The SCANS Report

Preparing Students for Their Future
—Margaret Riel

Working backwards from the end point is one of the problem-solving strategies that students learn in school. In the 1990s, the Department of Labor applied this strategy to the problem of redesigning our schools. They turned to industry and business and asked them: “What does work require of schools?”

Lynne Martin, former Secretary of Labor, formed the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) to find the answer to this question.

The SCANS commission identified three foundational skills and five competencies.

The Three SCANS Foundational Skills

1. Basic Skill Development: Reading, writing, arithmetic, mathematics, speaking and listening.
2. * Thinking Skills: Thinking creatively making decisions, solving problems, visualizing, learning how to learn and reason.
3. Personal Qualities: Individual responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, selfmanagement, and integrity.

The Five SCANS Competencies

1. Resources: Allocating time, money, materials, space, and staff.
2. Interpersonal Skills: Working on teams, teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
3. Information Handling Skills: Acquiring and evaluating data, organizing and maintaining files, interpreting and communicating, and computer processing of information.
4. * Systems: Understanding social, organizational and technological systems, monitoring performance, and designing and improving systems.
5. Technology: Selecting appropriate technology, applying the most effective tools for the task, and using good troubleshooting skills.

Source: T.I.E. News, Volume 5, Number 1