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Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards

Community of Practice

Skills for Success:

The Why Behind Wisconsin's Career Readiness Standards

The Impact of Student Disengagement

Welcome to the 2024-25 Career Readiness Community of Practice! In this first module, we’re going to dive into the 'why' behind Wisconsin's Career Readiness Standards—exploring the skills that are critical for student success in today’s evolving workforce.

We’ll unpack the bigger picture of systems change and understand how career readiness plays a central role in shaping future-ready students. By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear sense of why these standards matter and how they can transform both student outcomes and the educator experience.

To make the most of this learning experience, we encourage you to engage actively by taking notes and reflecting on how the content applies to your unique context. Pause the video whenever you need to process the information or dive deeper into the provided resources. If you’re able, consider collaborating with colleagues or teams for richer discussions and shared insights. Finally, don’t forget to follow up on activities or supplemental materials and connect with your regional CESA for additional support. Let’s dive in!

As we journey through the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards modules, you’ll have access to an optional resource: the WCRS Participant Workbook. This digital workbook is designed to help you engage more deeply with the content. It includes guided reflection questions, interactive activities, and space to document your thoughts and ideas as you move through the modules. While entirely optional, the workbook can be a valuable tool for translating what you learn here into actionable insights for your school or district. I’ll refer to specific sections of the workbook at key points, so feel free to use it in the way that works best for you—whether that’s jotting down notes, brainstorming strategies, or reflecting on how this content applies to your unique context. You are also able to print this workbook or use it as a fillable pdf. Let’s get started!

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Welcoming Activity

“What skill do you wish you had learned earlier that you believe will be critical for students in the future?”

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Today’s Collective Commitments

Actively Listen
Reflect with Compassion
Focus on Problem Solving, not Problem Admiration
Question and Push Back in a Professional Manner
Expect and Accept Non-Closure

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Objectives

Understand the Causes of Gen Z & Gen Alpha Student Disengagement

Recognize how WCRS Promote Engagement through Equity and Future Readiness�
Appreciate the WCRS Focus on Lifelong Learning and Future Readiness�

Let’s take a moment to review today’s objectives. These will guide our discussions and activities as we move forward.

Our first objective is to understand the causes of Gen Z and Gen Alpha student disengagement. We’ll explore the unique characteristics of these generations, what’s causing their disconnection from traditional schooling, and how the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards, or WCRS, can help address these challenges. Our goal is to think about how to make learning more relevant and future-focused for our students.

Next, we’ll recognize how the WCRS promote engagement through equity and future readiness. You’ll learn how integrating career readiness skills into all content areas ensures that every student—no matter their background—is engaged now and prepared for the workforce of the future.

Finally, we’ll appreciate how the WCRS focus on lifelong learning and future readiness. We’ll discuss how the WCRS encourage a mindset of continuous improvement, helping students become lifelong learners who can adapt and thrive in an ever-changing job market.

By the end of today, you should feel confident in how the WCRS can directly impact student engagement and help foster future-ready learners.

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Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Inclusive and Just
Creative and Innovative
Digitally Literate
Safety Conscious
Sleep Deprivation
Fragmented Attention
Socially Isolated
Reduced Social Skills
Emotionally Insecure
Lower Resilience
Heightened Anxiety

(Twenge, 2023)

As educators, we know that the world has changed dramatically over the past two decades—technological advancements, societal shifts, and global interconnectedness have transformed nearly every aspect of our lives. As adults, it can feel challenging to keep pace with the speed of these changes, but we need to consider how these shifts have affected our youngest learners, those in their most formative years.

We’re talking about two generations today: Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, and Gen Alpha, born from 2013 onward. These students have grown up in a time of rapid transformation, and while these changes have equipped them with strengths—like being inclusive, digitally literate, and creative—the same shifts have also presented significant challenges.

For example, students today often face fragmented attention spans, a result of constant digital stimulation and multitasking. Many struggle with social isolation and reduced social skills, as digital interactions often replace face-to-face relationships. Sleep deprivation has become increasingly common, with our tech-driven world disrupting healthy routines. And perhaps most concerning, these students experience heightened anxiety, emotional insecurity, and lower resilience in dealing with adversity.

