Group 4: Career development for diverse and underserved populations

Globalization and diverse populations due to migration imply that counselors are expected to deliver career services to populations from a large array of cultural settings. Moreover, individuals belonging to minority or non-dominant groups may be underserved or misserved, thus decreasing their chances of finding employment opportunities through career counseling. To develop specific interventions minority or non-dominant groups, it seems important to understand their strength and weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses will be presented in terms of risk and resilience factors, such as low future orientation and social support respectively. In the last two decades, several authors have made contributions to adapt and improve career services in order to best meet these minority groups' needs. A review of this literature identified thirteen keys to effective practice. For example, one key is to take responsibility for one's own biases and prejudices. Nonetheless, some underserved groups remain difficult to identify. Comparing some basic national demographic data with data from our counseling centers may be helpful in this context in identifying specific groups and assessing needs. One solution, in order to promote social justice across (all) cultural groups, is to encourage multiculturalism in both career counseling and society as a whole. A more inclusive society would allow each person in a minority or non-dominant group to contribute more effectively to the development and growth of this society.

Alunos do ensino médio e atratividade da carreira docente no Brasil

O artigo traz os resultados de pesquisa cujo objetivo foi investigar a atratividade da carreira docente no Brasil pela ótica de alunos concluintes do ensino médio, uma vez que se tem divulgado a perda de interesse pela opção profissional pelo magsitério por parte dos adolescentes. O estudo foi realizado em escolas públicas e particulares de cidades de grande ou médio porte das diferentes regiões do país. Os dados utilizados para as análises têm origem em duas fontes: questionário e grupos de discussão. Nos resultados, a rejeição à carreira docente é recorrente entre os jovens pesquisados. As justificativas dos estudantes para a falta de atratividade da carreira se relacionam à ausência de identificação pessoal com a docência, às condições sociais e financeiras de exercício da profissão, à própria experiência escolar dos alunos e à influência familiar.

Reconhecimento social e as políticas de carreira docente na educação básica

Partindo do conceito de "reconhecimento social" e da questão da formação de "senso de injustiça", analisam-se políticas recentes relativas à carreira docente, por meio de documentos e ações emergentes em nível federal, estadual e municipal. A discussão de fundo é a valorização dos professores na realidade social e educacional do Brasil. Discutem-se planos de carreira e sua relação com a vida profissional dos docentes em estados e municípios e com a qualidade da educação. Conclui-se, por essas análises, que a questão do reconhecimento social desse profissional ainda sofre com os problemas evidenciados, o que explica o crescente senso de injustiça que percorre a categoria. Verifica-se, no entanto, que há um movimento nas diferentes esferas da gestão pública da educação no sentido de se preocupar com os planos de carreira do magistério, embora esse movimento ainda não tenha abrangência total e não tenha mostrado ainda impactos efetivos.

High commitment of embryonic keratinocytes to terminal differentiation through a Notch1-caspase 3 regulatory mechanism.

Embryonic cells are expected to possess high growth/differentiation potential, required for organ morphogenesis and expansion during development. However, little is known about the intrinsic properties of embryonic epithelial cells due to difficulties in their isolation and cultivation. We report here that pure keratinocyte populations from E15.5 mouse embryos commit irreversibly to differentiation much earlier than newborn cells. Notch signaling, which promotes keratinocyte differentiation, is upregulated in embryonic keratinocyte and epidermis, and elevated caspase 3 expression, which we identify as a transcriptional Notch1 target, accounts in part for the high commitment of embryonic keratinocytes to terminal differentiation. In vivo, lack of caspase 3 results in increased proliferation and decreased differentiation of interfollicular embryonic keratinocytes, together with decreased activation of PKC-delta, a caspase 3 substrate which functions as a positive regulator of keratinocyte differentiation. Thus, a Notch1-caspase 3 regulatory mechanism underlies the intrinsically high commitment of embryonic keratinocytes to terminal differentiation.

The career indecision profile : measurement equivalence in two international samples

This study tested for the measurement equivalence of a four-factor measure of career indecision (Career Indecision Profile-65 [CIP-65]) between a U.S. sample and two international samples; one composed of French-speaking young adults from France and Switzerland and the other of Italian ado- lescents. Previous research had supported the four-factor structure of the CIP-65 in both the United States and Iceland but also showed that items on two of the four scales may be interpreted differently by young adults growing up in these two countries. This study extends previous research by testing whether the four CIP-65 factors are measured equivalently in two additional international samples. Results largely supported the configural and metric invariance of the CIP-65 in the United States and international samples, but several scales showed a lack of scalar invariance. Some explanations are offered for these findings along with suggestions for future research and implications for practice.

Calling and career preparation: Investigating developmental patterns and temporal precedence

The presence of a calling and career development are assumed to be closely related. However, the nature of and reason for this relationship have not been thoroughly investigated. We hypothesized the existence of reciprocal effects between calling and three dimensions of career preparation and assessed the change of the presence of a calling, career planning, decidedness, and self-efficacy with three waves of a diverse sample of German university students (N = 846) over one year. Latent growth analyses revealed that the intercepts of calling showed a significant positive correlation with the intercepts of all career preparation measures. The slope of calling was positively related to those of decidedness and self-efficacy but not to planning. Cross-lagged analyses showed that calling predicted a subsequent increase in planning and self-efficacy. Planning and decidedness predicted an increase in the presence of a calling. The results suggest that calling and career preparation are related due to mutual effects but that effects differ for different career preparation dimensions.

T cell receptor delta gene rearrangement and T early alpha (TEA) expression in immature alpha beta lineage thymocytes: implications for alpha beta/gamma delta lineage commitment.

Mature T cells comprise two mutually exclusive lineages expressing heterodimeric alpha beta or gamma delta antigen receptors. During development, beta, gamma, and delta genes rearrange before alpha, and mature gamma delta cells arise in the thymus prior to alpha beta cells. The mechanism underlying commitment of immature T cells to the alpha beta or gamma delta lineage is controversial. Since the delta locus is located within the alpha locus, rearrangement of alpha genes leads to deletion of delta. We have examined the rearrangement status of the delta locus immediately prior to alpha rearrangement. We find that many thymic precursors of alpha beta cells undergo VDJ delta rearrangements. Furthermore, the same cells frequently coexpress sterile T early alpha (TEA) transcripts originating 3' of C delta and 5' of the most upstream J alpha, thus implying that individual alpha beta lineage cells undergo sequential VDJ delta and VJ alpha rearrangements. Finally, VDJ delta rearrangements in immature alpha beta cells appear to be random, supporting models in which alpha beta lineage commitment is determined independently of the rearrangement status at the TCR delta locus.

Resources for career education, 1977.

This document contains a multitude of resources for career education available to Iowans from many sources.

Re-Engineering CTE in Iowa: Aligning Career and Technical Education Reform, Workforce Development and Economic Development, August 2007

Iowa is a relatively small state and is on the rebound economically. It has an overall population that is stable, but which is shifting within the state from more rural areas to suburban and urban centers. There is a very tight labor market with high levels of employment. Iowa now has a time-sensitive opportunity to exert global leadership in renewable energy, while maintaining its leadership in other key industries like finance and agriculture.