Center Projects Under Dr. Howard
The BU Center for Future Readiness consists of two faculty co-directors – Kimberly Howard and Scott Solberg. Each faculty manages their own portfolio of research programs as well as supports the development of research programs for their doctoral students. The projects below are being conducted by Dr. Howard and her team.
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Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education has become a priority in many school districts, which makes it critical that teachers feel well-prepared and confident teaching these subjects. This is especially true in secondary schools when students are making decisions about their educational and vocational futures with long-term ramifications.
In order to better understand the challenges in providing career development programming to elementary school children, we are surveying elementary school counselors from across all 50 states. Specifically, we are examining practicing school counselors’ beliefs about, attitudes towards, preparation for, and practice of career development work with elementary school-aged students.
In recent years it has become increasingly understood that fostering positive career development in the elementary school years provides a foundation for the college and career readiness endeavors at the high school level. Despite this recognition, there continues to be hesitation to engage in career-related programming in the elementary school years. In this comparative case study, we have identified elementary school counselors who are considered by their peers, colleagues, and supervisors as being “exemplar career educators.” We are studying their practice so as to identify both the school counselor-specific factors, as well as the context-specific conditions that are associated with the provision of exemplary career development programming to elementary school-aged students.
This study examines former collegiate student athletes’ experiences of career development and transition out of sport and into post-college life and the world of work. For most student athletes, the termination of an athletic career is inevitable and coincides with graduation and transition into a non-sport career. Many student-athletes are unprepared for the transition and experience psychological and emotional difficulties that may interfere with mental health, wellbeing, and career development. This mixed-methods study explores recently graduated, former student athletes’ experiences of athletic retirement and career development.