and cheerfully has accepted new assignments. We are impressed with how well she retains information when she has to acquire new skills.”

The supervisor of more than a dozen graduates at a home improvement and hardware store said, “They work hard, have good work habits and learn computer skills quickly. They are making a definite contribution to the growth of this division.”

The, provost of a nearby community college, said “We want more of your graduates. More than 85 percent are passing their placement exams on the first try so they can use tuition to pay for college credit classes instead of the noncredit remedial classes that most of our freshmen must take.”

PRE-FAST BREAK PROGRAM

FAST BREAK established an evening program that allowed unsuccessful applicants like Celeste to augment her skills in areas she was lacking. They used the same courseware available to regular day students. With the help of a specialist in “brain-based” information processing styles and Lindamood-Bell remedial reading materials, Celeste worked her way through the computer modules, and for every grade level she moved up in math or reading, she was rewarded with opportunities to learn word processing and spreadsheet skills.

Within three months, Celeste raised her scores from fifth-grade to eighth-grade levels. She spent two more months in FAST BREAK and graduated with tenth-grade levels of proficiency. She found a job and now carries herself as a confident, poised young woman.

TIME FOR ACTION: THE CRISIS OF COMPETENCE

The enormity of this crisis of competence calls for immediate action. Through intelligent application of technology and principles of a high performance workplace, we can get better results and overcome the growing irrelevance of public education and training to our Nation’s businesses.

Who can benefit from a program like Fast Break? Any group needing better skills and/or work habits to enter college or career-track employment:

High school students

Out-of-school young adults (high school graduates or dropouts)

College freshmen needing remedial education

Welfare recipients needing better skills + work habits

Ex-offenders

Displaced workers/homemakers re-entering job market

Incumbent workers desiring advance from basic level

Recent immigrants needing skills and orientation to U.S. system of work and education

Which institutions could adapt this program to their needs? Answer:
high schools, community colleges, employment and training agencies, prisons and jails, community-based organizations.

Business coalitions could establish Fast Break in industrial parks and shopping centers to develop a pool of job ready employees and help groom their current entry-level employees for positions with greater responsibility.

Multi-national companies and their suppliers in developing countries could establish Fast Break centers to ensure a steady supply of entry-level employees with the skills and work habits to help them compete in the global economy.

SO, ARE WE SUFFICIENTLY CONTENT TO CONTINUE SLEEPING THROUGH THIS CRISIS OF COMPETENCE, OR ARE WE PREPARED TO BREAK FROM THE FACTORY MODEL OF EDUCATION THAT FOCUSES ON DEFICIT REMOVAL AND TRY INSTEAD AN APPROACH THAT CONFORMS TO THE WAY PEOPLE REALLY ARE AND WOULD ACTUALLY HELP THEM COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY?

* Less than half of those who enter 9^th grade enter college. High school dropout rates in cities are alarming, particularly for minority, low-income and second language learners.

* Despite taking tougher classes, earning more credits, and receiving better grades, a U.S. Department of Education study found that reading and math scores for 17-year olds have remained flat for some 40 years. Close to 40% are proficient in reading but only 26% were proficient in math in 2013.

* Different studies estimate 20-40 % of entering students in four-year institutions take some remedial education as do 40-60% in two-year institutions. Yet college remedial programs do not perform all that well. A healthy percentage of students (25-40%) don’t even pass (get a “C” grade or better).

*UCLA studies of national samples of college freshmen over 30 years show high percentages felt bored and under challenged in high school.

TO THE POINT

With its “assembly line” regimen of 4-6 50-90 minute classes per day in disciplinary “silos,” the traditional comprehensive high school is unlikely to perform better than it has, particularly in cities.

Imagine a program that could transform the high school, community college or job training experience:

·Where students take cross-disciplinary courses from teams of teachers who work together rather than in isolation, meet each day to assess student progress, and take mutual responsibility for the final “product.”

·Where math/reading basics are integrated in intensive doses with computer and employability skills, so that students can speed through required subjects on their way to electives that align with what they want to do with their lives.

·That resembles a high performance company where people work in teams, use technology to improve productivity, have flexible work groups and schedules, and continually emphasize customer service.

·Where graduates are ready for both college and career entry positions.

·Where employers say graduates learn fast, show up on time, work well on teams and when unsupervised, respect co-workers, and truly appreciate their jobs.

Where wraparound services to enhance student success are provided daily by staff, e.g. tutoring, personal counseling, help with access to needed health & social services, help with job and college applications, and assistance to ensure students meet Fast Break’s strict attendance requirements.

FAST BREAK IS RESULTS-ORIENTED

Using program data and follow-up studies collected over a three-year period, program managers determined:

* 80 percent complete program (at least 10th-grade proficiency in math and reading, exemplary attendance/ punctuality, essential computer skills, portfolio of best work, satisfactory cooperation and interpersonal relations.

* 2-3 grade level gains in math and reading in only 8-16 weeks;

* 85 percent placement of graduates in jobs paying at least $2 more per hour than minimum wage, or they enter college.

HISTORY OF FAST BREAK

* Focus: HOPE in Detroit developed “Fast Track” (predecessor of FAST BREAK) in 1989 (http://www.focushope.edu/).

* $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation facilitated its replication in Los Angeles from 1995-97.

* State of Michigan awarded grants totaling $5 million to demonstrate model in 6 more sites from 2000-2003.

* Since 2009 the Haberman Educational Foundation has been adjusting Fast Break to keep up with technological advances and research linking thinking styles and the practical applications of emotional intelligence to the learning environment. The Foundation earns fees by training staff in how to set up and operate the program.

WHY FAST BREAK WORKS

Accelerated learning among young adults occurs when …

* High-level, highly integrated academics are taught along with computer applications to solve work-related problems, while building workplace habits and personal character.

* Staff is competent in their subject areas, accepts being cross-trained in other areas, and employs the right set of incentives and nurturing behaviors.

* Program touches all aspects of “human capital” (social, cultural, moral, cognitive, aspirational) and is not just another narrow skill building program. Students and faculty form a high performance work team that stays together all day long and requires members to improve their collective as well as individual performance.

* Computer-assisted instruction provides many more opportunities for repetition and practice than traditional classroom formats.

* Continual availability of staff to students. After school staff meetings each day to discuss student progress and quality-control issues.

* High credibility of the program with employers who appreciate documentation of student skills and attendance and the fact they passed a drug test.

* Involvement of all staff in following up graduates on the job (telephone calls, mail surveys and occasional visits to work sites).

* Mix of college- and work-bound students in the same class raises aspirations and expectations of all; many who never thought they were college material discover otherwise and enroll.

* Like a successful sports team, FAST BREAK emphasizes teamwork, daily practice of fundamentals, effective time management, continual feedback on performance, communication among staff and students on how to do better the next day, continual opportunities to integrate theory and practice and to apply skills in game-like (“real world”) settings.