World of Work Summit 2023

By: Norton Gusky

Over 600 people came to San Diego from March 23-25, 2023 to join the first World of Work (WOW) Summit convened by the Cajon Valley Union School District. The Summit brought together educators from all over the United States who wanted to see the WOW program in operation in Cajon Valley Union schools, hear from leaders in the business and education community about setting a vision for the WOW movement and discover more about how to accelerate literacy so learners could create gainful employment pathways based on their strengths, interests, and values. I traveled with the River Valley School District from Pennsylvania which shared its STEAM Academy and the successful CyberSecurity pathway at a session during the conference. Joining me were twelve other educators from the Pittsburgh area representing the World of Work, Pittsburgh contingent.

DAY 1

For two years COVID limited my opportunity to visit schools. I was excited to be able to start the conference by visiting two schools and interacting with educators and learners. The Cajon Valley school district arranged for six busloads of people to visit four elementary buildings, a middle school, and a charter high school. I spent the morning at the Bostonia Global Charter High School and the Avocado Elementary School. California, unlike all other states, has separate school districts for grades K-8 and 9-12. The Cajon Valley School District created a charter high school so some of their students could continue along the career pathways begun in their K-8 program.

As I joined the line for the buses to the schools, I spotted my Consortium for Schools Networked (CoSN) colleague, David Jarboe. David, the Director of Instructional Technology and STEAM for the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs came to San Diego to visit family and discovered that there was a conference in his home area. David not only attended Cajon Valley as a student, but he also became a teacher and then an administrator at Cajon Valley. When we arrived at the Bostonia Global Charter High School, David pointed out the room where he taught when the building was a middle school. We had a chance to hear from a variety of Advisers (teachers) who allow each Scholar (student) to have their own personal pathway. In addition, we heard from a delegation of Scholars who shared why they enjoy learning at Bostonia Global Chart High School. It was refreshing to hear how much the Scholars value their Advisers. It was obvious that the WOW model at Bostonia was built on strong relationships with empowered educators and learners.

At the Avocado Elementary School, I had a chance to interact with students in grades K-5. It was wonderful to see kids share their business cards and talk with fourth-grade entrepreneurs. I observed how well the kids interacted with the adults and I photographed wonderful moments with some of the key people attending the conference, such as Tom Vander Ark from Getting Smart. It was amazing to hear the students outline how they tapped into their RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) personality traits. According to David Jarboe, “I was thoroughly impressed with the students and their ability to articulate their life choices with clarity and purpose. Each student not only described what they wanted to do but also explained why they had chosen that path. It was evident that they had developed a strong sense of agency and direction. This exemplifies the immense value of programs like World of World and the direct impact they have on students.”

We returned to the Summit Hotel, the Hilton on the Bay, for lunch and a general session before Kevin Honeycutt shared his amazing personal story. Kevin grew up in poverty, attending school in more than 20 states before becoming the first high school and college graduate in his family. He taught K-12 art, and summer art camps and wrote and directed high school plays for 13 years. Kevin now travels around the United States working with educators and students to embrace their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. He helps learners find a pathway that allows them to sell their creative products online.

Ashli Detweiler, the Coordinator of the Pittsburgh World of Work project that includes Avonworth, Duquesne, Elizabeth Forward, and the South Fayette School Districts, added, “Keynote speaker, Kevin Honeycutt, asked, what would school look like if we saw the school through the eyes of a child?  Furthermore, what would school look like if we really loved our kids?”

DAY 2

Horst Schultze provided a wonderful work-world connection as the keynote for the General Session. Horst challenged the audience to think about ways to achieve Excellence in Education as he has done in the business world. Horst helped the Ritz Carlton Hotel Chain become the gold standard for hotel services. Today he works with corporations and international projects around the world to reach the highest levels of success. Horst’s words reaffirmed what I’ve always believed: if you reach for the moon you’ll have a team of student astronauts travel with you.

Later that afternoon I joined the River Valley School District team to share their STEAM Academy Success Story creating a CyberSecurity Career Pathway.   Phillip Martell, the Superintendent of the River Valley School District, a rural district about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, set the stage for the CyberSecurity project and then Missy Milanak, outlined how she developed the course by tapping into resources at the University of Pittsburgh as well as state and national standards. Jeff Geesey then added how the course taps into national certification from CompTIA and provides real-world experiences including industry certification opportunities for high school students.

According to Philip Martell, the Superintendent of the River Valley School District, “WoW gives our River Valley students exposure to career options at an early age. Students have the opportunity to learn about careers, receive hands-on experiences, meet professionals, and practice skills needed for that career.”

At the end of the afternoon the Conference moved to the Midway Aircraft Carrier docked in San Diego for a wonderful opportunity to socialize and enjoy the beauty of San Diego. I joined my colleague David Jarboe, his niece who now teaches in Cajon Valley, and Horst Schultze for a wonderful conversation.

DAY 3

Tom Murray kicked off Day 3 with a wonderful set of interactive activities. Tom is most passionate about creating cultures of innovation where teachers are empowered to create the types of learning experiences today’s modern learners need to thrive. For his morning session, Tom had the audience “working” in pairs to draw a variety of images. The challenge: the person doing the drawing had to follow the directions of their partner and to make the challenge even more exaggerated, the drawer could not see what they were drawing. This provided a great lesson in how we, educators, need to guide learners and the degree of trust that’s required.

Final Thoughts

Jeff Geesey summarized the impact of the conference quite well, “In my opinion, this conference was worth every minute! Specifically, the keynote speakers were certainly beyond informative with their collective and intriguing insights into transformative K-12 education. The inspiration of their messages certainly resonated with me.”

Jeff added, “From my perspective as an educational consultant for River Valley, it is notable that it is on a parallel, as well as a highly productive trajectory for not only today but tomorrow and the future. The district is strategically focused on outcomes that are directly correlated to students’ interest, strengths, and values. This is not the only attribute of the student’s education as it is fully integrated with workforce development on-ramps to career pathways.” 

According to Philip Martell, “Visiting Cajon Valley Schools and seeing career development based on a deep understanding of each individual student was a highlight of the WoW Summit. The WoW framework makes a difference for learners because it cultivates career development and paths to gainful employment K-12.”

Phil then related the experience to how River Valley will take what it learned. “The goal is for our River Valley students to have a personalized career experience. We currently use the WoW/Beable framework along with the RIASEC model which allows students to explore different careers to see what their interests are so that we can build career opportunities within their learning path K-12.”

For me, the conference combined a great opportunity to see a real movement underway in an amazing school district with great national leaders providing context and a deeper understanding of the impact of the World of Work. When we design a learning environment based on strengths, interests, and values, we have a much greater chance to see every learner succeed and find a pathway for their future.

Ashli Detweiler summarized how the WOW Summit impacted her, “From start to finish, the World of Work Summit 2023 was another example of why now, more than ever, we must ensure success for our next generation of learners. After attending the Summit, one can only leave with a sense of excitement but also the urgency. The excitement stems from school districts, we have to come together to work alongside one another because the students in our region, in our different schools, belong to all of us.  They represent our future. With this statement, also comes urgency.  As districts, we cannot wait. We have to start the lift now of providing students with equitable opportunities to ensure each child is set for gainful employment and happiness for the years to come. So, what would school look like if we saw the school through the eyes of a child? As districts, we need to play together. As districts, we need to learn from one another. As districts, we need to put an emphasis on happiness. Most importantly, as districts, we have to love one another’s kids as if they were our own.“

For over forty years Norton Gusky has demonstrated in his teaching the power of technology as a tool for empowering kids, educators, and communities.