KCMSD students in Achievement First (AF) high schools now have new opportunities and resources to help them create a post-secondary plan for success. College and Career Coordinators from each Small Learning Community, working with AF district leaders identified student needs and then created a comprehensive plan for college and career preparation.

PREP-KC provides funding for the College & Career Coordinators. Every SLC, in every AF high school in the KCMSD has a teacher engaged in this new, critical leadership role. Across both KCMSD’s AF high schools, and Kansas City, Kansas high schools, PREP-KC provides stipends for 46 teachers to be College and Career Coordinators.

Beginning in early March, sophomores and juniors in AF schools participated in workshops on the job search process. They learned how to create a resume and cover letter, and practiced interviewing skills. These skills were put to use at the Bright Futures Career Fair on March 29, sponsored by the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

“The KCMSD students were the best prepared they have even been,” said Thalia Cherry, Youth Advocate for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. “They looked and acted very professional.”

Then throughout April, seniors in AF high schools participated in a series of workshops sponsored by the Full Employment Council. They learned about FEC resources to help cover the cost of advanced schooling and certification programs.

These career preparation activities are part of the KCMSD’s expanding focus on career and college preparation through Achievement First. “Our goal is that when students walk across that stage, every one of them has a diploma in one hand, and a post-secondary plan in the other hand,” said Columbus Coleman, a consultant to the KCMSD. Working with Associate Superintendent Vickie Murillo and the district’s Achievement First team, Coleman has assisted with crafting the college and career preparation sequence.

Teachers are increasing their knowledge about career pathways as well. In June, College and Career Coordinators will attend the Career Clusters Conference sponsored by the National Career Technical Education Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. “This conference will help the AF College and Career Coordinators get a feel for the opportunities that are out there,’ said Achievement First District Coordinator, Carol Majors. “And how to connect their students to those opportunities.”


About PREP-KC
Guided by the belief that the quality of education for Kansas City’s urban youth impacts the quality of life throughout our region, PREP-KC works with the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and the Kansas City, Missouri School District to develop, leverage and deploy resources to improve outcomes for all of Kansas City’s youth. PREP-KC’s goal is to increase college-going and access to high-quality employment for the over 47,000, mostly low-income students served by these two Kansas City districts.