1. BUSINESS EDUCATION
  2. ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
    1. Approval of November Meeting Minutes:
    2. Welcome/Introductions:
    3. Industry Discussion:
    4. Leadership
    5. Communication
    6. Legal Documentation
    7. Professionalism/Attendance/Dress



BUSINESS EDUCATION

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ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES


 
Date: February 16, 2006
Time: 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Location: Sequoia HS Business Lab
 
In attendance: Nancy Bertholet, Linda DeSalvo, Laurie Elmer, Lauren Hadley, Dianne Johnson, Deb Kalina, Barbara Laughlin, John Patella, Patti Ross, Rose Smith, Yvette Thompson, Bill Trueit


 





Approval of November Meeting Minutes:

The minutes from the November 17, 2005 meeting were reviewed and approved with a change of font.

 





Welcome/Introductions:

Those present introduced themselves and shared news and celebrations. Lauren Hadley from the district communications office shared that the City of Everett has declared this week CTE Week in Everett. Bill Trueit shared that Jackson High School’s yearbook students have been winning awards in various competitions this year. Rose Smith shared that 150 of her InfoTech students have applied for Tech Prep credits and Linda DeSalvo and Laurie Elmer shared that Everett High School students have earned a total of 680 Tech Prep credits.

 





Industry Discussion:

 





Leadership

Barbara Laughlin of Henry Cogswell College shared that leadership in her industry experience has consisted of a cooperative effort with people working in teams, each bringing their own expertise to a problem rather that one leader coming in with all the answers.

 

John Patella of Everett Community College shared information about the Entrepreneurship program at the college, a certificate program which promotes leadership.

 

Math

Barbara shared that math is heavily emphasized in the programs at Henry Cogswell, and that too much remediation is needed for high school students coming in lacking sufficient math skills. She would like to see more students finding math classes exciting.

 

John shared that in his experience in education, which spans middle school through college, he has found that students in the 5th through the 7th grades are really at a crossroads academically and especially with regards to math. He suggested that the earlier we can catch these students the better.

Lauren shared that the district’s new graduation requirements call for 3 years of math, and John said that this new requirement will be helpful to kids coming to college.

 





Communication

Barbara shared that all methods of communication are used in industry and that students need to be effective communicators in many different formats.

 

John added that privacy and security issues are becoming prevalent in electronic communication and that this is an important topic for students.

 

There was a discussion about voice mail and text messaging, with the conclusion that the latter is more commonly used in the younger generation of professionals.

 

It was emphasized that basic typing/keyboarding skills are very important.

 

There was a discussion of rules and standards regarding e-mail and Internet use. Barbara pointed out that it is very important to differentiate between personal and professional use. A discussion ensued regarding tracking of computer use by tech departments in schools as well as in industry. All agreed that it was a huge issue, but that many companies are giving up on policing their employees.

 





Legal Documentation

It was pointed out that e-mail is public information in the district, and that anyone’s e-mail can be requested for review.

 

There was a discussion about using student names in e-mail versus student id numbers. Standards around this issue appear to be site based.

 

John shared that licensed mental health professionals have to follow a strict record keeping protocol because of confidentiality issues.

 

Barbara shared that when she worked in the banking industry, they kept all data as part of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. She shared that in many areas, record keeping is critical and that both electronic and hard copies are kept.

 





Professionalism/Attendance/Dress

Barbara shared that at Henry Cogswell, faculty members’ arrival and departure times are not checked on, and that there is an unspoken expectation that certain standards will be followed regarding dress and soft skills (being on time, etc.) She also added that one of the most important aspects of professionalism is civility, the ability to get along with others to get the job done to completion. Also mentioned was dedication to the job, coming early and staying late.

 

After a brief discussion of professionalism, the meeting concluded.

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

The next meeting will be held on May 18, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. at Sequoia High School.

 

 

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