We see the effects of these challenges everywhere: in academic achievement, student well-being, behavior, and attendance. In many ways, our current education system has failed to fully address or adapt to these realities, and that’s why our work with the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards is so crucial. We need to rethink how we engage, support, and prepare Gen Z and Gen Alpha to thrive in a world that continues to evolve at a breakneck pace.

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Quote

“The most immediate and persisting issue for students and teachers is not low achievement, but student disengagement.”

-Dr. Jal Mehta, Harvard Graduate School of Education

(Mehta & Fine, 2020)

This quote from Dr. Jal Mehta of Harvard's Graduate School of Education points to one of the most pressing and persistent challenges in our classrooms today: student disengagement.

While we often focus on test scores and academic achievement, the root issue runs deeper. Many students are simply not connecting with the learning experiences we provide. Disengagement is a sign that the system is failing to meet students where they are, and it’s preventing them from reaching their full potential.

Addressing this disengagement is not just about improving test scores. It's about making learning more relevant, creating environments where students feel seen and valued, and equipping them with skills that resonate with their future aspirations.

This is exactly where the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards come into play. They’re designed to re-engage students by making their education more meaningful, more connected to the real world, and ultimately, more empowering.

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Gen Z Students (Aged 12-17)

41% feel uninterested in their learning at school.

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Gen Z Students (Aged 12-17)

51% do not feel challenged by their current K-12 program.

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Gen Z Students (Aged 12-17)

54% feel that school is not connected to their strengths.

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Youth Voice – Wisconsin YRBS Data

State of Wisconsin

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results Show Students Self-Reported:

Anxiety - 51.6%

Depression - 35%

Self Harm - 20.9%

Considered Suicide – 18.6%

2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

But these small signs of disengagement—like not feeling challenged, uninterested, or disconnected from teachers—are contributing to a much larger issue: the widespread mental health crisis among Wisconsin’s Gen Z students.

According to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 59% of students are experiencing serious mental health challenges, with nearly 52% reporting clinically significant symptoms of anxiety. Depression affects about 35% of students, and unhealthy coping strategies—like non-suicidal self-harm—are alarmingly prevalent, with 21% of students engaging in self-harm behaviors.

Even more heart-wrenching, nearly 19% of students have seriously considered suicide. These are not just statistics; they represent real young lives, struggling to navigate an increasingly complex world.

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2022-2023 Academic Proficiency Scores

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2022-2023 Academic Proficiency Scores

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Absenteeism (Aged 12-17)

20% of students were chronically absent.

149,491

Students Considered Chronically Absent

Over 11 million days missed per year in Wisconsin

Finally, perhaps the clearest indicator of disengagement is the alarming rate of absenteeism in our schools. In Wisconsin, students are collectively missing over 11 million days of school each year. Nearly 150,000 students are considered chronically absent.

This is a stark reminder that disengagement is not just about what happens in the classroom—it’s about whether students are even showing up. When students don’t see the value in being at school, whether due to mental health challenges, lack of connection, or feelings of irrelevance, they simply don’t attend.

These numbers highlight the urgent need for systemic change—one that reimagines how we engage students, support their well-being, and prepare them for a future that looks very different from the one our current system was designed for.

�All of this data in turn demonstrates for us that Wisconsin students are not connected to their education, nor is it a source of engagement and well-being.

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CTE Graduation Rates

As we consider solutions to address the disengagement of students across Wisconsin, it’s important to spotlight career and technical education, or CTE, as a potential game-changer. The data tells a compelling story. In Wisconsin, students who become CTE concentrators—meaning they complete two or more CTE courses—are significantly more likely to graduate from high school. This not only underscores their engagement in coursework but also highlights the value of connecting learning to real-world skills and career pathways.

Career readiness programs, like those offered through CTE, provide students with hands-on, practical experiences that help them see the relevance of their education in shaping their futures. These programs can make learning meaningful and tangible, fostering a sense of purpose and commitment that we know are critical to engagement.

As we review the graph on this slide, we see clear evidence of the impact CTE has on student success. The increased graduation rates among CTE concentrators remind us that career readiness isn’t just about preparing for the workforce—it’s about equipping students to thrive, stay engaged, and achieve their full potential.

This data points us toward a solution—a way to rewrite the narrative of disengagement in Wisconsin schools. By investing in and expanding career readiness opportunities, we can create systemic change that supports our students, their families, and our communities.

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Discussion Activity

What signs of disengagement have you seen in your students?

In what ways do you think Career Readiness could help?