The View from the Schoolhouse

The New Foundational Skills are essential to success in the workplace, but are K-12 students learning these skills? A new report by Burning Glass Technologies and American Student Assistance examines the attitudes of K-12 teachers on incorporating high-demand workforce skills in the curriculum.

More than half of educators believe that employers will regard these New Foundational Skills as “essential.” Yet only a quarter of educators (25%) believe that their school is doing an excellent job at preparing students for job opportunities and an almost equal share (22%) feel their school is doing a poor job at preparing students.

The report also suggests there is an educational opportunity gap for students of color or low-income backgrounds, who may lack exposure to quality skill development. The survey found that:

• Majority Black-student classrooms are often twice as likely to experience this opportunity gap
• Majority Latinx-student classrooms are 50% more likely to experience the opportunity gap
• Gaps are two to four times as large for classrooms where 75% or more of students receive free or reduced lunch compared to classrooms with 25% or less