“As an educator whose mission is to provide high quality work-based learning opportunities to my students, Make School Work has been an essential resource for navigating a complex ecosystem and learning everything I can to shape a bright future for our local workforce.”

“Make School Work shows readers how to transform the complex concept of work-based learning into actionable strategies, combining compelling research with real success stories and GPS Ed’s proven six-step framework for educators, employers, and communities to bridge the education-to-workforce gap. This is essential reading for anyone invested in preparing young people for career success.”

“Make School Work includes not only an astute survey and synthesis of the landscape of literature, rationales, and frameworks for work-based learning; it also provides illustrative, informative examples of efforts by GPS Ed and others to fully leverage the learning in work-based learning experiences that may otherwise only remain latent.”

“The American skills shortage is real, and getting more significant all the time with fewer young people available to join the workforce. At the same time, with the explosion of AI, a four-year college degree no longer guarantees post-grad employment. Make School Work’s work-based learning approach is a sensible solution to developing the talent we have and pairing people with the organizations that desperately need them.”

“Make School Work offers a timely and comprehensive look at how education systems, employers, and communities can work together to rethink how we prepare young people for the realities of a rapidly shifting economy. For educators, policymakers, and business leaders alike, it provides valuable insight into how we can equip young people with the knowledge, practical experience, and professional networks they will need not only to get a first job, but to build resilient, rewarding careers over a lifetime.”

“WBL is long overdue as a choice in American education! To have a resource that serves as a guide to implementing WBL with real life success stories is invaluable to educational leaders that recognize the importance of meeting ALL students’ needs, not just the needs of those with an academic interest. Preparing young people for their future is at the heart of WBL and GPS Ed’s dedication to meeting that need is why this book is so important.”

“This book tackles the fundamental mismatch between how we educate students and how we prepare them for meaningful careers. GPS Ed’s approach offers a practical roadmap for breaking down the bureaucratic barriers that keep authentic learning trapped in traditional silos.”

 “Work-based learning works — and GPS Education Partners has proven it through their work with thousands of students. This book shows how connecting classroom learning to real-world practice gives relevance to education and resilience to industry — a model every community should take seriously.”