Project Connect's main purpose is to develop and implement a Real-World high school model at seven high schools. This model will incorporate a Life-Based curriculum in which students are prepared for the real world beyond school. At the same time, the project will implement a new model at the College of Education at USF to prepare future academic and vocational teachers to teach within such a revolutionary high school setting.
Primary Purposes of the Project
The primary purposes of this USDOE funded project are to (1)
Develop and implement on a pilot basis within two high schools a
"real world" high school model incorporating a "life-based"
curriculum and (2) develop and implement on a pilot basis within
USF's College of Education a pilot program to prepare future
academic and vocational teachers to teach within such a high
school setting.
Need for Project
Many high school students find the current state and district
mandated curriculum not terribly relevant to their immediate and
future lives. they have difficulty seeing how they might eventually
use the knowledge, concepts and skills they are being asked to
learn. Many students find the separate class periods, the
disconnected subject areas, the emphasis on memorization for
paper and pencil testing and the emphasis on theory and
knowledge less than appealing. There is much recent research that
indicates that the great majority of students learn better when they
directly see the relevance and meaningfulness of what they are
learning and when they learn it in context and in an applied
manner. This project seeks to develop and implement a high school
curriculum that is closely connected to students' immediate and
future lives. The important academic concepts and skills will still
be there, however, they will be presented in a manner that today's
high school students will find more applicable to their lives. It also
seeks to develop a high school structure that more closely
resembles the world beyond schools. The project will also develop
and implement a pilot teacher education program within USF's
College of Education for preparing future secondary teachers to
teach successfully in such an environment.
Progress to date:
During 1995-96 two design teams, one focused on the high school
initiatives, and the other focused on the college of education
initiatives met and designed the structure and curriculum of the
pilot programs. Each team also developed "Aim" statements. In
addition to an Aim statement, the Teacher Education design team
also created program Standards and examined the state of Florida
"Accomplished Practices". Using these, they created a new
document of Accomplished Practices which incorporates the aims
and objectives of Project Connect with the existing State
recommendations for pre-service teachers. Copies of the Aim
Statement, Program Standards, and the Accomplished Practices
are attached.
Next Major Step:
During 1996-97 an Implementation Team, guided by an Advisory
Board, will further develop and operationalize the Secondary
Education design and develop the curriculum. The team will make
decisions and resolve issues regarding grading, transcript, credits,
internships, and related details. The life-based curriculum and real-
world high school model will be implemented with approximately
120 ninth grade students at each high school in the Fall of 1997. At
the same time, the first cohort of preservice education students will
enter the Teacher Education program now being created for
Project Connect. Additional funding is now being sought to
continue the project for three additional years on the hope that an
alternative integrated program may ultimately be incorporated into
the College of Education.