This week is national GEAR (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Up week, where educators and officials around the country celebrate the ways that schools help prepare students for the future with preparedness programs.

eSchoolNews has taken a look at several ways schools in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools are leading the pack in ensuring its students success after graduation. The Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools is comprised of 57 districts that are committed to improving the opportunity to learn for all of their students through technology and research."

"We rounded up some best practices League members use to ensure students stay in school, get their degrees, and are prepared for success in their post-secondary endeavors," the article said. 

The article looks at Piedmont City School District, a rural school district that faced several challenges to providing learning and technology to all students- a district where focusing on STEM once seemed impossible. But by securing partnerships across the area, the district was able to provide every student with a laptop and broadband access.

This way, students have the option to take online courses if extenuating circumstances have them fall behind. eSchoolNews says that by Piedmont City School District embracing that learning can happen anywhere, students have unlimited opportunities to stay on track.

Two other ways districts prepare students for higher education is by providing them early college access and real-world opportunities so that students can begin thinking about the future as early as possible.

eSchoolNews looks at several districts that partner with neighboring colleges and universities to provide students with opportunities to begin earning college credits while still in high school, as well as districts that "provide meaningful connections to real-world opportunities."

In "Utica Community Schools, located in the heart of Michigan’s auto industry, it] offers specialized high school programs directly aligned with workforce development needs, including a center for science and industry and a center for advanced math. Classrooms resemble manufacturing labs and makerspaces and students spend some of their week on-site at local internships," the article said.

And perhaps most importantly, districts that want to guarantee students' future success are not afraid to emphasize new skills that are necessary for the ever-changing needs of the economy and workforce.

This includes placing an emphasis on learning to code as well as integrating computer science learning into all subjects, something many districts in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools excel in.

Read the full article here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

09/22/2015