The Technical, Business, and Computer Education Department consists of several subject areas: business education, career education, computer studies, cooperative education, technology education, and family and consumer sciences. Classes in all of the subjects include hands-on experiences designed to help students make the connection between academic theory and practical applications for the real world. While these subjects encompass a wide variety of competencies and information, they are bound together by the common thread of Workplace Readiness Skills, and meet the high school graduation requirements for Practical Arts as outlined by the New Jersey State Department of Education. Their main purpose is to educate students to meet the challenges ahead of them, whether they plan to start a career immediately after high school or to continue their education.

2006-2007 Annual Report of Progress in Technology Literacy (New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard 8)

2006-2007 Annual Report of Progress in Career Education and Consumer, Family, and Life Skills(New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard 9)

Computer Studies Computer technology is used as a tool for learning at all grade levels. In the elementary schools, the computer studies program includes hands-on learning activities that enhance and reinforce classroom skills.

At East Brunswick High School, all computer courses are electives. The choices range from the introductory to a comprehensive study of computer languages, including Java, and an advanced placement program in computer science using C++. Students also may enroll in Introduction to Business/Data Processing, which provides honors credit and three college credits, if requirements are met.

Business Education The business education program is designed for three groups of students: those interested in a career immediately after high school, those preparing to enter college or business school, and those who want to take business courses for personal use. The program begins at Churchill Junior High School, with electives in Keyboarding Applications, Information Processing, Accounting and Business in Your Life, and continues at East Brunswick High School. Course sequences in business administrative services and accounting studies are offered along with Keyboarding, Information Processing, Personal Money Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Law, Introduction to Business/Data Processing and International Business and Politics.

Family and Consumer Sciences For students who will begin their careers immediately after high school, the family and consumer sciences program provides the knowledge and skills needed for entry-level employment. For students who are college bound, the courses provide enrichment and the opportunity to develop the life skills they will need to survive on their own. The program begins at Hammarskjold Middle School with a cycle course covering topics such as basic nutrition, shopping tips and the use of small appliances. It continues at Churchill Junior High School, where four semester electives are offered. In Creative Living I, students work in the food lab, study nutrition and learn the basics of clothing construction and sewing machine operations. Creative Living II includes units on food preparation, sewing and interior decorating. In Chef’s Lab, students learn more advanced food preparation techniques, and in Food Science and Nutrition, they explore the scientific aspects of food and nutrition and the way in which these relate to their daily lives.

At East Brunswick High School, the family and consumer sciences electives are scheduled by the quarter, the semester or for a full year. They include Chef’s Lab – Introduction to Foods, Quick and Easy Foods, Foods Workshop, Interior Decorating, Nutrition for Sports, Food Science and Nutrition, College Prep: Survival Skills, Human Growth and Development, and Preschool Education (Teaching Laboratory). Preschool education classes meet for a double period for the entire year. The first semester is devoted to the study of child development and guidance, preschool curriculum and teaching methods used in nursery school. During the second semester, the students operate a nursery school for preschoolers in the community. Preschool application information

Career Education Career education is designed to prepare students to make informed decisions about their future. They learn about a wide variety of career opportunities available to them by exploring six career clusters in areas ranging from business and technology to the arts, health, science and mathematics. They also participate in activities designed to highlight their aptitudes, interests and abilities.

Cooperative Education Cooperative education gives East Brunswick High School students who are 16 or older the opportunity to have part-time jobs that suit their aptitudes, interests and career choices. The students attend school in the morning for a minimum of five periods a day and work for standard wages in the afternoon for a minimum of 15 hours a week. The classroom and work station are closely integrated, each reinforcing the other. Cooperating employers are carefully selected to provide the most up-to-date training available. The State Department of Education, in cooperation with the State Department of Labor, has established criteria that a prospective employer must meet to qualify. Students may choose cooperative education as a means of earning and saving money for college or for learning a skill that leads directly to employment after high school.

Technology Education The technology education program is a progressive sequence of courses designed to encourage students to research, study, plan and experiment with the materials, tools, processes, and technologies of industries. It begins at Hammarskjold Middle School, where all sixth graders have a cycle course in technology. Two technology electives are also offered. At Churchill Junior High School, electives are Engineering Drawing and Design I and II, Technology Education III, Introduction to Woodworking, and Communications Technology.

The elective program becomes more varied and complex at East Brunswick High School. The courses, which are scheduled by the quarter, the semester, or for a full year, are as follows: Electronics, Digital Electronics, Engineering Drawing, Architectural Drawing and Design, Computer Graphics and Electronic Publishing, The Internet as a Tool, Web Page Design 1 and 2, Silk Screen Printing, Photography and Video Production 1 and 2. Workshop courses for advanced students are available in most areas.