A partnership between the Shawnee Mission School District and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is focused on finding ways to give high school students “real world learning” experiences and opportunities.
Real World Learning is a Kauffman Foundation initiative that aims to rethink education in a way that better prepares students for work. To achieve this, Kauffman Foundation is supporting districts and charter schools with funding, tracking data on student success and building connections.
The school district created the Real World Learning Task Force at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, and it’s charged with exploring market value assets, or tangible experiences the school district can provide students. SMSD Communications Coordinator Laura Harsch said the district was one of 15 in the Kansas City metropolitan area chosen to work with the Kauffman Foundation.
“The reason we were selected or entered in the partnership is because college and career readiness is currently part of our strategic plan,” Harsch said. “That is a big focus of the Real World Learning at Kauffman.”
As the workforce evolves, Kauffman is looking for different avenues to create good jobs and careers for high schoolers, Harsch said. The task force — which is mad up of approximately 50 administrators, teachers, parents, students, business and post-secondary professionals — is looking at different experiences such as internships, apprenticeships and dual college credit opportunities to offer students, she said.
The task force meets twice in both the fall and spring semesters. At the first spring semester meeting, on Feb. 20, the task force heard from two platforms that would meet the market value aspects requirements Kauffman has in place. The first, ImBlaze, is an internship app that would help the school district grow an internship program for high schoolers. The second, YouScience, is an interest and aptitude test that is focused on how students think rather than what students already know.
Additionally, the task force will also pitch for a three-year grant from the Kauffman Foundation. Larry Jacob, Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of public affairs, said the available grants are for planning ways to create real world learning opportunities for high schoolers.
Harsch said she expects the task force will have a positive and strong impact on the school district as the expansion and increase of opportunities is “life-changing and exciting.”
“We’re talking about our future: Our community’s future, our high school’s future, the future of the school district,” Harsch said. “To me, this is just a variety of opportunities that will let our students pursue careers or professions where they have interests, talent and where they like the work they’re doing — which I think is so important.”
