Dr. Justin Perry of CSU Makes Future Work for Urban Youth

For Justin Perry, Ph.D., of Cleveland State University, success is helping others succeed.

Dr. Perry has collaborated with dozens of principals, teachers and school guidance counselors as well as CSU faculty and students to create called “Making My Future Work,” a comprehensive program to promote college readiness and career readiness among urban youth.

“We’ve evaluated the project with a quasi-experimental design using mixed methods – and the results are exciting,” said Dr. Perry, director of the Center for Urban Education at CSU. “We have promising evidence that the program is having a positive impact on high school grade point average, school engagement, career planning and career decision-making, as well as other areas.”

Developed with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education, “Making My Future Work” was pilot-tested across nine high schools in the Cleveland area. Its curriculum manual contains 80 lessons across four modules focusing on themes of self-exploration, career exploration, 21st-century skills and entry into college. The program also incorporates video and online resources.

Read more on CSU’s ENGAGED blog.