Ready for the real world?

SRL wants to hear what you think of your education.

What kinds of things are you learning now that feel like they’ll be really useful to you later on in life? What do you wish you could be learning in school? How do you find good information about important life skills? Explore ways school prepares students—or doesn’t—for the world outside of school.

Take a look at this list of examples and look around your community. Are there programs and classes to teach people practical skills?

If you’re not learning something in school that you believe is important– how are you getting information about it, or how do you wish it were taught? (For example: do you look on social media, ask family/friends, or read books, watch news and videos, read magazines, or listen to podcasts?)

What do you want to be learning now to help you when you’re ready to go out into what’s often called the “real world,” beyond school?

Some examples of job & life skills:

• Financial literacy
• Leadership skills
• Business and work etiquette
• Specific job skills (shop class, resume writing, Excel spreadsheet crash course, etc.)
• Public speaking
• How to network
• Interviewing
• Managing the cost of post-secondary/higher education/college
• Applying for a job
• How to write an email
• How to take care of your mind and body
• Cooking
• Taxes
• Finding the right career option for you
• Career and Technology Education (CTE) classes – what’s working well? What could improve? What CTE classes are missing?
• How to work together as a team member effectively
• Foreign language

DEADLINE: March 15, 2024

SUBMIT YOUR STORY HERE

IMPORTANT: If you are submitting Google Drive links, ​you must change the share settings from "restricted" to "allow general access: anyone with a link can edit."

NOTE: must also have this release form completed to confirm your participation in Student Reporting Labs (SRL). The SRL team evaluates pieces based on this criteria. Please be sure your story incorporates these requirements.

When it comes to learning practical skills, what’s working well? What should change?

1. This is who taught me… produce a story about an individual or organization that helps students achieve these "real-world" skills
2. My school is good at….produce a story exploring a program at your school or another school in your community that is successful at teaching real world skills.
3. I wish I knew…. produce a story focused on the kinds of practical skills you or other students feel is missing from your education.

• Profile (2-4 min. long): A profile is the story of one person. It has voiceover (VO), b-roll, pictures, nats (natural sound), interviews of family members or peers of that one person. Here’s an example of a profile.
• Explainer (2-4 min. long): A video explaining a concept. Often it includes a host/narrator speaking directly to the camera. The tone could be serious, funny, or informative. Here’s an example of an explainer.
• News package (3-5 min. long): Video stories about newsworthy issues and topics. A news package has factual information, balanced reporting, research, voice overs, multiple interviews soundbites, b-roll footage. It may also include things like infographics, a reporter standup, nats (natural sound from filming b-roll). Here’s an example of a news package.

NAT package (2-4 min. long): A video story guided by the natural sound from interviews and the environment where you’re filming. Natural sound, commonly known as “NAT sound,” puts the viewer in the place the story was told by enhancing the scene(s) with video containing rich audio such as a musician singing at a train station, a storm approaching, or the sound of a tractor plowing the field. This kind of story would often not have a voiceover narration. Here’s an example of a nat package.

The only girl in school to spark an interest in welding

How CTE Classes are preparing students for the future

Culinary Arts, Cosmetology or Welding? Texas teens choose hands on job training in the classroom

Resources For Covering 2023-24 Prompt Topics

FILL OUT THE SUBMISSION FORM HERE

You must also have this release form completed to confirm your participation in Student Reporting Labs (SRL). NOTE: The SRL team evaluates pieces based on this criteria. Please be sure your story incorporates these requirements.

IMPORTANT: If you are submitting Google Drive links, ​you must change the share settings from "restricted" to "allow general access: anyone with a link can edit."

NOTE: students are encouraged to publish their stories on their school/club/program website or through video/social platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or Twitter and tag Student Reporting Labs. Check with your teacher to find out instructions for class submissions.

FACEBOOK: /STUDENTREPORTINGLABS

TWITTER: @REPORTINGLABS

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