Programs: Achieve! Career and College Initiative

Achieve! Career and College Initiative

Achieve! Career and College Centers help students plan for life after high school
Students in Minneapolis Public Schools have a new resource to help them achieve their career goals

Overview of Initiative

The purpose of the Achieve! Career and College Initiative is to ensure all Minneapolis Public Schools high school students plan for their futures.  The Initiative works with MPS administrators, counselors and teachers to build a system that:

• Coordinates with and builds on existing school, government- and community-based programs;
• Requires students to have a life plan as a condition of their high school graduation;
• Provides career exploration and career readiness activities including interest assessments, career fairs, job shadows, and work readiness certification;
• Provides college exploration and application assistance, including ACT/SAT test preparation, college fairs, and college and financial aid application processes;
• Provides advising, coaching and mentoring from school guidance counselors, career and college center coordinators, business and community mentors and volunteers to assist students in making informed choices about career and college plans;
• Includes technology, information and dedicated staff to support students.

The Achieve Career and College Initiative is:

• centrally managed by Achieve! Minneapolis, including staff management;
• autonomous from the schools and district, but integrated into the school and curriculum; and
• funded by private sources, not district funds at risk of being cut.

Highlights of 2006-7 School Year

Overall Career and College Planning

• Established eight fully-staffed Achieve! Career and College Centers in Minneapolis Public Schools high schools and alternative schools.
• Provided Coordinator to work with 11 Metropolitan Federation of Alternative Schools contract high schools.
• Hired one Work-Based Learning Coordinator at North High School to partner with businesses in offering work experiences.
• Students connected with Centers and staff 72,347 times for college, career and financial aid planning and support.
• Worked with MPS staff to implement pilot of My Life Plan with class of 2010
• Coordinated with existing community- and school-based programs to support career and college planning.

Career Planning

• Provided job shadows for 79 9th grader North High students at Best Buy, City of Minneapolis, and Medtronic in addition to the 152 job shadows coordinated by MPS Work Experience Coordinators.
• Aligned Achieve! Career and College Initiative with STEP UP to recruit, train, and place 661 students in summer jobs.
• Provided resume workshops/training for over 1000 students.
• Held Career Fairs at 6 MPS high schools and at alternative schools.

College Planning

• Partnered with Institutions of Higher Education to provide college visits.
• Hosted college representatives, provided print resources and internet-based Naviance system to provide students with up-to-date information on postsecondary options.
• Assisted students in researching college options and completing applications to postsecondary institutions.
• Assisted students in researching college and financial aid options, and completing scholarship and postsecondary institution applications.
• Took students to national college fair and hosted MNACC college fairs in high schools.

Volunteer Connections

• Worked with African American fraternities to provide volunteer mentors in 5 high schools.
• Began volunteer pilot project with Deloitte volunteers at Lehmann Center.

Parent Connections

• Partnered with Destination 2010 and Cargill Scholars to offer family nights for incoming 9th graders in each MPS high school. 
• Provided assistance to families in completing the FAFSA.
• Coordinated College Goal Sunday activities at North and Roosevelt high schools.
• Connected with other community-based efforts to provide career and college planning information to parents.

Initiative Management

• Winston Wallin led the Career and College Initiative Advisory Board to develop an 8-point plan to help close the achievement gap in the Minneapolis Public Schools and to monitor developments and results of the Initiative.
• Contracted with Rainbow Research for a formative evaluation of the initiative to assess progress in implementation and to provide recommendations for improving it.
• Provided program management, training, supervision and guidance to coordinators and liaison connections with district personnel to forge partnerships with the high schools.

Areas of Focus for 2007-8 School Year

Connect career and college planning with school programs and curriculum.

• Work with all 9th and 10th graders to complete milestones on My Life Plan.
• Through funding from Cargill Foundation, partner with Minneapolis Public Schools and Project Success to develop a middle school version of  My Life Plan.

Provide career planning and experiences for students.

• Provide worksite visits for 9th and 10th graders.
• Assist STEP UP to recruit 1800 students for summer jobs and provide resume skills building resources. STEP-UP will provide work readiness certificates to a minimum of 900 students and place 750 students in summer jobs
• Hold eight Career Fairs and schedule career-specific guest speakers for all MPS high schools and alternative schools.
• Partner with businesses to provide financial literacy information to students.

Provide opportunities for students to plan for college.

• Partner with Institutions of Higher Education to provide college visits to 2- and 4-year public and private colleges.
• Provide assistance to students in researching college opportunities.
• Inform students about Power of You, U of M’s Founder’s Scholarships and other scholarships and financial aid opportunities.
• Host college representatives in Career and College Centers.
• Host College Fairs at all MPS high schools and alternative schools.

Provide resources (staff, volunteers, equipment, materials) to ensure students have access to career and college planning as well as work-based learning.

• Continue to staff Career and College Centers in all MPS high schools and provide staff support for Metropolitan Federation of Alternative Schools students.
• Integrate career and college planning function into school curriculum.
• Coordinate with existing community-based programs about career and college planning.
• Provide trained volunteers to work with students at each MPS high school and at alternative schools.

Connect with parents regarding career and college planning process and resources.

• Communicate with parents and families regarding the career and college planning process and how to support their children through that process.
• Connect and coordinate with other parent outreach efforts.
• Provide assistance to families in completing the FAFSA form.
• Coordinate College Goal Sunday activities for at least 2 high schools.

Provide governance and administration for Career and College Initiative.

• Work with Advisory Committee representing business, city government, funders, higher education, and Minneapolis Public Schools to implement “8-point plan.”
• Implement recommendations for improvement from Rainbow Research formative evaluation.
• Work with MPS to ensure data is available on students’ post-high school career and college involvement.
• Collect data regarding student outcomes.

Pledges to Achieve! Career and College Initiative Through FY10
As of 9/25/07

For more information about the Achieve! Career and College Initiative, contact Susan Doherty, the director of the program.

Achieve! Career and College Initiative Contacts