Misryoum highlights a shift from “college for all” to “college and career” models, driven by student input and labor-market realities.
Misryoum is tracking a growing education debate: should K-12 schools do more to prepare students for work—not just for college acceptance letters?
For years, “college for all” has shaped how many school systems talk about success.. But as students across the U.S.. face a tougher job market. rising costs. and widespread underemployment. the gap between education and the workforce is harder to ignore.. The core question behind Misryoum’s latest commentary is simple: if graduation is only the end of one chapter. why isn’t career readiness built as deliberately as academic achievement?
In the Bay Area. Making Waves Academy—a public charter school in Richmond—has been working through that question with a specific goal: evolve from a model that prioritizes college access to one that also centers students’ ability to thrive in the world of work.. Misryoum notes that the school’s approach is not framed as abandoning college.. Instead. it aims to close a mismatch students often describe: strong grades and college eligibility on one side. but limited early exposure to internships. mentorship. and real workplace skills on the other.
A major step in the process, according to the commentary, was listening.. Students and alumni were invited into conversations. focus groups. and surveys to identify what experiences felt most meaningful—and what support they wish had started earlier.. Misryoum sees this as more than a program design exercise.. It reflects a broader trend in education policy and school leadership: students are not only “recipients” of learning goals. they are data sources for what actually prepares them for life after school.
The themes that emerged were practical.. Some students said they concentrated heavily on academics and didn’t fully grasp the importance of internships.. Others asked for skill-building beyond coursework—leadership, communication, financial literacy, and networking.. Mentorship also came up repeatedly, particularly from professionals and employers in students’ intended fields.. Those requests line up with what many young people across the country report: that career knowledge can feel like background information you’re supposed to discover on your own.
Misryoum’s focus then turns to the tension the school describes between college readiness metrics and labor-market outcomes.. The commentary points to strong performance on college admissions requirements and high rates of students choosing higher education.. Yet it also highlights a troubling parallel: nearly half of college graduates being underemployed.. The implication is uncomfortable but important—being “college ready” does not automatically translate into being “career ready.”
That’s where the labor-market lens enters the story.. Rather than treating career exploration as purely inspirational. the school and its partners looked at regional trends and overlaid those findings with student reflections.. Misryoum notes the result was not a single-track plan.. Careers in health care. STEM. and business were identified as appealing and associated with high-wage and high-growth opportunities. while students also showed interest in architecture. finance. creative fields. and trades such as electrical and construction management.
This is the part school leaders often struggle with: turning career interest into structured learning.. In Misryoum’s reading of the commentary. the school tries to map curriculum. advising. and partnerships to those realities—using field trips. panel discussions. and in-school and out-of-school events to build early exposure.. The goal is to make career exploration less episodic and more connected to what students study and the skills they practice.
To make that connection stick, the school created a working group of teachers, staff, and leaders.. Misryoum sees this as a key implementation detail because “college and career” models fail when they live only in speeches or marketing.. The working group developed a “Portrait of a Graduate,” shaped by student input, school data, and labor-market analysis.. The portrait includes academic preparation with durable skills such as collaboration. communication. critical thinking. and self-management; a sense of self-awareness and purpose; workplace readiness through experience. skills. and credentials; financial literacy including budgeting and loan management; and a commitment to giving back to the community.
What makes the portrait notable in the commentary is the emphasis on ownership.. Students and staff aren’t merely handed a vision; they build it.. That design choice matters because career readiness can feel abstract if students believe it is something done “to” them rather than something they help shape.. Misryoum also reads this as a potential shift in how schools measure success—toward outcomes that look like real capability. not just compliance with admissions benchmarks.
There’s another constraint highlighted: career readiness can’t be solved by schools alone.. The commentary points to the need for partners—sometimes called intermediaries—that can provide funding support. planning capacity. and connections to employers.. Misryoum notes the examples mentioned include organizations that help coordinate apprenticeships or offer work experience and professional development.. In practice. this kind of partnership expands what a school can do without overloading teachers or turning every career goal into a last-minute event.
Underneath the policy and program details is a message about pace and learning-by-doing.. Misryoum takes from the commentary an insistence on progress over perfection—testing ideas. collaborating. and accepting setbacks as part of the work.. The quote about “practice makes progress” may be simple. but it captures a real issue in education reform: when systems are trying to build new pipelines between school and employment. iteration is unavoidable.
For students, the stakes are personal.. Underemployment doesn’t just affect earnings; it can affect confidence. mental health. and the feeling that effort is not matched with opportunity.. For the economy, the impact is systemic—workforce shortages and mismatched skills can coexist with high education attainment.. Misryoum believes the direction described by Making Waves Academy is one response to that mismatch: starting earlier. aligning learning with workplace realities. and treating career readiness as a long-term model rather than a senior-year scramble.
If more K-12 systems adopt elements of a “college and career” approach—anchored in student voice. labor-market awareness. and durable partnerships—the promise is straightforward: graduation becomes less like an ending and more like a launch.. And for students entering an evolving labor market, that difference could be decisive.
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