Running Head: FVE FINAL PROJECT ROUGH DRAFT

FVE Final Project Rough Draft

Jessica Turpin
Post University

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FVE Final Project

Easter Seals Goodwill Industries
The Past
Easter Seals Goodwill Industries of New Haven (ESGINH) started out as
Goodwill Industries, an organization built to provide employment and income for adults with
disabilities (Easter Seals Goodwill Industries, 2016, para. 1). It wasnt until 1969 that it merged
with Easter Seals of Greater New Haven to form the organization it is today with the mission to
enhance employment, educational, social and recreational opportunities for people with
disabilities and other challenges (ESGINH, 2016). This was the first major change for the
organization as it provided it with the opportunity to include more comprehensive training and
educational services. In the beginning, work and training was done in a sheltered workshop
environment. With the deinstitutionalization of people with mental disabilities and illnesses
there was a need for day programs and Easter Seals has been a pioneer in the field. Though
initially the organization only served the mentally disabled population it grew into something
much larger. Goodwill opened up stores that would provide employment for consumers that
would bring them out of the sheltered workshop and into the community. By 1996 all the
workshops were closed and all the participants were placed in jobs in the community.
Growth
Though this description may sound like this is primarily a vocational
organization, and it is, education plays a huge role in getting these people to work. When the
organization grew to include adults with mental health diagnoses a new program was created to

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help them enter or reenter the workforce. This was another major change. Before this could be
done in many cases some very basic skills needed to be addressed and taught. Many of them
have never filled out an application in the past and some can barely do basic math. The
organization expanded their programs even more to include a community reentry program with
the purpose of teaching ex-offenders the skills they need to be successful outside of
incarceration. They introduced a classroom environment and held Skills for Success classes
that taught its participants soft skills such as how to introduce oneself to an employer and proper
language to use in an interview. It also taught money management and resume writing skills as
well. In addition to job readiness, the class went out into the community and worked in the
Goodwill stores so they would learn actual hands on job skills and establish a work history.
Unfortunately this program was eliminated after the latest budget cuts in Connecticut that greatly
impacted the Department of Corrections.
Today
Currently, the organization serves adults with cognitive disabilities and in a
separate program adults with mental health diagnosis. This paper will focus primarily on the
program serving individuals with mental health issues as that is the program that provides the
most educational opportunity.

The program is called individually developed employment

assistance or IDEA. Within this program there are three classes used for the purpose of
education. There is KeyTrain class which consists of an online assessment that is evaluated by
the results and skills are then taught in a classroom environment depending on what needs to be
enhanced. There is Jobs club that teaches the participants various soft skills and job searching
skills as well as helping to develop resumes and how to set up an email account. Last, there is the
newest addition that will be taking off in August called Empower Us. This class is aimed at

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teaching the participants how to view themselves in a positive light and increase their self-esteem
as well as how to interact appropriately with others in both the work place and socially. Each of
these classes his held on a weekly basis in a classroom on the organizations grounds. There is
always at minimum one instructor but often two to provide the most individual attention
possible.
Technology
The IDEA program currently employs the use of the personal computer in the
classroom environment in its educational pursuits. The KeyTrain and Jobs club use these tools
regularly for both lesson enhancement and evaluation. They are a staple of the classroom but
operate with the most basic of programs. For them to be of optimum use further educational
technologies such as online learning or open online courses should be employed to aid in
teaching subjects such as math and reading, particularly in the KeyTrain class (Johnson, Adams,
Estrada, Freeman, 2015) . An example would be to purchase access to the other components of
the KeyTrain program that focus on skill enhancement rather than just the evaluative piece. This
particular learning tool is called the ACT curriculum and is aimed at fostering individual and
organizational success through skills development (ACT, 2016, para.2). The jobs club would
greatly benefit from the use of mobile learning devices or consumer technologies such as tablet
computing but currently does not have access due to funding. This would allow the learner to
move outside of the classroom environment and bring their skills and learning in to real life
situations. The student would be able to fill out an online application after making a personal
connection with the employer while still at the employers site. In addition, they would have the
security of having the instructor by their side to assist them in the application process if needed.

