Collaborating Vertically is the Key to Success

Prior to joining the Agility team, I taught 3rd and 4th grades for 10 years. Each fall, a new group of youngsters would enter my classroom and we hit the ground running. I only had 180 school days to prepare my students to enter the next grade level, so we didn’t waste a second.

No two students are alike, so challenges arose trying to meet the needs of each individual student throughout the year. Their abilities ranged greatly so I had to plan lessons accordingly, often times individualizing my approach in order to yield student growth. To compound this matter, there were instances I had to make time to reteach skills which should have been mastered in the previous grade in order to impart the current grade’s curriculum. Meetings with my students’ past teachers seeking understanding of these shortfalls were a regular occurrence.

My obligation was to implement the curriculum set forth by the state for the grade I was teaching; however, every good teacher knows collaborating vertically is imperative for student achievement. It was necessary for me to meet with teachers of previous years in order to learn how much growth students made as well as meet with teachers in the subsequent grade to set my class up for success.

I have worked with teachers in the past who believed their duty was only to teach their assigned curriculum—no matter students’ abilities. Students muddled their way through lacking the understanding for how it all tied together, developing their educational experience in a series of unconnected events.

I tell you this because I came across an interesting article I want to share titled, “Students, Colleges or Businesses? Which Needs to Change Most?” by J.T. O’Donnell. O’Donnell details the struggles students face trying to enter the workforce right out of college. Businesses are searching for candidates with experience and often times students are not prepared, despite spending a lot of time an money on a college education in the corresponding field.

O’Donnell states, “There was a time when a good number of businesses in America had apprenticeship and on-boarding programs graduates would enter after college. But today, companies have put the responsibility for gaining those critical career skills back on the student,” (O’Donnell). So, what needs to change the most? Businesses? Colleges? Or Students? She goes on to ask the following:

Should students and their tuition-paying parents focus more on getting internships to supplement the college experience? If so, how?
Should colleges revamp their curriculum to close the skill gap? Are any schools modeling the way on this?
Should companies bring back apprenticeships and start training young professionals again? If so, which companies are you seeing excel in this right now? (O’Donnell).

I am not sure there is one single answer here, but from my experience, collaborating vertically is the key to success. Businesses should partner with colleges; colleges should work with high schools; and high schools should team up with middle and elementary schools. Each sector should not be viewed as singular, rather, an integrated part in the life cycle of yielding fruitful young professionals.

I have learned the same vertical collaboration is necessary in the business world. To be successful, it is a team effort, constantly cross talking between Business Development, Capture and Proposal Managers. Business Development should take place collaboratively with Capture. For example, it is good business practice for both to do joint client visits and keep a capture plan updated and then sit down with the Proposal Manager to hand off at the beginning of proposal development.

Working collaboratively for a common goal is a much more productive and successful approach than navigating alone.

Let us help you succeed!
-Macaire Eidson

Works Cited
O’Donnell, J. (2014, December 2). Students, Colleges or Businesses? Which Needs to Change Most? Retrieved February 2, 2015, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141202232904-7668018-students-colleges-or-corporations-which-needs-to-change-most