Dive Brief:
- Highlighting education models that create “multiple pathways” into careers, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos held a brief teleconference with reporters Thursday to discuss her participation in the first-ever G20 meeting of education ministers, held this week in Mendoza, Argentina.
- She especially noted an after-school program in Mendoza focusing on getting students interested in STEM. “The energy there was very palpable,” she said, adding that the program was “emblematic” of the type of instruction that should be available, not necessarily during extended-day programs, but during “all the hours” during the regular school day.
- Her visits and meetings in Mendoza and Santiago, Chile — as well as the declaration agreed to by all member countries — are consistent, DeVos said, with the Trump administration’s agenda regarding education being closely aligned with workforce skills and industry demands, for today’s K-12 students as well as adults seeking training for second and third careers.
Dive Insight:
The recent passage of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, as well as the many state and local initiatives creating internship, apprenticeship and entrepreneurial opportunities for students, are examples of the goals named in the declaration. These include expanding educational opportunities for girls, strengthening digital and e-learning programs, and encouraging work-integrated learning.
Districts, nonprofits and institutions such as libraries are expanding STEM and STEAM programs both during the school day and in after-school programs. Administrators, while increasingly focused on classroom instruction, also play an important role on creating connections between schools and community partners to make such opportunities available to their students.