What Do Our Grads Do after MAPS?
One of the challenges every school district has is that it must prepare students for a wide array of career choices. This is especially true of the Merrill Area Public Schools system, where the plans for our students vary so much.
In reviewing data from the last five school years about seniors' plans after high school, we learned that an average of 44% of MAPS seniors attend a four-year college or university after graduation, and that another 28% attend a two-year vocational or technical college. Approximately 6% of our students go directly into the workplace, 5% pursue military service, 2% receive an apprenticeship or seek other types of job training, and 15% had other miscellaneous plans.
As a result of this great variation, our district must work hard to meet the needs of every student. Despite these challenges, we get feedback from MAPS graduates about how they felt well-prepared for college, apprenticeships, and the workplace after graduation. There is good reason for this.
To MAPS, career education is more than just offering a few classes-it's a way of life, a rich tradition of the district. Career education in Merrill means making meaningful connections between school and how knowledge and skills will be applied in work and life outside school.
It also means ongoing planning and reflection by staff to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve in terms of the future needs of our students.
It means working with business leaders to ensure that our students have the kind of critical skills needed in the workplace. It is often said that education is the most important economic development driver-this is something we take to heart in our district.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, career education means embracing the challenge of ensuring that all of our students-regardless of what they do after graduation-have the kind of knowledge and skills they need. In Merrill, the tradition of connecting work with school is more than just a trend-it's a central part of the experience of being a MAPS student, no matter what the student's plans are.
From the District Office: A Joyous Holiday Season and Happy New Year!
In reviewing data from the last five school years about seniors' plans after high school, we learned that an average of 44% of MAPS seniors attend a four-year college or university after graduation, and that another 28% attend a two-year vocational or technical college. Approximately 6% of our students go directly into the workplace, 5% pursue military service, 2% receive an apprenticeship or seek other types of job training, and 15% had other miscellaneous plans.
As a result of this great variation, our district must work hard to meet the needs of every student. Despite these challenges, we get feedback from MAPS graduates about how they felt well-prepared for college, apprenticeships, and the workplace after graduation. There is good reason for this.
To MAPS, career education is more than just offering a few classes-it's a way of life, a rich tradition of the district. Career education in Merrill means making meaningful connections between school and how knowledge and skills will be applied in work and life outside school.
It also means ongoing planning and reflection by staff to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve in terms of the future needs of our students.
It means working with business leaders to ensure that our students have the kind of critical skills needed in the workplace. It is often said that education is the most important economic development driver-this is something we take to heart in our district.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, career education means embracing the challenge of ensuring that all of our students-regardless of what they do after graduation-have the kind of knowledge and skills they need. In Merrill, the tradition of connecting work with school is more than just a trend-it's a central part of the experience of being a MAPS student, no matter what the student's plans are.
From the District Office: A Joyous Holiday Season and Happy New Year!
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