Page 6 - 2020OctoberKCPSMagazine02g
P. 6
Students Get a Taste of the Real World
t’s time for the students in Kansas City Public Schools individual students like Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
I to get real. senior Andrea Scales.
The job of KCPS is to help students become productive, “You can’t just take classes, read text books and do home-
engaged citizens who help make their neighborhoods better work and expect to be prepared for what you want to do in
places to live. That means ensuring that every student college and a career,” Andrea said. “It’s important to
graduates with both a baseline of academic knowledge and actually do the things you’re interested in, to really get
practical, hands-on experiences that help prepare them to hands-on experience. That’s what Real World Learning
succeed in the workforce. means to me.”
KCPS uses a variety of programs to equip students with ca- Real World Learning is accelerating in KCPS thanks to a
reer experiences. These programs fall under the umbrella $200,000 grant from the Kauffman Foundation. The grant
of “Real World Learning.” It’s one of the newest and most will allow KCPS to significantly expand opportunities for
important initiatives that the school district is rolling out to middle school and high school students.
meet the needs of the Kansas City community.
“This Kauffman Foundation grant is a great example of
Real World Learning is a big effort that ultimately helps how we’re building partnerships that will help all of our
students become engaged
adults,” KCPS Superintendent
Mark Bedell said. “This is an
investment in our entire
community.”
The ultimate goal of the Real
World Learning initiative is
that every student will attain a
“Market Value Asset” before
they graduate from high school,
according to coordinator
Crystal Everett. These assets
can include work and internship
experiences, college credit,
entrepreneurial experiences, or
industry-recognized credentials.
Since the Real World Learning
initiative was launched in 2019,
Ms. Everett and her colleagues
have collaborated to tie togeth-
er various existing programs,
Lincoln College Preparatory Academy senior Shahday Bayan has a jump start on her career
with hands-on Real World Learning skills as part of the culinary program at Manual Career
and Technical Center.
5 | NOVEMBER 2020
