By the time you read this article, most high school seniors will have applied to college or for career technical education. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of acceptance letters. Some students had a good experience planning the next stage of their education or training. Others experienced anxiety and still feel frustrated and unsure of what lies ahead.
How can all schools improve the process of helping all students plan their postsecondary pathways? Admittedly, this is a challenge. High school guidance counselors’ caseloads often are too big to give students one-on-one attention. And, many parents are not sure how to assist their sons and daughters through the postsecondary planning process. What will it take to help more students develop better college and career education plans for life after high school? One part of the solution is to involve students’ families and the community as partners in postsecondary planning, from the middle grades through high school.
Every middle and high school’s Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) can make postsecondary planning a priority by including it as one goal of their partnership program. In their One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships, the ATP will select activities for the six types of involvement to involve families and the community in helping students think about their future plans. This kind of organized, goal-oriented approach should enable more students and families to make informed choices to meet their aspirations.
Starting in the middle grades, schools’ ATPs may select and implement partnership practices that inform parents about courses required for high school graduation, entrance requirements for college or other training, and financial aid. Families need this information several times and in different forms. Postsecondary Education Planning Nights, articles in the school newsletter, information on the school website, and Career Days are just a few ways for students and their parents to gather crucial information for future plans. ATPs also must address any language translations needed by families who speak English as a second language.
In addition to informing families, the ATP also can provide opportunities, such as interactive homework, for students to discuss goals, select courses, and plan strategies to reach goals with a family partner. Parents who have been given good information about high school graduation requirements and postsecondary education entrance requirements can help students select needed courses each year to fulfill their plans.
Schools in NNPS are showing how to do this. For example, Glenmary School* in Peace River, Alberta, Canada conducted several activities that involved families and the community in supporting students’ postsecondary education planning. During Career Portfolio Night, eleventh-grade students showed their families a portfolio about a specific career. Students developed the portfolios by researching a career and talking with a professional to get first-hand knowledge of the job. At the evening event, community members spoke to the students and their parents about various occupations and evaluated each portfolio. Later, on Information Night, students and their parents gathered important information about high school courses, choosing careers, and applying for scholarships. Also, they were given the opportunity to use the school’s computer lab to search the Internet for information about colleges and careers.
As I talk with educators around the country, I have learned that many ATPs are beginning to reach out to all families to inform and involve them in their teens’ postsecondary education planning. All middle and high schools could hold college nights and financial aid sessions for students and their families at least once a year and make school computers available for students and parents to search for college and career information. All schools could team up with community partners for job shadowing opportunities, field trips for students and parents to local colleges, and forums with school alumni who have taken various postsecondary pathways. The possibilities and benefits are endless.
Teachers, students, and their families work hard to help all students graduate from high school. The same kind of effort and teamwork are needed to help students plan their futures.