Final reports on the CPaBL project

Summary

Creating Pathways and Building Lives (CPaBL) is a Ministry of Education project aimed at building a sustainable, integrated school-wide approach to career education in 100 secondary schools selected by the Ministry.

The Ministry of Education intended CPaBL to:

• improve the quality of careers information, advice, and guidance;
• improve student motivation, engagement, retention and achievement;
• assist students in making a smooth transition from school to further training and employment;
• be more responsive to diverse student needs, specifically those of Māori, Pacific, refugee and migrant students, and at risk students; and
• encourage the involvement of families and whānau in decisions about their children’s career paths.

Extent to which these five intentions have been met

The Ministry of Education contracted the Education Review Office (ERO) to evaluate the initiative.

This summary of outcomes of CPaBL is generalised because each of the 100 schools implemented CPaBL according to their particular learning and social context. In most cases, the initiative has had a positive impact on the schools’ ability to deliver career education effectively. Improvements in systems for teaching careers have to some extent improved the outcomes for students.

Most schools have developed processes and structures to sustain the provision of career education and guidance that supports students to make successful transitions from school to employment or further education. Some schools that have viewed CPaBL as a model have reconsidered their overall curriculum delivery and are looking ahead, making links with The New Zealand Curriculum, which is to be implemented in 2010.

The schools have used the initiative to develop and monitor curriculum and career pathways for their students, and in many cases, have continued and improved on practices already in place.

At the other end of the spectrum are teachers who see CPaBL as another add-on to the curriculum, and believe the careers advisers have the responsibility of delivering careers education in the school.

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Improve the quality of careers information, advice, and guidance

Overall, the CPaBL initiative has resulted in an improvement in the quality of careers information, advice, and guidance in the participating schools. Almost all principals believe that the career education programme being provided in their school is now more effective. Principals are very positive about the initiative.

Many schools report an increase in staff awareness of the importance of career education and in the number of teachers who include career information in their subject teaching. More teachers are now including references to careers in their subject teaching and are linking curriculum content to future use in the workplace. However, the extent to which this is happening is highly variable. ERO’s student survey responses indicate that some rather than most teachers integrate careers information into their subject areas.

The most frequently identified outcomes are that students have a greater self knowledge, a better awareness of career opportunities, and are making better subject choices. There is also a perception that students are better informed and have increased skills in locating and using careers information. Careers advisers have noted that students are making better use of the careers centre.

CPaBL has enabled schools to spend time identifying the particular needs of the students at each year level, reviewing what is currently provided, and, where necessary, adjusting their programmes so that students’ needs are met. Schools have been able to make informed decisions about where various aspects of career education fit best with the school’s curriculum.

Supporting factors

Leadership. One of the most significant factors in successfully implementing CPaBL is the principal’s vision and commitment. The initiative has been successful in schools where the principal links the vision for career education with the whole school curriculum and management systems. In some schools, effective leadership has been provided by the CPaBL leader.

School systems. Having specific reference to career education and guidance in the school’s strategic and annual plans, and in department management documents and schemes and performance appraisal, has facilitated school-wide career education and guidance. Schools will need to identify ongoing professional development needs, and develop strategies, such as providing resources and ongoing professional development, to support teachers. Schools will further need to monitor the extent to which career education is being implemented. Schools can then be more confident about the sustainability of specific career education modules and programmes.

Teams. ERO’s investigations showed that schools that used a small group of people from a range of backgrounds to plan and monitor the delivery of the career education programme were more likely to provide successful career education school-wide. In these schools, career-related initiatives were more likely to be sustainable in the longer term.

Senior management support. In schools that have a senior manager on the team, there has been better traction in implementing a school-wide programme. The senior manager gives credibility to the work of the team, can use leverage in timetabling and organise teacher relief for professional development and CPaBL meetings.

Professional development. The use of CPaBL funding has enabled a wide range of staff to learn more about particular careers and aspects of career education. Only a small number of schools have involved staff in professional development that encourages them to view their role more broadly. Professional development needs of careers staff should be identified and addressed. Some staff may need professional development on leading change.

External support has been a key element in helping schools to improve the quality of education and guidance that they provide for students. Most principals and CPaBL leaders state that they have appreciated the support from the external teams to improve the quality of career education in the school. The allocation of the funding between the two services and the uneven distribution of schools across the country, resulted in Career Services being the main provider of support, and consequently schools used Career Services more and viewed their involvement as more useful.

Resources produced as part of the CPaBL project are being used by schools, and students are increasingly accessing the Career Services website.

The Career Education Plan (CEP) is helping to develop a structured school-wide careers programme that is tailored to individual students.

Meetings with other CPaBL schools have been valuable in enabling CPaBL teams to network with other schools to share ideas and strategies.

Challenges

A lack of clarity of purpose, initially compounded by a drawn out process of developing the professional support agreement, led to a slow start that did little to benefit students.

Limited teacher buy-in has meant that only some teachers include information and activities related to career education in their teaching. Some principals have recognised that relationships between staff and students are key and that some teachers will need professional development to be able to carry out new roles effectively.

