Getting Smart Podcast | Why Guidance Matters for College and Career Readiness

Advisory and guidance are essential for students navigating career-focused decisions. Every student deserves to have support in figuring out who they are, where they are headed and how they will get there. Especially for GenDIY students who are paving their own unique path. The role in supporting students in figuring out their values and aspirations is crucial. “Guidance is as essential as math, english and science. It’s actually a discipline,” says Tim Stensager in this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast.
Tim Stensager is a lifelong educator and EdLeader in Washington State. He now serves in the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction–known as OSPI. As part of his leadership with OSPI, he has worked on Career Guidance Washington, a career and college readiness program model in Washington State. The program is designed to prepare students for their future with support from an advisor and/or counselor with guidance curriculum and tools to develop a High School & Beyond Plan.
In this episode you’ll also hear from Mary Ryerse, Director of Strategic Design from the Getting Smart Team. She and Tim have worked closely together with partners and schools to fund and implement this statewide guidance and college and career readiness program for all middle and high school students.
We also talk about the role of College Spark Washington in creating opportunities for students. College Spark funds programs that help low-income students become college-ready and earn postsecondary degrees. Recent data that indicates that when established as a school-wide program, the model works.

For more Getting Smart podcasts, check out:

• Project-Based Learning Connects Real World with Deep Impact
• Student Voice: A Catalyst for Personalized Learning
• The Future of Blended Learning

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