Making Academics Count:
Encouraging Employers to Request School Records of Prospective Employers
A Forum — November 6, 1998
In a survey done by the National Alliance of Business in 1998, 69 percent of the employers surveyed complained that entry-level employees did not have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workplace. In part, this problem originates from a traditional view, held by students and school staff alike, that school performance counts only for college-bound students. College-bound students work hard because they know that college admission officers look at their records during the application process, but students who are planning to go directly to work feel that school performance is not important, since employers do not ask for school transcripts. To change this view, the Business Coalition for Education Reform (BCER) is committed to spread the message that school counts for all children, said Elizabeth Pauley, Project Manager, Education, National Alliance of Business.
BCER is a national coalition of 13 business-led organizations dedicated to promoting business involvement in education at the national, state and local levels. Managed by the National Alliance of Business, BCER currently supports the effort of over 300 state and local coalitions of business and education leaders throughout the country. Making Academics Count is a BCER campaign that aims to convince at least 10,000 companies nationwide to require school records as part of the hiring process. Already 3,000 businesses, particularly large corporations, request some type of high school performance record when considering hiring a young adult. Among these corporations are IBM, Eastman Kodak, Eastman Chemical, Bell South, Energy Corporation and Lockheed Martin. According to Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Senior Project Director, Education, National Alliance of Business, BCER functions as a clearinghouse of information and a forum for coalition members to discuss concerns and share their experiences. BCER conducted a study in five communities across the country to evaluate how the partnerships between business and education leaders are influencing student’ performance. The study shows that schools involved in partnerships are experiencing an increase in academic achievement and parental involvement and a decrease in dropout rates, while the employers saw a decrease in hiring and training costs.
Doug Hill, leader of the Business, Industry, Education (BIE) Alliance of Delaware, described how the HIRE Education program was created after a survey of 200 businesses in Delaware showed that only three percent requested any kind of high school transcript for their entry-level positions. The program has three main goals: (1) to inform students that their high school performance has a direct influence on their prospects for employment in Delaware; (2) to increase the number of employers that request high school transcripts from young applicants; and
(3) to help schools and employers to improve communication. For instance, to avoid delays in the hiring process, HIRE Education has provided fax machines to all high school counselors so that records can be faxed to employers within 48 hours. To avoid legal problems with the schools, employers have pledged to keep the records confidential and, if a job applicant is under 18, the parents must consent to release the records. Currently 400 businesses have pledged their commitment to the program. As a result of the program, the state is in the process of
standardizing school records, making them easier to read.
IBM started using school records to hire entry-level employees after participating in the 1996 Summit on Education, organized by the National Governor’s Association and the National Alliance of Business, reported Kathy Walsh. After the summit, IBM decided to pilot the use of the high school transcript in their manufacturing facility in Vermont. The company also conducted a study to evaluate the correlation between academic performance in high school and job performance, thus avoiding legal challenges to their request for school transcripts. The study showed that the following school indicators predict success at work: attendance, punctuality, interaction with others, number of academically challenging courses taken and number of math and science courses taken. Walsh observed that the chemical industry have used school records for more than 10 years, and in areas where this industry is a strong employer, enrollment in advanced math courses has increased.
New Jersey is a more populous state than Delaware, with 611 school districts and over 290,000 businesses, explained Dana Egresczky, representing the Business Coalition for Education Excellence (BCEE) at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. When the first businesses started to request school transcripts, observed Egresczky, the schools either refused to provide them, or the records were too complex to be useful. BCEE worked with local school districts and the Department of Education to find a solution that would avoid the technical and legal constraints of the current records. The result was the development of a new certificate, the school counselor certification of merit, which provides relevant information to employers about students. The certificate is being piloted in four counties. The certification is provided to students who want to apply for jobs and have met the following criteria: 95 percent attendance and punctuality, completion of high school semester, a minimum C average in every class, and enrollment in more than the minimum number of courses required for high school graduation.
The school counselor certification is being used by many New Jersey firms, including large local employers, such as McDonalds and Shop Rite. Representatives from a Delaware program, School Counts!, visit schools and reach out to middle and high school students, parents and staff to inform them that employers take school seriously and that academic performance counts in the workplace.
This information is from an American Youth Policy Forum held on November 6, 1998 on Capitol Hill.
The events of the Forum are made possible by the support of a consortium of philanthropic foundations: Pew Charitable Trusts, Charles S. Mott Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and General Electric Fund.