Week 11 Post

I thought chapter 12 of Brown’s (2012) text provided a comprehensive view regarding the design and implementation of career development programs while also discussing the roots of career development in K-12. I thought it was interesting that career education at the elementary level initially failed in the 1970’s, thus forcing schools in the United States to go back to focusing on education alone (Brown, 2012). For the career development workshop, my group is focusing on elementary school students, and we have found numerous studies demonstrating the success of these programs at the elementary level; however, I understand that resources and funding were not readily available at that time.  In today’s classrooms, Brown (2012) believes that elementary career development programs should be organized around a theme that parallels with a curricular area and should be incorporated into the classroom lecture along with the use of speakers. Additionally, field trips and career days can help to provide career-related experiences for students. Fortunately, many of these activities coincide directly with our upcoming career workshop.

The previous burden placed on teachers emphasizes the importance of school counseling on the development of career education programs. According to Brown (2012), the ASCA National Model (ANM) has had a profound impact on K-12 career development programs. ANM focuses on four components including foundation, delivery system, accountability, and management systems (Brown, 2012). In regard to the delivery system, I found it beneficial that school counselors use a variety of methods to deliver career development programs including classroom guidance, group activities, and parent education. I also thought that the standards included in the ANM provide a reasonable way to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness. I enjoyed the age-appropriate examples provided for three distinct grades of students that were used to fulfill the same competency of the ANW. In regard to the process of program development, I found the amount of planning to be extensive but necessary for the implementation of a successful career development program. In regard to program implementation, budgeting is often a primary concern. According to Brown (2012), “the money available to underwrite the career development program rarely provides all of the resources needs “. Consequently, students are deprived of the services that encourage the exploration of self and occupations, as well as, the development of a plan for future career goals. Given the benefit of career development services, it is evident that more money and time should be made available to school counselors so they are able to design and implement successful career development programs.

References

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.