Announcing AEP's Newest Industry Initiative
A diverse range of learning resources is needed to meet the varying
needs of America's diverse public school population. There are
educational materials, particularly supplemental materials, developed
specifically to meet these diverse needs. In fact, supplemental
publishing represents a nearly $3 billion industry. It is a segment
of educational publishing capable of innovation, flexibility and
growth.
Nonetheless, the task of recruiting professionals into our field
that mirror the racial mix of the students and classrooms it is
serving has proven challenging. In just 5 years Caucasians are
expected to make up only 58% of the total U.S. K-12 public school
population. Yet, the make up of the industry producing instructional
materials for those schools is expected to remain at approximately
90% Caucasian unless a rigorous recruitment effort occurs.
AEP recognizes that creating a diverse industry work force, one
that more accurately represents the face of American classrooms,
will lead to the development of learning resources that can:
-
Respond to a broader range of student needs
-
Engage all students more effectively
-
Improve student performance particularly among
at-risk groups
Actively recruiting minorities into the educational publishing
profession will also help ensure for the industry a sustainable,
high-quality talent pool.
To achieve this end AEP sought and was awarded funding in 2009
from the State of Pennsylvania to develop and pilot a rigorous
program for recruiting and retaining minority professionals into
the educational publishing field. This initiative called Improving
Learning Resources through Diversity (ILRTD) aims to bridge
the cultural gap between educational resource providers and student
users, thereby enriching content relevance and eliminating unintended
cultural bias. Recruitment components include:
-
Outreach to universities, career centers, and
job fairs
-
Minority internship programs
-
Scholarships for participation at industry events
-
Ongoing networking and communication
ILRTD — Phase I
During the first phase of the Improving Learning Resources through
Diversity (ILRTD) project, AEP will build the infrastructure needed
to develop a communication and implementation plan and gain support
from key constituents. This will be accomplished through:
ILRTD — Phase II
In phase two our goal is to initiate a proof-of-concept pilot to
actively recruit potential prospects into the field by exposing
them to the profession through industry programs and corporate internships.
This will be accomplished through:
- Strategic alliances with publishers and Pennsylvania universities,
college partners and other key organizations.
- Data tracking using AEP's database technology as well as information
gathered from research and strategic partners.
- Communications and outreach using AEP's online resources and
professional network
- A systematic recruitment process, which will include:
- Identification of prospects through job fairs and educational
institutions;
- Signed agreements to participate from perspective employers;
- Applicant interviews;
- Assessment of skills and recommendations for improvements;,
- Introductory courses and seminars on educational publishing;
- Opportunities to participate in internships and at industry
events; and
- Follow-up interviews of both parties and tracking of results.
Analysis of project will be provided in the form of a project report
including data analysis of all contacts, responses, applicants,
participants, and outcomes. This report will establish baselines
for measuring participant levels and outcome success and recommendations
for taking the project to scale.
ILRTD — Phase III
AEP is currently seeking a federal grant to support the roll out
of the ILRTD pilot nationally.
For more information visit diversity.aepweb.org.
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