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Easter Seals Goodwill Industries has come a long way since its days of sheltered
workshops in providing vocational and educational opportunities for a diverse population. With
the introduction of the technologies listed in the 2015 Horizon report it has the potential to come
even further (Johnson, Adams, Estrada, Freeman, 2015). The introduction of consumer
technology such as tablet computing to open the world of learning to the student outside of the
classroom environment and learning technology such as online learning to enhance skill
development can bring new opportunities to the students that had not previously been considered
as possibilities. As technology moves forward, organizations need to continue to learn and grow
with the times if they are to keep up with the times and be effective learning and training
environments. These are just some of the basic but important steps Easter Seals Goodwill
Industries can take to accomplish that.
Futuring
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This phrased has been uttered in
reference to most situations that one may encounter in their lifespan but how can this be
accomplished? Why should this be accomplished? The concept of futuring aims to answer those
two questions and exactly why they are particularly relevant in an educational context. Using
futuring in an educational context can create a more comprehensive learning environment by
taking into account what resources will be needed and what resources will be available resulting
in more successful students. What is futuring? Simply, futuring is an anticipatory decisionmaking process that leads to planning and program development by looking forward 10, 20, or
30 years, while planning looks ahead 1 to 4 years (Sobrero, 2004). Futuring is done in a series
of steps. There are seven steps all together but the focus this paper will be on steps one and three
and how they can benefit the participants in the IDEA program at Easter Seals Goodwill

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Industries and education in general. Step one consists of scanning the environment and step
three is the act of creating scenarios based on the knowledge acquired from that scan.
With technology advancing at such a rapid rate, educational organizations have
to keep up with the times. New fields are being discovered and require a new crop of students to
further the study in them. In other educational environments students are coming out unprepared
to move on to the next step due to lack of adequate resources or overcrowding in classrooms that
dont provide enough individualized attention. These students will also need to have their
educational goals addressed. These are the students that will be referenced in this particular
future vision of education project. As costs for new technology increase and funds decrease, the
possibility of more of these students also increases. Steps need to be taken to make sure they
will have the proper resources to get them to the next stage in life, whether it be higher education
or employment. The focus of the futuring for this population will be what the environment will
be like 10 years down the road for these students and what they need now to help them adapt as a
contributing member of society. The particular organization that this futuring paper will
consider is Easter Seals Goodwill Industries of New Haven, an organization whose mission is to
enhance employment, educational, social, and recreational opportunities for people with
disabilities and other challenges (n.a., 2016). Futuring may help fulfil the mission of enhancing
educational goals for this organization.
If the students timeline is plotted out in points A-Z on the alphabet point A, B,
and C would be the journey from elementary school, to grade school, to high school. When the
student gets stuck at point A or B and is expected to use only this knowledge to carry them
through the next twenty something years of their life, the educational system has failed. Futuring
for these students will involve making a plan to compensate for points B or C that were skipped

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so they will be prepared for the points following. According to Hoyle (2007, p.20), the first
assumption of futuring is To affect the future, we must begin now!. When futuring for these
students the first step is to consider where the students want to be in 10 or 20 years. The answer
is always different but yet the same in that they all wish for advancement in either their
education or career goal. That is why they come to Easter Seals Goodwill Industries.
Scanning
Scanning is done to analyze change. Changes in society, economy, technology,
and any other impacting force need to be observed and data collected. Scanning, if done
properly by someone familiar with studying change, can show the emergence of trends that need
to be taken into account when preparing for the future. A basic scan of the students in this
educational context show that society feels oppressed, economy is failing and funds are being
cut, but technology continues to advance. Scanning shows a steady progression of advancement
in technology and decline in the quality of education received by the students encountered in the
IDEA program at Easter Seals Goodwill Industries. The students are getting less exposure to
technology due to limited funding leaving them ill prepared for the current state and future
applications of the technology that will be likely used in many professions in the future. The
drawback of scanning is that it cannot predict a plateau in change. However, for this particular
future vision of education project that is not a serious setback because it is focused on where the
student wants to be and not where the state of the economy, society, or technology will be.
Scenarios
Scenarios can be constructed from the results of the scanning. Based on the
findings the scenario predicted may be the best possible case or the worst or any combination in

