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Last week I abruptly stopped while walking down the main hall. “Hey, Mr. Priest,” said a young man behind me, familiarly. I turned around and did a double-take. He was slightly heavier and more upright in posture than when I’d seen him last, but his endearingly mischievous grin was unmistakable. For the purpose of this telling, we’ll call him “Gino”. Gino had dropped out of school, defiantly, a few years back.
Gino was an atrocious student by any standard—academically indifferent, frequently belligerent with peers and adults, seemingly incapable of self-regulation, and truant more often than not. I have a special place in my heart for kids like Gino, but the structure of school is tough on them and vice versa.
“I’m here to get a copy of my transcript because I’m trying to get a job. I gotta help out my family.”
This was a different Gino than the one I remembered. The determined tone in his voice was new—purposeful. We caught up on his current circumstances. He acknowledged some regret flowing through the water under the bridge. I encouraged him in his endeavors and reaffirmed our belief in him as a young person of great potential and then I directed him to the counseling office.
Since this encounter, I’ve been thinking about the ways in which we talk about “readiness” with regard to our students. The state has articulated a variety of ways in which graduates demonstrate “College and Career Readiness” (CCR). The criteria are broad, with multiple permutations of how a student might meet the standard. How well these criteria portend a fulfilling and rewarding career is debatable, but a graduating student is undoubtedly better off having met them than not.
A school’s success in ensuring its students graduate “College and Career Ready” is a component of how it is measured on the California Dashboard. Accordingly, schools steer resources (staffing, programming) toward initiatives that support all students meeting CCR requirements. District Local Accountability Plans likewise identify CCR as a key indicator to watch. It’s a worthwhile goal.
Beyond what a young person experiences between 14 and18 years of age, however, I’m also keen to better understand what it means for all of us to think about how we promote opportunity in more general terms. I’m heartened that Gino, who missed meeting CCR criteria by a mile, is proud to return to Sequoia and tell us he’s getting a job. But what kind of job? Likewise, what kinds of careers await our most stellar graduates heading next fall to Berkeley, MIT, etc.? How about everyone in between?
There’s another “C” word that I believe belongs in the CCR conversation: contribution. When our graduates think about how they’ll earn a living, I hope their decision-making process starts with the ways in which their experiences, assets, and skills will help them contribute to something larger than themselves. A recent Sequoia grad, about to wrap up an Ivy League degree in international studies, wants to contribute to economic development in Latin America. Gino wants to contribute to his family. When I run into a graduate who thinks in these terms (which is, encouragingly, most often the case—whether they’re 19 or 90), I know we’re doing something right when it comes to CCR at Sequoia.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Sean
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