Partnering with K-12 Education

Overview

At The DeBruce Foundation, by partnering with K-12 education, we aim to help young people build their brightest futures. As early as elementary school, students start gaining skills and interests they will use throughout their careers. 

Preparing children for success in our future workforce includes exposing them to a wide variety of experiences, such as art, science, and math activities, and helping them develop transferable skills like communication, innovation, and organizing. By helping students develop an early awareness of their skills and interests, they will be better equipped once it’s time to start considering their future career paths. 

As students enter secondary education, they benefit from building upon their early experiences and now learning about how their skills and interests can lead to career pathways. 

We partner with elementary and secondary education organizations to equip K-12 learners for career success. Check out some examples below or connect here if you want to join us. 

---

How We Partner with K-12 Education

High Schools Across the Country are using The DeBruce Foundation tools to connect students with relevant career literacy resources. By integrating tools like the Agile Work Profiler, Career Explorer Tools, and Draw Your Future with Agilities, educators are growing the career literacy and network strength of students to develop them into informed career decision-makers, with the skills and confidence to navigate career transitions across a lifetime.

A sample of partnering schools in the Kansas City region and beyond includes Bishop Ward High School, Guadalupe Centers, Hogan Prep Academy, Independence School District, Kansas City (Missouri) Public Schools, Knob Noster Public Schools, Liberty Public Schools, Northland CAPS, Olathe Public Schools, and Wayne Township Schools in Indianapolis. These educational institutions empower students to access Agility tools, thereby positively impacting their readiness for transitions from high school to meaningful post-secondary education and career pathways.

The Foundation desires to grow the number of districts, schools, and students engaging with the Agile Work Profiler and other career exploration and preparation tools provided.

The Kansas State College Advising Corps is a program within the Office of Enrollment Management that aims to increase the number of first-generation, lower-income, and underrepresented high school students that enter and complete higher education. Launched in 2016, KSCAC started with six advisers at six partner high schools in Kansas City (Turner High School, Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission West, Olathe East, and Olathe North). Currently, the program operates with 21 advisers in 21 high schools representing 12 school districts in Kansas, plus 6 hybrid advisers serving KC Scholars recipients. Incorporating Agility tools into the counseling and guidance offered to high school students can enhance student awareness of their individual strengths and interests and help launch them onto education and career pathways that lead to economic growth and opportunity.

In 2007, the University of Missouri at Columbia successfully competed for a $1 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to establish the Missouri College Advising Corps at the University of Missouri where they recruit recent University of Missouri graduates to work in 47 partner high schools to empower students across the state to go to college. Currently, there are 48 advisers serving 47 high schools across the state. Starting in 2018, The DeBruce Foundation began training college advising corps members in Kansas and Missouri on Agilities and the Agile Work Profiler.