High school transportation curriculum being developed
As a state that has experienced rapid population growth as well as intense development pressures in recent decades, Florida faces unique transportation challenges. Given that the number of transportation-related jobs is expected to increase significantly in the next decade, Florida must prepare its future professionals and enlighten the next generation to the critical transportation issues that will continue to face the state. By raising awareness of transportation and public policy issues among students at the high-school level, educators can help generate a more enlightened workforce and citizenry for the 21st century.
In addition, by introducing high school students to transportation issues, a secondary benefit may be increased interest in future career opportunities. CUTR recently completed a review of transportation curriculum programs around the country and has proposed that development of similar curricula be advanced at the senior high school level in Florida.
The project considered how best to introduce high school students to public policy questions related to transportation, expand their knowledge as citizens, and enable them to make educated transportation decisions in the future. Of primary consideration was examining the feasibility of developing a transportation course module that could be offered to senior level high school students.
Throughout the project, high school administrators at the local and state levels were consulted regarding potential curriculum strategies as well as the development of a suitable course structure and format. Interviews were conducted to assess the current academic climate, determine the extent to which students were presently being exposed to transportation issues in their existing coursework, and gauge the level of interest among students to pursue these areas. The majority response from these interviews was that, while few of the schools offered coursework introducing students to transportation-related topics, all expressed interest and a willingness to contribute to subject development.
Only one school in the Tampa Bay area is involved in the development of its own transportation curricula. Other areas in the state, however, are now planning to develop transportation modules for distribution to local government agencies as well as to area high schools.
CUTR recommended that a several-week-long transportation curriculum be developed for inclusion in Florida's senior high schools, possibly incorporated into an existing social studies or science course. Such a curriculum could be developed to address a cross-section of topics related to transportation planning and engineering, with lectures organized to address topics either in discrete segments or in a chronological sequence, beginning with the historical significance of changes in transportation technologies, followed by the geographic interplay between transportation and land development, and finally addressing the social, environmental, and economic impacts of transportation on society.
Hands-on activities and field trips could be incorporated into the curriculum to help diversify the manner in which students explore the concepts to reinforce their learning processes.
Students will emerge with a broad comprehension of the influence transportation has had on the development of society," said Margaret Marshall, project manager, "as well as an appreciation for its role in the future."
As the transportation curriculum evolves over time, future consideration could be given to establishing a summer transportation institute at USF, geared toward motivated high school students planning careers in the transportation profession.
To streamline the integration of a transportation curriculum into existing courses, the modules should be developed in accordance with the legislative standards for public education in Florida. As such, part of this project involved researching current legislative policies and programs of the State Department of Education, including the Sunshine State Standards, a set of guidelines for establishing a baseline of educational attainment for all students in the state.
The recommended course concepts and desired outcomes for the transportation modules were matched to the expectations for existing social studies and science courses, developed by the State of Florida. The legislative framework for curriculum development in Florida and a review of the applicability to the Sunshine State Standards are provided in the final report, copies of which are available through CUTR.
For further information on this study, or to pursue a transportation curriculum project in your area, contact CUTR Research Associate Margaret Marshall at (813) 974-3564, marshall@cutr.usf.edu.
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