External providers initially were not able to meet all schools’ needs in relation to providing staff with a clear outline of the initiative. School Support Services and Career Services were initially unsure of their respective roles and this uncertainty was evident to school staff.

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Improve student motivation, engagement, retention and achievement

Students in participating schools state that they generally believe that school is relevant for their future pathway and that they recognise that learning is a lifelong process. Most intend to stay at school until the end of Year 13.

Principals report that students have a raised awareness of career education and that students have an improved understanding of the relevance of their studies to their future careers.

CPaBL teams report that school-wide motivation, attendance, retention and achievement have improved for all students; and that even greater improvements have been made by students in the target groups.

Supporting Factors

Links with pastoral care at tutor time have moved the focus of some tutor teachers from an administrative role to being more responsive to the students’ needs.

Increased opportunities. Students have increased opportunities to have some form of work experience. Schools are further developing relationships with local employers.

Flexible programmes. Schools are offering a wider range of subjects for students and being more flexible in allowing students to participate in activities outside the classroom.

Individual student interviews about subject choices and possible careers have led to a more personalised approach as teachers have more awareness of the needs of individual students.

Challenges

Entrenched staff opinion. Not all teachers are convinced that career education is part of their role.

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Assist students in making a smooth transition from school to further training and employment

Principals have justifiably noted that it is too soon to identify specific outcomes for students as a result of CPaBL, and even where indicators have improved, it is not possible to attribute the improvements to CPaBL alone as other initiatives are operating concurrently in the school. Nevertheless, it is clear that schools have a greater appreciation of their role in developing pathways for students and in helping them to achieve the goals they set.

Most students state that they are clear about what they might do when they leave school and recognise the relevance of school to their future goals.

Supporting Factors

Subject choice. The process for students to select their subjects has been strengthened in most schools. Senior staff have reviewed their subject choice booklets and have made links between career and tertiary options and subject choices. Principals have noted that CPaBL has led to more students making appropriate subject choices.

Student profiles are being developed as a result of CPaBL. Many schools record pathways information on the student management system and encourage staff to access appropriate information about the students they are teaching.

Employers/work experience. Many schools have long established relationships with employers and community groups and are able to place students for short or longer-term work experience.

Challenges

Tracking students after they leave school should enable senior staff to evaluate the extent to which the school has supported smooth transitions to the workplace or further study. However, most schools state that tracking students after they leave is difficult, time consuming, and often produces inaccurate data.

Work placement. Increasing numbers of schools are seeking placement for their students in work experience opportunities. Opportunities are limited and when students are not vetted or adequately prepared, employers are becoming less willing to participate in these partnerships with schools.

Remote schools have increased costs and fewer opportunities to give their students work or tertiary experience.

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Be more responsive to diverse student needs, specifically Māori, Pacific, refugee and migrant students, and students at risk of not transitioning from school to further education or employment

Schools have a variety of procedures for identifying students who may not be able to successfully make the transition and CPaBL has contributed, at least to some extent, to improved motivation and retention of these students.

Schools have developed strategies to meet the needs of students at risk for various reasons. Some schools have continued to provide for Māori and Pacific students by sending them to specific careers events and involving them with liaison staff from tertiary providers.

Supporting factors

Systematic approach. Some schools have developed more systematic approaches that have identified groups of students they were not previously aware of.

Awareness. Teachers are becoming more aware of the needs of vulnerable students and are providing programmes that are more relevant to the needs and interests of these students.

Challenges

Treat all students the same. A small proportion of schools believe they treat all students the same and do not have specific strategies to meet the identified needs of different target groups, including Pacific, migrant and refugee students.

Students with special needs. Students with special needs and students with disabilities were mentioned in the initial documentation, but no provisions were made for them in the implementation process, and few schools identified them amongst their students at risk.

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Encourage the involvement of families and whānau

Schools have tried to engage parents and whānau in decisions about their children’s subject choices and career paths and some have been more successful since the introduction of CPaBL.

Students say that their parents are the people who have been most helpful in planning their future. For this reason it is important to include parents’ views in planning career education.

Supporting factors

Goal setting has been introduced in several schools and parents, teachers and students are coming together to set realistic short and long term goals and to identify the strategies to meet them.

Off site. School managers are increasingly recognising that school is a daunting place for some parents and that more fruitful meetings can be held at places such as marae or Pacific churches.

Challenges

Engaging. Schools had hoped that CPaBL would have helped increase the level of involvement of parents and whānau. ERO’s survey at the end of 2008 indicated that involvement is still low and the present strategies are not making the desired difference.

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Sustainability

This initiative has sought the commitment of a lot of people and has appropriated significant government funding. Principals, teachers, and external support teams (Career Services consultants and School Support Services advisers) have gained new knowledge and skills, and students have benefited from the programmes and resources developed as part of the project. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum once this two-year focus on career education and additional funding has come to an end.

The final section of this report provides a suggested framework for future initiatives that incorporates recommendations and suggestions identified in this evaluation.

The complete report is available to download from the links below.