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the middle. The benefit of using this technique is that it will prepare the educator or institution
for change by having already put a plan in place to cope with it. It makes the transition time
shorter because preparations have already been made or planned for accordingly. The scenario
constructed for this paper is that 10 years into the future, technology will be not just common but
the preferred mode of communication in the workplace and educational environment and the
students encountering it will be prepared to face these challenges because they will have been
given the solid foundation on which to build further knowledge. To prepare for this and build
that foundation, the students need to learn the basics, starting with email and general search
before moving on to more elaborate program such as Microsoft office and online job
applications. For this to be accomplished, new programs to help the students learn at their own
pace using challenging but comprehendible material must be introduced as well as the use of
such devices on which they may be accessed. The drawback of using scenarios for futuring is
that one cannot take into account every possibility and may not have chosen the correct scenario
to prepare for. Even if several scenarios were considered there is always the risk that none of
them will be what is actually encountered.
Technology is advancing and those without access to it are at a severe
disadvantage. Scanning shows us that students are feeling oppressed by limited opportunity due
to a poor education in a failing system. They are leaving their schools no better prepared for the
future than had they not gone at all. For them to have any real opportunity or chance at a
successful life they need to be provided with the same fundamental technological understanding
and access. The future will only continue to rely more and more on the application of such
technology. By addressing it now and providing the students with the proper programs through
online education that allows them to work at their own pace and access to various mobile

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technologies they will be on even ground with their peers who received this education earlier and
ready to actively pursue their education and employment goals as capable, technology savvy
individuals. Without this opportunity the likeliness of financial struggle due to lack of education
or computer and technology skills is far more likely. As it has been said in the past, Give a man
a fish, youve fed him for a day, teach him to fish and he may feed himself (Many authors in
many variations, at many different times).
Trends
There are many factors that will be significant in impacting the future of
education. A prediction can be made as to how those factors will impact education by looking at
some of the trends that will contribute to the changing state of education. Looking at these
trends to predict what the future might bring allows plans to be made to help ensure the most
optimal outcome and have a backup plan if it fails. This paper will now look at some of the
trends in the areas of technology, economy and public policy, and demographics that will likely
contribute to how the future of education takes shape and how they can be used advantageously
to take the necessary measures to ensure successful students and learners that will lead to
contributing members of society. The particular educational context being considered is the
IDEA program at Easter Seals Goodwill Industries and the students in the KeyTrain Class.
Trends in Technology
Two notable technological trends are mobile computing and online classes
(Riedel, 2014). Online classes are important because it allows the student to tailor their education
to their own specific learning style in student centric learning (Ivanov & Leer, 2013). Students
in a nontraditional classroom may come with varying levels of need that are difficult to address

