Bay Area Charter School Evolves Education Model for Career Success

My latest for Inside Higher Ed: As students from The City University of New York—the nation’s largest urban public university system—enter an uncertain labor market, a new initiative aims to dramatically expand access to paid internships and better connect college to careers. CUNY Beyond, a systemwide effort to prioritize career exploration and outcomes, is scaling practices shown to improve students’ employment prospects across CUNY’s 25 campuses. A key piece of the strategy is recruiting professors to serve as career success fellows, who train other faculty members to embed career skills into the classroom, build relationships with employers and help students navigate internships and job pathways. Punita Bhansali, CUNY’s co-director of career-connected learning, said the work is often less about adding new content and more about making existing instruction more deliberate. "A lot of our faculty are already doing this work, but there’s a need for greater intentionality," Bhansali said. "If you’re teaching certain skills, are students even aware of it? Are you asking them to reflect on that? And are you showing them how to articulate those skills in interviews or on their résumé?" #StudentSuccess #CareerReadiness #LifeAfterCollege https://lnkd.in/ezNpNNxg

Students who aren’t sure about their future aren’t panicking — they’re exploring. In our Wake-Up-Call this week, we look at the half of college-bound high school students who admit they’re uncertain about their life and career plans. But they aren’t anxious about it. They’re seeking mentorship, internships, and new experiences. Exploration is exactly what our Encourage program is designed for — creating opportunities and tools for students to discover and connect to what matters to them, on their own timeline. Sometimes the best path forward starts with more questions, not certainty. https://lnkd.in/gxw23_FA

Jason Hendrickson and Punita Bhansali continue to set the standard for what faculty leadership can look like in career-connected learning. Their work is featured in today’s Inside Higher Ed piece on how The City University of New York is helping students understand the “why” behind what they’re learning. Jason and Punita are supporting faculty across CUNY in making career skills more intentional, visible, and embedded in course design — approaches already showing promising signs of impact, from increased internship participation to clearer student pathways, in CUNY's signature career success initiative, CUNY Beyond driven by Lauren Andersen. The Office of Transformation is fortunate to collaborate with Jason, Punita, Lauren + the Beyond team on the faculty engagement strategy that underpins this work. https://lnkd.in/e-Rv6tjG #CUNYTransformation #CUNYCareerSuccessFellows #CUNYBeyond

"What is the 'best' thing my child can do this summer to get into a top college?" This is a common question I get this time of year is: The truth is that there is no perfect, catch-all summer activity that colleges love. To actually strengthen your student’s admissions profile, they must have a summer plan tailored to their own specific goals and interests. In the world of extremely-selective admissions, colleges aren't looking for a "well-rounded" student as much as they are looking for a "well-angled" one. An expensive pre-college program or a stack of three random internships weakens a student’s case to an admissions reader if none of those activities clearly align with the student’s intended college major. Colleges want to see students dive deep into a singular passion. Whether it’s independent research, a self-taught skill, or a meaningful community project, the goal of summer should be evidence of that passion and the student’s drive to pursue it. When a student takes the initiative to build something from nothing, that story speaks louder than any pre-packaged summer camp ever could. Let’s stop asking "What looks good?" and start asking "What allows the student to grow?" #SummerPlanning #CollegeAdmissions #StudentDevelopment #HolisticReview #EducationLeadership #CollegeMajor

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲? For many students, attending an in-state college can be a powerful pathway to higher education. It often provides greater access, affordability, and opportunities while allowing students to stay connected to their local communities and support systems. In-state colleges can offer several advantages, including: • 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 compared to out-of-state institutions • 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 that help reduce the cost of education • 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 support during an important transition period • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀, which can lead to internships and career opportunities For first-generation students especially, understanding these options is an important part of the college exploration process. Through programs and experiences like our college preparation initiatives, we aim to equip students with the knowledge, confidence, and resources they need to make informed decisions about their future. Education opens doors, and exploring in-state opportunities can be an important step toward achieving long-term goals. #CollegeAccess #HigherEducation #FirstGenerationStudents #StudentSuccess #FutureLeaders #EducationOpportunities

Earlier this month, MDRC's Kelsey Schaberg testified before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee about internship, career readiness, and work experience programs: "In summary, pairing postsecondary education programs with quality, structured, well-supported work experience and career coaching programs can help enhance the employability outcomes of students. It is also crucial to not just implement these strategies but also monitor and evaluate their outcomes to ensure they are really helping promote students’ success and employment." https://lnkd.in/gvYydyHF

This week I testified before the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee in support of HB 5478, a bill focused on supporting “learn and earn” internship opportunities. The public hearing agenda included several proposals aimed at helping students gain real-world experience and enter the workforce more smoothly. Read more about the bills discussed on the CBIA website⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e3j7PBt4

During admission: “Don’t worry, we have excellent placements.” During final year: “Students should also try off-campus opportunities.” Students: Trying to survive in the placement season 😅 Reality of many colleges: Placements are shown like a golden opportunity, but reaching them sometimes feels like crossing a crocodile river. 😂 Moral of the story: Start preparing skills early, don’t depend only on campus placements. #CollegeLife #PlacementReality #StudentLife #EngineeringLife #LinkedInHumor 😄

Coming off the 10th annual Spitzer School Career Fair last Thursday, it's great to see CUNY's growing focus on employer outreach. Employer feedback from events and iniatives like these bolsters student confidence and helps us deliver on our mission: "As designers, builders, developers, public servants, leaders, and innovators, graduates of the Spitzer School reflect and enrich the complex communities in which they live, practice, and work; they become skilled, committed, and engaged professionals who advocate for a better city, a better country, and a better world."