As the school year approached its final days, Robert couldn’t believe how far he’d come.
When his freshman year began, he had no idea what the next week would hold, let alone the four years he’d be here. Now, Opening Doors had helped him see all of the possibilities for those years and the ones beyond.
Reaching back to help
Before he too far ahead of himself – and before he started the summer job he’d gotten after taking the readiness surveys – Robert had an important meeting with Sarah, his counselor.
He knew she had started a peer mentor program a couple of years ago. After the growth he’d experienced this year, he thought he had a lot to offer the “next Robert Smith.”
He told Sarah that he wanted to help an incoming freshman or two navigate some of the concerns, questions, and decisions he had this year. Hopefully, someone who had just been through it could help them feel more comfortable thinking about some of the tough questions.
A perfect fit
Sarah wasn’t surprised to hear what Robert wanted to do.
She thought back to the first month of the school year, when she had to schedule a meeting with Robert because of his transition survey data. She’d wanted to make him feel confident that he’d be able to handle high school just fine.
She didn’t expect at the time that confidence would grow this much, this fast. But as she spent more time talking to Robert throughout the year, it became clear he just needed a direction. He found it through his Opening Doors dashboard, signing up for events, exploring careers, and looking at college programs that interested him.
It reminded her what she loved about this job. The best part? It wasn’t just Robert she’d seen those changes in. She’d been able to make similar connections with dozens of students as she identified what they needed to succeed.
Looking ahead
While she was happy about how the year had gone, Sarah also knew it wasn’t too early to start thinking about the fall. The district’s middle school students had recently completed their 8th-grade transition surveys, detailing how they were feeling about high school.
She began scrolling through their “transition index” to understand which students might need an early-year meeting. She was focused on those who, like Robert, weren’t sure they had an adult who would be helping them get ready.
Before the district implemented this survey, it was always a bit of a guessing game for Sarah at the beginning of each year. She looked for signs, talked with other staff, and did what she could to identify the students who needed intervention – but she knew she didn’t catch everyone.
This data was a start. If nothing else, she’d pick out the student (or two) who Robert could help inspire.
Opening Doors is built using flexible modules that work alone or together. You can start with what module(s) matters most to your district right now and add more when you’re ready.
To learn more and set up a demonstration, visit openingdoors4students.com.