Career Education in Mississippi.

Overview & Synopsis

The implications of building a career-oriented curriculum in the public schools are many: (1) inservice teacher training is needed; (2) the philosophy of teacher education must be compatible with that of education for careers; (3) careful coordination is required between the public school curriculum and the specialized occupational curriculum of the junior college; and (4) graduation requirements and accreditation need to be scrutinized. If career education is to be maximally effective, it must start at the beginning of a child's education, be continuous through his education, and provide opportunity for continuing education to update skills. The levels of career education are viewed as being a pyramid, with students making decisions about careers and needed training based upon broad exploratory experiences and counseling obtained through the program. As students narrow their choices about career selections, individual career experiences become more sophisticated and intensified. The concept on which the Mississippi career education program is based embraces four levels or stages: career awareness (grades 1-6), career exploration (grades 7-10), career preparation (grades 11-12), and continuing career preparation. The Mississippi Career Education Model K-12 is illustrated. (Author/SC)