BONUS: Accessible career exploration in K-12 education (with Matthew Chaussee)

Most of us still don’t know what we want to be when we grow up, but at least we know more than we did when we wanted to be pro athletes or “movie stars” (the old people version of influencers). As we have conversations with kids and think about how to prepare them for adulthood, helping kids explore their passions and interests becomes challenging. Not all communities have access to the resources to be able to provide “real-life” career experiences to students. Transporting kids and prioritizing funding and resources becomes a logistical issue; which makes it hard to educate kids about their career options. On top of that, it’s difficult to help kids grasp what it might be like in a particular career; which means they might be missing out on opportunities to cultivate their skills and interests. But what if we had a way to bring career exploration TO students so they could explore their interests in an accessible, non-threatening way? With some of the new technology coming down the pipeline, it may be more possible that people think. That’s why I had Matt Chausee from Be More Colorful on “De Facto Leaders” for a special bonus episode to talk about innovative companies that are impacting K-12 education in a positive way. Matt Chaussee is the CEO of Be More Colorful, a midwest-based immersive media production studio whose platform, CareerViewXR, is rapidly gaining national attention. Matt, along with his wife (and company owner) Katie, lead an innovative team of creatives who are laser focused on making career exploration affordable, accessible, and fun! CareerViewXR provides students and adult career seekers across the country with an unprecedented opportunity to experience real-world careers through virtual reality technology. Recently selected from a field of over 2,000 applicants to be one of 33 Semifinalists for the prestigious Yass Prize, Matt will discuss the significance of the award, and how he sees tools like CareerViewXR transforming how we guide students on their educational journey.*If you have a vested interest in what’s happening in K-12 Education, take a look at some of the amazing work that’s being done by the Yass prize finalists. You can vote for 2 different organizations per day from now until November 25 to help select a winner of the parent choice awards. The winner of the prize will get $100,000, which they’ll devote to funding projects that support innovations in K-12 education. You can vote at: https://yassprize.org/voteIn this conversation we discuss some of the important work being done by Yass finalists, and how CareerViewXR is helping to educate kids on their career options, as well as align K-12 curriculum to foundational skills that impact future job skills. Learn more about the Yass Prize here: https://yassprize.org/You can vote for Yass Prize Parent Choice Award Winners at: https://yassprize.org/voteListen to other episodes about Yass Prize organizations on the BE Podcast Network. The principles of the Yass Prize are: Sustainable, Transformative, Outstanding, PermissionlessThis bonus episode was done to share how CareerViewXR aligns with the “Outstanding” principle. Learn how they’re aligning with other principles through accessibility and project-based learning on:Sustainable-The Principle PLN with Ross Romano. Link here: http://www.principalpln.com/Transformational-The Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones. Link here: https://transformativeprincipal.org/Permissionless-Rebel Educator with Tanya Sheckley. Link here: https://www.rebeleducator.com/ Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:Learn more about Renaissance:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.