When you think “middle school,” odds are that “career exploration” may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But research shows that middle school is the ideal time to expose students to activities designed to help them explore their skills and talents, experiment in potential job roles, and start a plan that can evolve over time to reach their ultimate goals.
The idea is to ensure that students have as long a runway as possible to explore their own passions and interests and develop postsecondary plans that align with specific career goals. It’s not that we’re asking middle school students to pick a career right then and there; but, rather, to expose them to a number of options they might not have otherwise considered or even been aware of.
This is also an issue of equity and economic mobility. By providing kids with career-connected learning earlier on, we can help to even the playing field for traditionally underserved students, exponentially increasing their future potential.
With all of this in mind, ASA began an initiative in 2018 to partner with 14 school districts across our home state of Massachusetts to test innovative and scalable career exploration programs in the middle grades. These districts represented 22 schools, 900 educators, and 11,000 students.
Through this work, we were able to uncover a multitude of insights into what works, what doesn’t, and how we can best optimize middle school career exploration programs to ensure students are getting the most out of them. These findings were compiled into a newly-published guide for schools and education funders who want to implement career-connected learning in the middle grades.
Here are the five biggest lessons we took away from this experience:
Build Strong Relationships
When it comes to middle school career exploration, relationships are the backbone of success. We often think of the student-teacher relationship as the most critical, and in many cases, this is true. However, it’s equally important for students to form connections with other adults in their schools, including administrators and support staff. In some schools, more than half of the staff aren’t teachers. These relationships can provide students with valuable insights and guidance.
Additionally, middle schoolers need to be introduced to adults outside of school who work in the professions or industries they want to explore. This will help them to not only learn about various career options, but also build social capital in a world where career advancement is often tied to who you know.
A representative from Barnstable Public Schools said of their program:
The relationships that we have made with community members has brought a sense of a village that is working together to ensure success for all our students. Authentic, rigorous learning experiences are taking hold and students and staff are seeing the benefits of this type of learning. Students are seeing the value of identifying strengths and areas for growth and using these to create goals to strive for.
Reduce Administrative Burden and Foster Open Communication
Schools, funders, and industry partners should work together seamlessly. The administrative burden on schools should be minimized, and communication channels should remain wide open. Education funders should be flexible at every stage of the grant process, from proposal reviews to ongoing support. This is especially important in the wake of the pandemic, which exacerbated challenges that already existed in schools.
As a representative from Milford Public Schools noted:
Covid restrictions, change in the Master Schedule, two administrative changes, and evolving learning models made full program implementation challenging throughout the year.
Schools, in turn, should understand and adhere to the funder’s requirements while communicating regularly to address any changing circumstances.
Create Buy-In at All Levels
The success of a middle school career exploration program relies on buy-in from everyone involved. This means students, educators, administrators, and parents should be on board with the program’s goals and benefits. ASA’s experience has shown that achieving buy-in at all levels, and at every stage, is essential for success.
Through their ASA-funded program, Uxbridge Public Schools worked to ensure that all stakeholders were on board, explaining that “there is [now] a greater sense of shared ownership across disciplines for the career pathways at UHS.”
Elevate Champions
While having one enthusiastic champion for a program is fantastic, it’s not always sustainable. Multiple advocates are crucial to ensure a program’s longevity and sustainability. Champions may come and go, but a collective commitment to the program’s success will endure.
Monson Public Schools saw the importance of elevating champions firsthand through their collaborations with other school districts:
Communicating and collaborating with other schools through this process was very eye-opening and helpful. Our mid-year and year-end Zooms provided so much food for thought, and really were inspiring.
Celebrate Program Individuality and Flexibility
Every school and community is unique. The most robust career exploration programs are those that adapt to the specific needs and characteristics of their surroundings. Embracing this individuality offers benefits such as greater flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to pivot when circumstances change. It also involves listening to the students and incorporating their voices into the program’s evolution.
Despite facing some unique challenges, Mendon-Upton Regional School District demonstrated how their adaptability resulted in success:
When I reflect on the grant, I think the biggest impact was that it made us think flexibly about what we COULD accomplish within the constraints. Observing students applying curricular knowledge to create projects and models of their choosing with their peers brought the idea of an Inspired Innovation Center to life. The end projects, however, left me in awe. Words won’t do it justice, but to see an entire interactive digital museum or theme park rides in Minecraft left me convinced that we are on the right track and further enhanced my commencement to this important work.
In closing, middle school career exploration doesn’t come without its challenges — but by working directly with middle schools, particularly in the midst of pandemic uncertainty, we were able to learn what is truly effective to help kids in this age group engage in thinking about their futures.
A few words from the students themselves underscore the importance of this work:
“I liked that teachers and staff at my school encouraged people to look into many careers that we might be interested in.” -6th grade student, Fall River Public Schools
“We were able to explore different topics and actually create things on those topics to build our understanding.” -8th grade student, KIPP Massachusetts
“I liked that we were able to see and experiment with a lot of career options instead of just ones that are known to be most successful. It allowed us to be ourselves.” -8th grade student, Springfield Public Schools
Middle school is a time of exploration, and with the right support and guidance, students can begin to embark on their path to a successful and fulfilling future. These key lessons from the new report are invaluable in creating programs that will help students make informed decisions and set them on a path to success!
In the words of Jean Eddy, CEO and President of ASA: “As educators are asked to do more with less, education funders, partners, administrators, and businesses should stand ready to work side by side with educators to make middle school career exploration programs a success. Doing so will ensure kids have more time to better know themselves, understand their options, and make informed decisions about their education-to-career journey.”
Looking for resources to support your middle grades career exploration planning? AMLE and ASA have teamed up to provide a Career Exploration in the Middle Grades Playbook for Educators and accompanying Playbook for Students.