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Kutztown to consider joining county career‑readiness focus groups; committee seeks screening materials
Summary
The committee reviewed a Berks Business Education Coalition proposal to run small student focus groups (4–6 per site) to gather career‑readiness feedback countywide, requested the screener and interview script, and agreed to forward the proposal to the full board pending parental‑consent procedures.
The policy and curriculum committee reviewed a countywide career‑readiness research proposal being coordinated by the Berks Business Education Coalition and an outside research group.
A staff member described the plan as small, researcher‑led focus groups in multiple districts designed to collect student perspectives on career plans, barriers and support needs. The presenter said the study would ask each participating district to recruit a small, diverse group (four to six students at each participating middle and high school) and that parent permission would be required.
On expected scale, the presenter said the coalition is working with roughly eight districts and that the total number of student participants countywide would be “approximately 50 students overall.” Committee members requested to see the recruiting screener and interview script before authorizing participation; staff said those documents are already shared in the district’s CougarChats messaging channel and will be provided for committee review.
A staff member explained that the research team is using LEPS/LEPS Research Group to collect data and that the coalition hopes the countywide findings will inform future career‑readiness programming: “They are using LEPS and Research Group to collect the data,” the presenter said. Committee members emphasized the need for parental permission and asked staff to confirm deadlines: the presenter noted the coalition was seeking student names in late February to meet a March timeline.
Committee members indicated tentative support and agreed to forward the proposal to the full board, with the expectation that members would review the screener/interview materials and that staff would confirm parental‑consent procedures and deadlines.
The committee’s recommendation to the full board would ask staff to provide the questionnaire and screening materials in advance and to confirm protections and permissions for student participants.
