Across the State, progress is being made in introducing elementary and middle school students to the world of work and building a foundation for later activities. At the elementary and middle school levels, data are collected on the number of schools only. The following graphs display data from 1997 and 1998 for elementary and middle school activities.

Elementary school career awareness activities in all categories increased between 1997 and 1998. In 1998, Florida partnerships reported that a majority of elementary schools offered career exploration activities to students, including

• One-time career awareness events - 91% of schools
• Significant career information in the delivery of curriculum – 84% of schools
• Curriculum that combines academic content and skills with occupational contexts – 64% of schools.

Middle school career exploration activities also increased between 1997 and 1998 in all categories, with the greatest increase in the number of schools offering structured exploration activities to students (e.g., infusion of career awareness development into individual learning plans, job shadowing or mentoring, career-related activities, etc.). Florida partnerships reported that in 1998 a majority of middle schools offered career exploration activities to students, including

• Career self-exploration – 96% of schools
• Teacher- or counselor-facilitated exploration – 95% of schools
• Structured exploration – 82% of schools.

Final Report May 1999.  Prepared by the Institute for Workforce Competitiveness for the State of Florida Department of Education.

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Copyright © 1997 by Institute for Workforce Competitiveness.
Revised: June 08, 1999.