Practical tools that help high school seniors and community college students develop
the top two skills employers value most - CRITICAL THINKING and COMMUNICATION.
States are increasingly focused on workforce readiness to better align education with the needs of employers and economic development.
This is especially important to students who may not pursue a four-year degree.
Therefore, it is essential that high school seniors and community college students receive training to develop CRITICAL THINKING and STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION skills.
While 75% of managers rate these as the top two skills they look for when hiring,
50-75% of managers rate even college grads as below proficient...their #1 issue!
The Opportunity For Your State's Students
The GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROWE 3-PART SOLUTION
Supports State Workforce Readiness Goals
Get Your Ducks In A Rowe - Book-1
Think - Write - Present - Sell
Students learn a clear, concise method for organizing their thinking and communicating a point of view effectively — whether in writing or presentations. This skill is taught through a simple, repeatable 10-step format that can be applied across academic and professional settings.
Get Your Ducks In A Rowe - Book-2
Learn The A-D-A-P-T-E-R Method
This framework guides students through a structured process for analyzing situations, drawing conclusions, developing plans, and executing solutions. It turns critical thinking into an actionable, step-by-step approach that students can apply to real-world challenges.
The 3-Part GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROWE Solution offers a practical, flexible resource
that can support these efforts by helping high school seniors and community college students learn CRITICAL THINKING and COMMUNICATION skills via a proven simple, and structured process.
These materials are designed to be easy to integrate into existing programs, including:
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Career and technical education (CTE) pathways
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Senior transition or career readiness seminars
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Community college student success and workforce preparation courses
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Dual enrollment and early college initiatives
They provide structured, actionable frameworks that complement academic progress and help students develop skills employers consistently identify as essential.
Strategic Writing
PART 1
The A-D-A-P-T-E-R Method
PART 2
Projects To Learn Practical Application
RESULTS
“The results for the first pass were very positive. We had both the freshman class and the senior class use a different project assignment with the The A-D-A-P-T-E-R Method.
Both classes had self-admitted improvement in what they knew how to do.
I realized this adapter method, with the influence of a teacher, can be utilized in a very effective way from freshman clear up through seniors.
The products were so much better than they had been during the past five years. I was very pleased, and I continued to use it into the next year. So, this wasn’t just a ‘once and done’!
Research showed that progress was made, and there was a significant change in the product.
All of us that were involved were very excited to see that this product, utilized in the way it was, created such a positive outcome. Because the students saw it!
DR. DUANE CRIDER
PART 3
Videos Of Student Presentation + Professor Reviews
"I really enjoyed the message of Book-1. I felt it would be really good for our Freshman to have a basis of how to write and how to think. Then with Book-2, I wanted to take notes and think about how I could work this in with my presentations, not just for my students, but for me as a professional! This is 'practical', 'simple for me to understand', and 'I can use it right now!'
Dr. Veronia Snow
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"The benefits are Incredible! I thought the adapter method did a great job of making it hands on because the students will tell you they learn hands-on. I thought it was great at any level. An undergrad said "it built my confidence! After reading the books I realized...I could do this because it was right there in front of me ...I just followed the step-by-step process.“
Dr. Warren Simpson
Jim presenting to ASU Grad students via 3-HR Zoom showing slide of why
Dr. Susan Keith selected Get Your Ducks In A Rowe as textbooks
Jim Presented At Dr. Veronica Snow's Grad Student Leadership Conference
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"Jim Rowe's presentation highlighted the importance of workforce skills and emphasized that employers consistently value critical thinking and communication. This session reinforced the importance of developing transferable leadership skills applicable to future careers".
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Rodolfo Coronado - Grad Student Leadership Team
"Make It Simple. Make It Structured. Make It Significant."
With 50+years in marketing leadership and agency ownership roles, including HR director, Jim Rowe has interviewed ~500 recent grads and hired / trained scores on the 2 key workforce skills - CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION.
Seeing the poor skills of recent grads himself, and finding research confirming that the issue is widespread, Jim wrote GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROWE, a 2-book fable series, (inspired by WHO MOVED MY CHEESE) that is being used as textbooks at Kutztown University PA and Angelo State TX. The professors and students have found them to be exceptionally simple and effective tools to teach these missing skills.
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Today his sole focus is on helping educators train students and young executives on these 2 workforce skills via a 3-part framework including:
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GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROWE a short, simple 2-book fable series
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Projects for students to gain practical application experience for freshman through JR/SR's
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Presentations to multiple classes for several years at Angelo State U. TX and Kutztown U PA.
He also recently (May '26) presented at The Lilly Conference (Evidence Based Teaching & Learning) to teach professors both Strategic Writing and his innovative The A-D-A-P-T-E-R Method(R) to address this MISSING LINK IN EDUCATION.