So far this school year, more than 1,200 urban high school students in Kansas City’s Arts and Communication Small Learning Communities (SLCs) have participated in work-based-learning experiences. These include classroom speakers, job shadows and college campus visits. These strategies are part of a unique PREP-KC initiative to provide transformative college and career preparation experiences for all of Kansas City’s urban students.

College preparation in action

When 24 students from the Visual Arts SLC at Harmon High School (Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools) visited UMKC's Art History and Art departments, they learned what is needed to be successful in college. They also saw there are resources available to help them along the way. During this campus visit, coordinated by PREP-KC, students visited art classes, spoke with professors, and toured the campus and dorms. They even worked with one of Kansas City's premiere print artists, Jane Voorhees. In short, these urban high school students learned what it takes to become a UMKC student and to prepare for an arts career.

PREP-KC designs and supports these opportunities because they can literally change students' lives. For example, the UMKC experience helped students see the importance of a post-secondary education -- and helped them see college is within their grasp. Joyce Meers, an art teacher at Harmon High School, experienced first-hand the value of a college campus visit.

"Allowing students to work in the studio at UMKC enabled them to envision themselves in a college setting," Meers said. "Each student's confidence was enriched. This experience gave them the understanding that college was something they should and could achieve after high school graduation.”

Uniting students and teachers across the state line

In KCKPS and KCSMD, there are 13 Arts and Communications SLCs, which offer a unique opportunity to bring teachers and students together across the state line to learn about college and career preparation in the arts and communications.

• Through PREP-KC programming, Harmon High School (KCKPS) and the Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts (KCMSD) are working in collaboration with documentary filmmaker, Sue Vicory. Working with Sue, the students are engaged in creative writing projects to prepare for careers in communications.

• Photographer Steve Curtis joined Washington High School students for five weeks in their classroom. He taught them about the photography industry and worked one-on-one to help students develop their Photoshop skills. This challenging and creative work resulted in an exhibition of more than 100 student pieces, "My Life-My School", at the Nov. 13 "Second Fridays" event in downtown Kansas City, Kan.

• During a personal tour of Premier Studios in Lenexa, Kan., students from Harmon High School spoke with five professionals about their roles at the studio, and their educational and career backgrounds. Students worked with a sound designer in the recording studio, visited a film/TV stage, and got a behind-the-scenes look at the studio's green-screen technology.