"New Year, New Career Exploration Tool" issue (January)

A newsletter (for adults) about career-readiness (for kids).

Dear Readers,

Happy New Year! I’ll cut to the chase: I’m thrilled to share with you a brand new resource — a digital career exploration playbook for middle schoolers and the adults who care for them. This playbook, which you can find here, is the result of our collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE). It’s designed to help adults have conversations with kids about their interests, passions, and possible pathways they can pursue. Check it out, share it with the teachers, parents, and education-minded folks in your life, and feel free to join us for a webinar about it on February 13th. (Register here.)

Beyond that, here are a few things I’ve been reading about and am inspired by:

The Gear Up for Life initiative in Oklahoma is bringing in select mentors and tutors to ensure kids in high-poverty schools can graduate and become motivated about their futures. Certainly an inspiring story, given it’s National Mentoring Month! (Read the story.)

Catalyze grantee nXu has created a research-based middle and high school curriculum that uses a purpose-based model to get kids thinking about their interests, strengths, passions, and possible careers. (Read the story.)

The Baldwin public school district has launched an academy model across STEM, education, global business, government, law, media, and fine and performing arts that has seen a 97% graduation rate! (Read the story.)

Washougal High School senior Gabby McCormick shares her experiences using edtech platform YouScience to confirm a career path and learn the skills she’ll need to to follow her passion in interior design. (Read Gabby’s story.)

Research from Pew confirms a trending decline in college enrollments, and that fewer men are attending college than before. (Read the research.)

Lastly, below is a list of upcoming events and recaps of recent panel presentations that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.

SXSW EDU (Austin, March 4-7, 2024)
Transform (Wynn, Las Vegas, March 11-13, 2024)
ASU+GSV Summit (San Diego, April 14-17, 2024)
The Credentialing Conversation: Four Sound Bites (an event recap)
Entrepreneurial Education for the Collective Win (an event recap)

Sincerely,

Jean

P.S. - If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org