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as a group. With the incorporation of online learning, especially math, each participant can
progress at their own speed instead of being expected to perform at the same level as their peers.
Students who are more advanced can be challenged accordingly also instead of having to wait
for their peers to catch up. Allen and Seaman (2014) talk about the concept of the Massive Open
Online Courses or MOOCs. MOOCs would be particularly beneficial in this type of classroom
because it would keep the cost down for providing education however they would not be an
acceptable platform on which to rely because they may be discontinued at any time without
warning as they are typically a free offering from an institution.
Another significant technological trend is mobile computing (Riedel, 2014). The
benefits of this type of technology are far reaching as it allows the learner to take the classroom
in to the real world. Much of the content that is delivered in the classrooms that are the subject
of this paper focus on preparing the learner for real world situations such as finding a job and
balancing a checkbook. With the addition of mobile computing such as the use of laptops or
tablets, the class participants can go out into the community and use these devices to practice the
application of what they learned in the classroom such as how to fill out a job application or
access mobile banking after setting up a bank account. Although this can be done at home or in
an office having this capability on the go makes it easier for the instructor to provide the student
with feedback as they begin the process in real life and give the necessary support to help the
student be successful in their learning.
Trends in Public Policy
One of the most notable public policies that has an impact on education is the
No Child Left Behind act. The purpose of this act was to close the gap in the difference in
quality of education between wealthier school districts and low income districts by holding

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teachers accountable for a set of federally assigned goals for proficiency (U.S. Dept. of
Education, 2010). One of the ways this was supposed to be done was by administering
standardized testing to all students regardless of the economic status of the school district. The
only students not subjected to the testing were those with serious disabilities. The schools that
did not produce students achieving at the recommended level were seen as failing. To combat
this, schools have been found to change the score that a student must reach to be considered
proficient or find a means to remove the student from the school. Schools that have reached the
proficiency goal therefore may not actually be showing any great improvement due to this act
but instead they are displaying the effect of the score that one must achieve to be considered
proficient being lowered. The students in these schools are held to subpar standards and
graduated ill prepared for life after 12th grade. This has a direct effect on the students used as a
reference in this paper as they are usually a product of exactly such practices. If they have
graduated they are grade levels beneath the average high school graduate and need a lot of extra
support to get them to where they should have been to complete a high school education.
President Obama signed a bill to improve on this called the Every Student Succeeds Act. This
act aims to improve the quality of education by giving the power back to the state rather than a
federally assigned set of goals. It also provides intervention and support for schools that are
falling behind (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2016). This has the potential to affect the students in the
referenced educational context in a positive way by producing more capable and higher
education ready students upon graduation.
Demographic Trends
Two of the demographic trends identified for this paper are the higher rates of
poverty among minorities and the increase of life expectancy in the older generation (Shrestha &

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Heisler, 2011). They both have a profound effect on the current state and future of education
everywhere. The population of students being considered in this paper are mainly minority
students that have come from inner city schools. Some of them have not graduated but some
have. These students have had less access to some necessary resources to be successful in both
the academic and professional world such as technological advances. Because of the increase in
life expectancy, more government resources are being spent on supporting the elderly. With the
consumption of these sources by the aging population there is less to be spent on other societal
needs such as education. With the minority population increasing, student population in schools
in low income areas are also increasing. Because of the increased spending on the aging
population, there are less resources to accommodate this growth and need leading to a cycle of
producing ill prepared students.
When considering demographic trends and their impact on education it is also
increasingly important to take into account the rise of the nontraditional student. According to
Ross-Gordon (2011), the nontraditional student is defined by seven characteristics; delayed entry
to college, dependents, single parentage, employment, financial independence, part-time
attendance, and not having a high school diploma. The majority of the students in the
educational context referenced in this. Because of that they are often ill prepared to enter into
higher education and need the extra support provided to the students being considered in the
educational context referenced here. With the addition of extra online resources to address
personal levels of need and consumer technology to expand the realm of the classroom, this
population would be better served.
Conclusion

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It is obvious that education is changing. It needs to grow and take into account
all the trends that will impact it for students to be successful. The best way to do that is to look
at the trends going on in the world in the areas of technology, economy, and demographics. If
these are studied and futuring tools employed it is possible to plan for the changes ahead and
ensure the next class of students has just as many if not more resources and opportunities than
the class before. Failing to take into account the change going on in the world can and will result
in a failed education system but if plans are made and proper action is taken, the education
system in both the smaller and larger picture will benefit.

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References
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Hoyle, J. (2007) Leadership and futuring, making visions happen. 2nd edition. p.20 Corwin
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