the business role in improving math and science achievement
(5) Use Student Achievement In Hiring Decisions To Send The Message To All Students That Academic Achievement Is Important
"In a recent Public Agenda survey, 50 percent of student surveyed said employer use of their student records would motivate them to work harder in school." 38 Getting By: What American Teenagers really think about their schools report from Public Agenca- 1997 "Busines must go beyond adopt-a-school programs. We have to join with schools and send a clear message to teenagers and their parents: academic work in high school matters."	All students need incentives to meet high standards and become the life-long learners that our changing economy demands. Lacking incentives to study hard and achieve academic excellence, many students–particularly those not bound for college–simply do the minimum amount of work required to get by. Businesses can help solve this problem by requesting school records of prospective employees. When employers bring academic records into the hiring decision, they motivate students by sending a powerful message: "We care about your performance and attendance in school, and we will reward hard work and accomplishment with better employment prospects." When students learn that employers in their area want employees who can read and write well, problem-solve and reason„and want proof of those skills„they begin working harder in school. Employers, as a result, gain access to a wider supply of skilled, capable workers.
IN POLICY AND PRACTICE... Making School Records Meaningful to Employers The business community in Nelson County, Kentucky, pledged to use transcripts in hiring if these records were more useful. Local educators rose to the challenge by working together to standardize definitions of grades. Now an OAO in English at a city school means the same thing as an OAO in English at suburban and rural schools. School districts also give employers information about how letter grades translate into specific skills. As a result, more area employers are using transcripts in their hiring processes. For more information, contact Susan Vaughn at Nelson County Schools at 502-349- 7000. Using School Records in Hiring and Getting Bottom-Line Results Since 1989, the Eastman Chemical Company, which employs 12,000 workers in Kingsport, Tennessee, has been requiring school records as one of many pieces of information it collects about job applicants. The job applicant is responsible for providing Eastman interviewers with a high school or college transcript. The company is looking for evidence that entry-level candidates satisfactorily completed certain courses, because a job analysis revealed that specific courses in math, science, and English teach skills that many Eastman employees use. To make sure Eastman's decision makers are using school records as effectively as possible, local high schools guidance counselors teach them how to interpret the information contained in transcripts. Eastman has seen real benefits from using school records over a relatively long period of time, and local high schools are seeing dramatic enrollment increases in higher level math and science courses. For more information, contact Paul Montgomery at 423-229-1413. Working With Educators To Send the Message That School Counts Kodak recently launched a company-wide policy of asking for transcripts or other school records as part of their hiring process. Application forms for entry-level operator positions at Kodak in Rochester now state that individuals out of high school 5 years or less, with no advanced degree, must provide a certified school-based record (such as a transcript) as part of their application. Kodak and school officials emphasized that school transcripts will supplement„not replace„previous criteria considered for employment, including pre-hire tests, work experience and interview performance. The Rochester City and Greece school districts assisted Kodak in changing hiring practices for entry-level operator positions. Guidance counselors from both school districts advised Kodak on how to understand and benefit from high school transcripts. "The intent of this initiative is not to require a transcript to be hired at Kodak," said Michael Morley, Senior Vice President and Director, Corporate Human Resources, Kodak. "It is intended to provide additional information to help us develop a more complete picture of an applicantOs skills, which will help us to make better hiring selections." For more information, contact Anne Miller at 716-724-5026. Making Academics Count Campaign Working in conjunction with the Business Coalition for Education Reform, in the summer of 1997, the National Alliance of Business (NAB) kicked off a 2-year nationwide effort to reinforce the connection between school performance and workplace success. This campaign, Making Academics Count, is one part of NAB, The Business Roundtable, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Common Agenda for Improving American Education. The goal is to have at least 10,000 companies of all sizes asking for school records and other profiles of academic performance as part of their hiring practices. NAB is providing tools and assistance to business leaders, educators and other members of the community to help them in this effort. For more information about how your company can start asking for student records in the hiring process, contact Elizabeth Pauley at the National Alliance of Business at 800-787-2848.