Based on statistics acquired from the Question The Quo Education Pulse survey, PR Newswire states, “less than half [of high school students] feel prepared for their education after high school.” This is a common sentiment for many. But how can school systems combat these concerns?
For districts involved in the Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL) program, the best way to go about preparing kids for the future is to transform the school model entirely so that there is not only a strong education foundation, but also effective partnerships between schools and their communities.
Center Line Public Schools is one of two Macomb County school districts who have switched over to the Ford NGL model (the other being Romeo Public Schools). Since 2021, they have reorganized K-12 classes to fit the new system that propels students’ education in ways only college schooling was previously capable of.
The Academies of Center Line consist of two routes: Industry, Technology and Innovation and Health and Human Services. Both classifications can be broken up into four other pathways, including, but not limited to, engineering technology, business, health and wellness, public service and more.
To prepare these students for the pathways they can take in high school, Wolfe Middle School has taken the initiative to introduce their kids to these careers early on.
The Academy Explorer 6 Digital Design and Communication students of Wolfe Middle School, in particular, began a partnership with Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners in 2024 for their semester-long project on design and marketing. The sixth graders were tasked with creating marketing materials to promote the non-profit assigned to their class, and would then present their work to parents and clients at the end of the semester.
That’s where the Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED) marketing and communications team came in.
Macomb County’s Fueling the Talent Pipeline program is an ongoing initiative that provides meaningful career exploration activities for students with the help of community-driven and collaborative partnerships forged between local companies and educators. As a mediating entity, Macomb County assists in the coordination of many of these opportunities. In this instance, however, the County’s marketing and communications team provided a more hands-on approach.
The MCPED team presented to three classes at the start of the semester, detailing what goes into marketing and design. They then returned to the school at a later date to review and give pointers to the students on what they’d accomplished so far in their projects. Students were given tips on collaboration, use of colors and other techniques to make their designs pop.
On Dec. 18, 2024, MCPED returned to Wolfe Middle School once more to witness the students present their marketing campaigns to Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners, teachers and parents.
With the projects having proven to be a resounding success, Center Line Public Schools and MCPED continued this partnership into 2025. On Jan. 30, the marketing and communications team once again presented to a new crop of sixth graders. They are slated to return in April to assist with the students’ projects, and again in June for their final presentation.
