UNTRAINED YOUTH: A FLAW IN THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Mr. J. Tierney

MS 321 MINERVA

Imagine! You have graduated from High School with a beautiful new diploma. You are now ready to look for your first job in business. You look through the newspaper and Internet and apply for a job. WOW! The company calls you asking if you would be interested in an interview. You scream YES! You arrive at the company headquarters in Manhattan, New York City. The tall buildings are blinding but you feel confident. After all you have a diploma in hand. You walk into the company office and leave your RESUME with the interviewer. He looks at it with a mild frown. He then looks at your clothing and begins asking you questions. In a few minutes the interview is over. As you leave the office you say to yourself, “that was short”. On the way out, the secretary says that you will not be called back but thanks for coming. WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!!

This is a familiar scenario for many untrained youth. Many students, who graduate high school, are left unqualified for job interviews and placement. The real world of business is not properly taught. Many American companies complain about the poor quality of business straining in high schools. NOW-you have been chosen, with members of your group, to investigate this problem and make policy recommendation to the “Mayor’s Council on Business Education”. Your recommendations will be used to improve instruction and, quite possibly, find employment for you r friends or family members. This web quest is very important. Good luck and good research!

You will be divided into groups to investigate this social problem. Your group will produce a FIVE-PAGE minimum research paper that follows the “Public Policy Analyst” format described in the “process” section of the web quest. This paper will be produced on MS WORD and must include all the steps in the PPA.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: In the PPA step for creating public policies:

1: Include a guideline for completing a RESUME

2: Include a guideline for taking a JOB INTERVIEW.

1: The class will be divided into research groups of FOUR. These groups will produce a research paper following the Public Policy Analyst format using the links given in the “process”. Each member of the group will choose a job from the list below:

-Editor-in Chief-----This student will be in charge of the final group presentation. He will edit and correct the paper. He will coordinate all activities and make members aware of assigned deadlines.

-Writer-This student will write the text and coordinate the graphics used in the paper. He/she will use the PPA sheets as resource material to type the paper. All members of the group will be involved in organization.

-Researcher-These TWO students will complete all the worksheets in the six step public policy analyst using the Internet resources given in the section below. He/she will be responsible for instructing the writer.

THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST- The PPA is the outline to be used in completing the task research paper.

Each PPA step has a description of the step and a worksheet. These worksheets MUST be completed using the Internet resources and other outside text material. This will be accomplished by the two “researchers”.

LINKS TO THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST

STEP # 1: Define the problem:

STEP # 2: Gathering Evidence for the task:

STEP # 3: Identifying Causes of the Problem

STEP #4: Evaluate Existing Public Policy

STEP # 5: Develop Public Policy Solutions

STEP # 6: Selecting the best Public Policy Solution

GENERAL INTERNET SITES

WWW.YAHOO.COM

WWW.ASK.COM

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

SPECIFIC WEB SITE

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT REPRORT ON YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

(This covers many of the PPA steps-read it carefully)

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT-A NATIONAL CHALLENGE

SITES FOR PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION-INTERVIEWS & RESUME WRITING-USED FOR STEP # 5 & STEP # 6 IN THE PPA

RESUME WRITING

RESUME WRITING & INTERVIEWS

COVER LETTERS

RESUME TUTOR

INTERVIEW FOR SUCCESS

SUCCESS AND JOB INTERVIEWS

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Research Report : YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

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Teacher Name: Mr. TIERNEY

CATEGORY	4 EXCELLENT	3 VERY GOOD	2 SATISFACTORY	1 NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Organization	Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. All steps in the PPA are used correctly.	Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Most steps in the PPA are used correctly.	Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. All steps are in the PPA are used but some are incorrectly.	The information appears to be disorganized. Few steps in the PPA are used and they are used incorrectly.
Amount of Information	All topics are addressed and all questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.	All topics are addressed and most questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.	All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 sentence about each.	One or more topics were not addressed.
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Mechanics	No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.	Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors	A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.	Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
Paragraph Construction	All paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.	Most paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.	Paragraphs included related information but were typically not constructed well.	Paragraphing structure was not clear and sentences were not typically related within the paragraphs.
Internet Use	Successfully uses suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Usually able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Occasionally able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested internet links and/or to navigate within these sites.
Diagrams & Illustrations	Diagrams and illustrations are neat, accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.	Diagrams and illustrations are accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.	Diagrams and illustrations are neat and accurate and sometimes add to the reader's understanding of the topic.	Diagrams and illustrations are not accurate OR do not add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

GRADING: “A’= 21-24 “B”= 17-20 “C”= 13-16

“F” = BELOW 13

From completing this web quest you should have learned the importance of proper business education. Lives can be made or broken by an interview, a resume or a dress. You have experienced the role of the public policy analyst. This astute individual can evaluate social problems and find policy solutions that can translate into improved life styles for millions. Let’s hope you made a difference and your recommendations were constructive. Good luck on your job hunting.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Social Studies

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.