U.S. Department of Transportation

GARRETT A. MORGAN

Technology and Transportation Futures Program
"Educating Tomorrow's Transportation Workforce."

TALKING TO STUDENTS ABOUT
TRANSPORTATION CAREERS

Selecting a school

• DOT personnel are encouraged to visit schools in their areas or while on travel. Suggestions on selecting a school:
  • Visit one of DOT's adopted schools,
  • Find a school located in an empowerment zone,
  • Contact local school district for recommendation,
  • Check the Internet.
• If you wish to visit an adopted school, please contact Judi Gold at (202) 366-9497 and she'll help you arrange it.

Contacting the school

• Call the Principal or Superintendent: "Official X will be in the area and would like to visit your school because of __________." Tell them the good things you've heard about the school (they may be suspicious of why you're visiting). Be very clear to school contacts about the reason for your visit. After talking with them, do they seem enthusiastic? friendly? If not, you may need to consider another school.
• Send information on Official X, your organization, and the reason for your visit. Encourage them to share it with their faculty and district office to promote the visit internally.
• When contacting the school, we have found the following questions to be useful:
  • Grades of the school,
  • Student and faculty population,
  • Special interests of the student population,
  • Particular things going on with the students of the area at the current time,
  • Special programs already in place at the school (special relationship with a government or private sector entity),
  • Does the school have computers,
  • Are they hooked up to the Internet,
  • Decision on which class to visit (grade and subject - if applicable),
  • Is there a computer (with Internet capabilities) in the classroom being visited.

Scheduling suggestions

• 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. is the best time for a school visit.
• Limit school visit to 1 hour.
• Leave information with the principal and guidance counselor.

Materials

• This package includes talking points suitable for different age groups and handouts for the older students. There is also a limited number of Garrett A. Morgan Program posters available for distribution.

Report on your success

• After the event, please complete and return the "After the Event Report." We are very interested in receiving feedback.