LearnDoEarn Career Day at Six Flags Great Adventure – May 6, 2010 A Great Day at a Great Park

Make sure your middle and high school students know what it takes to get into and through college or to successfully compete for tomorrow’s high-wage jobs. Bring them to this all-new, exclusive education day at Six Flags Great Adventure – the theme park is closed to the public on this special day – May 6, 2010.

Your students will get the opportunity to speak with representatives from a wide variety of businesses about company hiring policies and employment practices. Students will also participate in a scavenger hunt provided by LearnDoEarn, which will give them eye-opening data about what they need to do today to be ready for college, work, and life.

In addition, students will fill out a sample job application and gain insight about the types of questions asked on pre-employment tests. As an added bonus, students will have the opportunity to hear business presentations on Sports Marketing, delivered by representatives from some of our area’s most popular professional teams.

To view the flyer, click here. For pricing and scheduling information, click here to download the order form. For additional information and questions, contact NJSpecialevents@sixflags.com.

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The Buzz Builds: LearnDoEarn Impact

More and more schools want it! Over 175 have it and are using it. All students need it! And it can be FREE!* What is it?

The LearnDoEarn Student Achievement System (Learn More Now, Do More Now, Earn More Later) was developed by the Chamber in response to employer concerns about mounting pressure from global competition and the limited availability of qualified American workers. It delivers the information students need to improve their educational, career, financial, and life options, and to ensure they know how academic decisions and personal behaviors will impact their employability. LearnDoEarn delivers honest messages and uses eye-popping, research-backed data in a powerful suite of unique classroom presentations featuring 'virtual business people' to influence student behaviors. LearnDoEarn has proven impact, increasing enrollments in critical high school courses in math, science, language arts and economics, and improving attendance and punctuality.

One school reports the following results:

• More students are taking rigorous math and science courses.
• Significant increase in students taking high school courses for college credit:
  2007/2008 International Baccalaureate participants – 66 (6 certificates earned),
  2009/2010 International Baccalaureate participants – 92 (30 certificates earned).
• Many more students taking Chemistry, even vocational students.
• Increase in achievement levels on state testing since using LearnDoEarn.
• Increase in college acceptance rates and college attendance rates since using LearnDoEarn.
• Messages in LearnDoEarn validated the hard work of ‘smart kids’ and reinforced what teachers tell students every day.
  

For more information on the LearnDoEarn Student Achievement System visit www.LearnDoEarn.org or call Sue Herring at
609-989-7888, ext. 144.

*Thanks to generous corporate support, schools in New Jersey that attend one of our free LearnDoEarn professional development workshops receive free classroom materials.

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Have you seen us? We get around.

Dozens of educators had the opportunity to attend any one of a number of LearnDoEarn professional development workshops offered by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education Office of Leadership Development. Sessions were held in the Central and Northern regions of the state in November and January. Workshop attendees learned how they can help develop college and work ready students by using the LearnDoEarn Student Achievement System and gained additional insight from a panel discussion of schools already using the program. And thanks to corporate sponsors, all schools – over 175 of them – received a free LearnDoEarn Materials Kit (a $400 value). One attendee was heard to remark, as she left her session, ‘LearnDoEarn gets better and better every year!’ Keep your eyes out for additional sessions in South Jersey. Plan to join us! For information contact Sue Herring at sue.herring@njchamber.com or 609-989-7888, ext. 144. LearnDoEarn was also featured as one of the key components in the North Jersey Partners, Career, Occupational and Skill Information Initiative, an eight-county initiative under the auspices of the Newark Alliance, facilitated by The Writing Company. Participating educators received resources to help them meet the new 21st Century career and life skills standards and to help students create more meaningful personalized learning plans. The LearnDoEarn Scavenger Hunt made a guest appearance at the NJ School Counselor Association’s Fall Conference and at the NJ PTA’s 2009 Convention where attendees had the opportunity to play the game as one of their conference activities. Attendees were given Player’s Cards containing questions that had to be answered by ‘scavenging’ the data found on the LearnDoEarn classroom posters hanging on walls in common areas. Players got the chance to learn how they could help students make the best possible academic, behavioral, career, and financial decisions in middle and high school, and they also got the chance to win great prizes!			Essex County Vo-Tech West Caldwell Campus extends their hospitality for a LearnDoEarn/Career Resources training session conducted with North Jersey Partners. NJ DOE Office of Leadership Development session puts the spotlight on LearnDoEarn, hosted by our long-standing partners at the Linden School District. NJ Chamber of Commerce Foundation president, Dana Egreczky, conducts a LearnDoEarn workshop hosted by Mercer County Vocational Schools Sypek Center.
NJ PTA and NJ SCA conference attendees played the LearnDoEarn Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes!

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LearnDoEarn Parent Videos – Like Commercials – Only Better!

Do your students’ parents know what their children need to do in middle and high school to compete in a global economy and be ready for the changing workplace? Do they understand the importance of taking rigorous courses, being in school on time, every day, and cultivating a strong work ethic? Studies show that students who hear messages of high expectations at home do better in school. And schools now have an effective way to deliver information to parents that they, in turn, can use to push their children toward higher academic achievement. LearnDoEarn has produced short videos that can be used as part of your parent outreach programs. The videos are short commercials (approximately 2.5 minutes each) that can be shown at back-to-school nights, high school orientation events and during sporting or concert events. They are also ideal for airing repeatedly on local school district cable access channels. These ‘commercials’ advertise a social message: hard work in school is the only sure road to a successful future.

To view sample versions of the videos click here.

