KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo Public Schools is being recognized for its innovative efforts to prepare students for life after graduation.
It’s called the Promising Progressive Career Pathways Plan. It starts in elementary school, and provides periodic programs, counseling, exposure to careers, and coursework through high school.
It goes way beyond reading, writing and arithmetic and knowing how to do a resume.
KPS’s Dr. Tracy Miller says students must be the “architects of their own future” and need to know how to learn, know how to think, and deal with change, among other things.
“They have to have learning skills and techniques, success skills, problem solving, organizational skills, management, team work, self-awareness, self-management, self-responsibility,” says Miller.
She says the program is geared to prepare students to be in a good position, when they are ready to pick and pursue a career field.
“Because we’re following that, and we have those benchmarks and milestones all the way through, our students can take full advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise and be successful in their future pursuits.”
As part of that larger effort, Dr. Miller says they have just been granted $100,000 for one part of that larger effort.
“For our work with Career Launch Kalamazoo, and that is our apprenticeship program that is established through Kalamazoo Public Schools, partnering with The Promise & Kalamazoo Valley Community College.”
They have also been invited to do a presentation on their work at a national conference this coming week.
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