Navigation Skills

Our school includes early college awareness embedded into the school program.  Starting in 9th grade or earlier, we provide direct information about early preparation activities, career and college exploration, testing requirements, and expected courses to prepare for college and other post-secondary goals.  

Our school’s messaging about college prep activities and courses along with encouragement for students to actively explore their own interests, motivation, and self identity is pervasive throughout the school and not solely reliant on the counseling office.  Adults in our building (teachers, secretaries, coaches etc.), serve to guide, encourage, and connect students with resources. Targeted outreach to students does not rely on the students coming to us, we meet the student where they are at.  

Adults in our school avoid projecting our own values and college opinions onto students; instead, we are skilled in empowering students to know themselves and explore their options.  We serve to help students’ access and interpret the information they need about themselves and post-secondary opportunities to make informed decisions.  

Exploration of post-secondary options are presented in ways in which students explore their own motivations and consider cultural ways of being.  Lasting motivation is personal and deeply connected to culture and family. We avoid assuming the motivations and priorities of prevailing school culture when presenting post-secondary information and career exploration.  

Our school recognizes the independence and resiliency of our students, even when these skills are not those most commonly expected by school environments. Some students are very self-reliant in many situations, yet this same value can make them reluctant to ask for help or undermine confidence in an unfamiliar school setting. We value the independent and resiliency skills students have while also teaching them to recognize skills expected by schools with opportunities to practice with feedback. 

Our school includes home and community in conversations about post-secondary plans.  We avoid labeling student and family behavior in the context of our own beliefs or school experiences.  We are aware of cultural differences and recognize strengths.  We know how to help students explore and identify ways in which their family and/or cultural supports can benefit them.