Career Training
The career programs at New Road Schools enable students to apply academic skills in a real-world context in order to gain an understanding of the economic forces in society. This programming emphasizes student preparation for productive employment after graduation and a rewarding career. We offer an array of transitional services designed to help the student explore his or her interests and build upon natural talents. As the student matures, we gradually encourage him or her to become more self-reliant. Our programs aid in this process by giving the students just the right amount of independence and interaction with the wider community while still providing the supports necessary for the student to feel secure and confident.
New Road School of Somerset Career Program
Somerset's multifaceted Career Program prepares students for life beyond school by teaching them trades and skills that will equip them for future employment. Is a student interested in the culinary arts? Then he can learn to properly prep and cook foods in our brand-new 2,000-square-foot commercial-grade kitchen. Is there a budding gardener in our midst? If so, she is sure to enjoy digging around in our greenhouse and taking landscaping courses in our on-site nursery. Prospective health care aides and technicians will find no shortage of training options in our state-of-the-art dental lab, vision lab, eye care retail business, and wellness center. And the list of options goes on and on. Ultimately, the goal of the Career Program is to thoroughly familiarize and train students in a given trade from on-campus experiences so that graduating students can translate this success to off-campus paying jobs that they find both sustainable and rewarding.
KASH: The KASH (Knowledge, Attitude, Skills & Habits) Program is the first step in New Road's career-focused curriculum. Here, students take the "Interest Inventory" to determine their particular abilities and interests.
Career Classes: Based on the findings of the inventory, students enroll in a series of Career Classes, to start learning about their chosen area of interest and acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a career in this field. Each Career Class is one semester (approx. 20 weeks) in length and meets twice weekly.
Internships & Job Placements: If the student continues to enjoy this chosen field, they proceed to advanced coursework in this area of study or to an On-Campus Internship during the school day. If this internship is completed successfully, the student will then participate in an applicable Off-Campus Internship at one of the numerous local businesses with which we partner in the outside community. Finally, in the student's last year at the New Road School, the student worker is assigned a Near-Home Job Placement whenever possible to facilitate a smooth transition to gainful employment following graduation.
SLE: The SLE (Structured Learning Experience) Program is a specialized branch of our overall Career Program, dedicated exclusively to students aged 18 to 21 (i.e., grades 13-15). Having completed the New Road School of Somerset's required curriculum in full, these students are free to concentrate all of their efforts on real-life transition experiences, including filling out time sheets, paying taxes, and setting up a residence. SLE students earn at least minimum wage in New Road money and learn how to manage their finances through the New Road Corner Bank.
Along the way, all of our Career Program students compile a Professional Portfolio consisting of essential papers — including any requisite certifications or credentials they have earned — updated resumes, and a sampling of their work. Upon graduation, each student will leave with a completed "New Road School Functional Evaluation," which helps service agencies with career placement.
New Road School of Parlin Career Program
The New Road School of Parlin's enhanced Transitional Program consists of several components, beginning with an Introduction to Careers unit followed up by, Community-Based Instruction, New Road Square On-Campus Experience and finally, participation in the Community Volunteer Work Program. This practical learning environment guides individual students to reach their potential, develop a positive work ethic, and become self-sufficient young adults.
The Introduction to Careers (Level 1) segment addresses attainment skills, engages students in group activities and conducts basic assessments. This foundational level is succeeded Community-Based Instruction (Level 2), where groups of four or five students are taken out into the community to observe a variety of businesses and to discuss potential job possibilities. In the process, students are exposed to a sampling of career field choices. Level 3 offers on-campus job experience in the New Road Square. Among other areas, training is provided in retail experience, office skills, stock work, the culinary arts, beauty salon services, floral design, computer repair, A+ certification, landscaping and production. In the production arena, the operation of retail equipment is mastered, such as engraving and embroidery machines, heat pressers and embossers, all of which are used in conjunction with graphic design.
These processes culminate in Level 4 of our career curriculum, our off-campus job program. Strong relationships have been developed with community business partners, and students have the opportunity to utilize skills learned on campus in the real world at these business sites. They participate in this program for one to two hours per week, with the guidance of a job coach. This Transitional Program nurtures each student's potential to be employed and independent in the future.
Behavioral Interventions
At New Road School, in addition to increasing student learning, one of our main goals is to promote positive behaviors in our students.
“Visiting your schools was a wonderful experience. We deeply appreciated the opportunity to see educational theory and research informing practice. [The three of us], as deans at a leading college of education... were very impressed with the thoughtful and sensitive approach with which you created a learning environment based on individualized student–centered learning principles. The consistency with which these learning principles were infused in the curriculum across the school from classroom to classroom was unquestionably among the best I have seen in educational practice.