The Impact of Linked Learning College Readiness Initiative

The Impact of Linked Learning College Readiness Initiative

LITERATURE REVIEW

For several decades, the United States has been undertaking different efforts in order to transform the education system of the country. The goal of transformation is to prepare all students for their real life experiences. In order to transform the education system of the country, it is important to pay equal attention to both students and teachers. Teachers play a critical role in the education system. One of the approaches that are used to prepare children for the transformation of education system includes career focused and academic instructions (Branham, 2011).

According to researchers, there is a strong and steady demand for communication, problem solving and similar skills in the United States. This is largely because of the shift from repetitive jobs to innovative tasks. As a result of an increase in the requirements of jobs, the academic requirements for successful entry into the workforce are rising. According to the empirical evidence, there are certain levels of academic skills that are required in order to achieve success. The skills of individuals are applied in different contexts. In some situations, the mathematical and analytics skills are more important than communication skills. However, for other jobs, communication skills play a significant role. With changing demands of employees, there is a need for education that produced career bound students. It is, therefore, important for high school graduates to possess all necessary skills required to achieve success in the modern work environment (Weis, 2009).

The traditional American high school system has long presented critical challenges. The most significant challenge is in the form of a critical decision point at which students must choose to pursue college or a career. There is an increase in the recognition that students must service society, and it is important for high schools to offer more than just education. In order to prepare students to achieve success in life, the modern schools are required to shift their focus from preparing students for college education or a career to the focus on career readiness.

Teachers' Collaboration

According to DuFour et al. (2005), teacher collaboration has the potential to increase the achievements of students. In the United States, a number of schools have been failed because of poor achievements of students. Teachers' collaboration has the potential to increase the achievement of students. According to Jackson and Davis (2000), teachers' collaboration has a significant impact on students' achievement. Jackson and Davis (2000) have discussed different types of teachers' collaboration that are found in schools. These types include interdisciplinary teams, teacher collaboration, partnering, multidisciplinary, and team teaching. Interdisciplinary teams consist of as many as five teachers that are from different departments. These teachers work together in order to develop project based instructions for students. The research on teachers' collaboration has largely focused on interdisciplinary teams. Multidisciplinary teaming involves sharing of responsibilities among different teachers and other team members. The team members, in this structure, are responsible for their departmentalized ...