Oral Tradition -Historical Influence Reveals Potential as Solution in Failure to Achieve Desired Outcomes in Middle and High School Career Education and Workforce Initiatives

By Christopher Anderson

Systemic exclusion of statistical database career vision field focus selections of students has generated a "perfect storm" effect resulting in failure to achieve desired outcomes in middle and high school career education and workforce development initiatives. Oral tradition holds the key to an effective solution through a perpetual oral career vision focus survey that establishes an oral career vision focus statistical database through responses provided by students.

Web dictionaries define oral tradition as a community's cultural and historical traditions passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another without written instruction. The oral tradition of communication then gave way to the second voice, the written word, with its enormous range. The messages or testimonies are verbally transmitted in speech and/or song.

Included in the many examples of oral tradition is the question by adults directed to a child or young adult such as, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" That is an oral survey that establishes an oral career vision focus statistical database in its responses. The oral tradition question elicits a response that generates a spark of light in their eyes and thinking gears in their minds to start turning and churning. Across the nation and throughout the world, millions of adults, children and young adults are engaged in this oral tradition. Existence of this oral tradition career survey expression precedes the existence of the education and workforce development process in America and modern civilization. Is this oral tradition career survey question a key? Thinking outside of the box, responses from students parallel in Morse code, the manner of the long and short beeping sounds that only when written down reveals messages of critical importance in the education process.

A natural characteristic of the oral tradition career survey expression of career vision focus statistical database responses is a rapid fade-away. After being provided in oral format by students, it fades out of existence in the absence of a more permeate foundation to capture the career vision focus selection information for analysis and implementation into the education and workforce development initiatives. The significance of the importance and potential impact of the application of oral career vision focus statistical data base responses provided by students is lost. What would be the resulting impact of conversion to written format the oral tradition career survey statistical database responses from children to the oral tradition expression, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

My personal quest to identify factors contributing to failure to achieve desirable outcomes in education in America includes innovative programs design and implementation over a period exceeding twenty- five years. I was able to identify systemic exclusion of statistical database career vision field focus selections of students as a flaw in the structural process sequence flow in the systemic education and workforce development process. I was also able to identify the importance and positive impact of oral tradition in establishing an oral career vision focus statistical database in its responses provided by students. There are substantial benefits to be gained in converting to a written format. The beneficial experience is comparable to watching black and white television all of your life before watching television in color for the first time. The experience is so life changing that you would never be satisfied with black and white television viewing again.

Previous correspondence received from the United States Department of Education indicates that as a nation, the United States of America is now ranked number eleven (11) in education among nations in the world. I developed an early awareness of the downward spiral in education in America because as a child, I entered the education process in a generation and era when it was unacceptable for our nation not to be ranked in the top three nations in education in the world. I altered my career path in the corporate and government sectors to research and investigate the root elements driving this downward spiral in education. This initiative was designed, implemented and modified in live high school and middle school environments for systemic implementation for success.

Implementing a written career vision field focus statistical data base

Implementing a written career vision field focus statistical database is simple and straight forward. The time to conduct the survey is approximately three days. This includes administering the survey, calculating the results for each category and performing preliminary data analysis. The total cost for materials, printing, copies and posters is between five hundred ($500) dollars and one thousand ($1,000) dollars.

Analysis of elementary, middle and high school environments across our nation of oral tradition career survey applications and written format career selections reveals an interesting spectrum pattern. On one end of the spectrum, oral tradition career survey conversations between adults and children, in all schools, is a common, perpetual, and continuous occurrence. Across the nation and throughout the world, at any moment in time, millions of adults, children and young adults are engaged in this oral tradition career survey expression, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" On the other end of the spectrum, a written survey format statistical database compiled from those oral tradition career survey conversations between adults and children and continuously utilized in all schools is rare or non-existent in our schools.

As a result of the identification of the statistical database flaw and the development of highly successful initiatives to resolve this problem, I find myself in category identification as a pioneer in career education and workforce development. Taking a lead position in providing awareness to the nation on this issue, I have for many years occupied the position and role as the "father" of statistical database inclusion of career vision field focus selections of students in middle and high school environments. I also champion the promotion of substantial benefits to be gained in converting to a written format. The following information identifies contributing factors and innovative solutions to this "perfect storm" systemic exclusion of statistical database career vision field focus selections of students.

The website pages of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) identify a list of education statistical categories for elementary and secondary education. Currently, it does not include a category for statistical database inclusion of career vision field focus selections of students in secondary education on its website. Throngh recent correspondence with the National Center for Education Statistics, I was informed that state agencies and local school systems are not prohibited from maintaining or managing a student-level statistical database of career vision field focus selections of students in secondary education.

From a statistical data perspective, we currently live in a highly computerized age of technology and data processing. However, the education process in America does not have an active process at federal, state agency, local school district or local school site nor the ability with only a click of a computer mouse, or stroke of a computer key, to generate a statistical database report of career vision field focus selections of students at the secondary level in the education process. This required report follows a simplified format of the statistical database utilized by the U.S. Department of Labor to project

employment over a period of several years. No student names are included and the career survey focus is consolidated into approximately fifty (50) career fields instead of approximately 800 job titles.

My first "ah ha" moment concerning the systemic exclusion of statistical database career vision field focus selections of students occurred during a career discussion with a group of students. During a show.