The LearnDoEarn parent outreach videos are now included with every LearnDoEarn Standard Materials Kit. All LearnDoEarn Standard Materials Kits include a flash drive containing 29 electronic student presentations from the business community, reward credentials, and the parent videos. The Kits also include one set of colorful age-appropriate posters for the classroom. Spanish versions of parent videos are under development.

To learn more about how your school can acquire the LearnDoEarn Standard Materials Kit, including the all-new parent videos, contact Sue Herring at sue.herring@njchamber.com or 609-989-7888, ext. 144.

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Bank of America’s Student Leader Internship Program February 17, 2010 Deadline

Bank of America is looking for tomorrow’s community leaders today. If you can identify students in your school who are outstanding young people – who are currently high school juniors or seniors and who are passionate about making a difference in our community, they might be perfect for this opportunity.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Student Leaders program is an exciting component of their signature philanthropic program, the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative. We need your help to spread the word about the opportunities available to eligible high school juniors and seniors through this unique program. Please note that the deadline for students to apply is February 17, 2010.

Since the program’s inception in 2004, Bank of America has recognized more than 1,000 Student Leaders as exemplary high school students with a passion for helping their communities. Selected Student Leaders participate in a paid summer internship with a designated local nonprofit organization where they experience first-hand how they can help shape their communities-now and in the future. To enhance their leadership experience, awardees also participate in a six-day, all-expense paid Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC provided by Bank of America. The nonprofit internship and Student Leadership Summit expose students to leadership aspects in civic, nonprofit and business arenas. The goal is to nurture and develop our country’s next generation of community leaders – for our neighborhoods, our cities, and beyond.

To learn more about the program and for details about the online application process, visit the Bank of America Charitable Foundation website at: www.bankofamerica.com/neistudentleaders.

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In Support of Business Education

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Business/Technology Education Association have entered into a partnership to advance business and technology education in the 21st century. Our goal is to ensure that all New Jersey students have the necessary business and technology skills to become productive citizens and highly qualified workers. This exciting endeavor will be formally launched at the NJBTEA Spring Conference on May 12, 2010 at a workshop entitled “Advancing Business/Technology Education in the 21st Century,” presented by Ms. Dana Egreczky, Senior Vice President of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Our collaborative efforts will include data collection from middle and high school students to assess their current level of understanding of American business and mastery of computer software. Data analysis will be used to drive programs, projects, and recommendations that will impact and benefit New Jersey students, New Jersey business and technology educators, and New Jersey businesses. Dana Egreczky will discuss what the NJ Chamber of Commerce can do for business and technology education and what NJBTEA can do for New Jersey business. Be part of this exciting partnership by attending the NJBTEA Spring Conference and the “Advancing Business/Technology Education in the 21st Century” workshop. You will also have the opportunity to learn more by visiting the NJ Chamber of Commerce table in the exhibitor hall.

Ms. Dana Egreczky, Senior Vice President, Workforce Development and President, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, reports to a 60-member Board of Directors. The Board consists of the presidents and CEO’s of the state’s most prestigious large and small companies, including Verizon New Jersey, Inc.; Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey; Pfizer, Inc.; WalMart; Bank of America; and TD Bank. A complete list of the Board of Directors can be viewed at www.njchamber.com. Ms. Egreczky is charged with producing a highly qualified workforce through innovative collaborations with K-12 education and the workforce training and preparation system. She has previously presented at NJBTEA-sponsored workshops and conferences on a middle and high school program, LearnDoEarn, which was selected by the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for a Competitive Workforce as one of ten best practices in its first annual Business Education Network Yearbook.

Ms. Egreczky has a bachelor’s degree in biological science and a master’s degree in training and organizational development. Her experience includes 16 years as a public middle and high school science teacher, five years as a corporate trainer, and 16 years of working with local and regional chambers in establishing their school-based initiatives. She serves on a number of boards and committees, including the US Chamber of Commerce Education, Employment and Training Committee and the New Jersey High School Redesign Committee.

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Stimulate Student Knowledge of Common Computer Software

Too many educators believe that students are more than competent in the kinds of technology necessary for success in the world of business – but nothing could be further from the truth. If students cannot use word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation software and perform adequate Internet searches, they will not be fully prepared for the world of work. Being able to IM friends or manage social media sites will not help them in today’s competitive job market. In fact, executive secretaries and assistants who really know how to effectively use these software programs can make more than $100,000 per year.

That’s why we developed the Technology Challenge, an online assessment in common computer software applications. Because it is Internet-based, there is no software to download; results are instantaneous. Hundreds of performance-based questions are presented to students in 20 question segments, or exercises, which gradually increase in difficulty. At the end of each exercise, a diagnostic credential detailing proficiencies or gaps in knowledge is generated. Students can take each Challenge more than once until they obtain a perfect score in each exercise. Challenges are appropriate for students in grades 7-12 as well as for faculty assessment and/or training. Schools can use the Technology Challenge as a placement assessment, curriculum to teach key concepts, or as a pre- or post-instruction assessment.

District offices or individual schools have two options for subscriptions:

1. Individual Subscriptions are for schools that wish to administer assessments for a small segment of the school population and are available in one, two, or three-month periods (minimum purchase applies).
2. Site Subscriptions are for schools assessing large or entire school populations over a period of time. These subscriptions provide unlimited access to all Challenges for all students and faculty members within the school for a full calendar year.

The Technology Challenge recently added eleven new word processing and spreadsheet Challenges that are Office 2007 compatible, for a total of 43 Challenges. And for a limited time, New Jersey schools can take advantage of a 10% discount in subscriptions to the Technology Challenge.

For additional details, contact Donna Custard at donna.custard@njchamber.com or 609-989-7888. Click here to download the Technology Challenge price sheet and order form.

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