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STRIVE is a unit of the Office of High School Support, under the Career and Technical Education within the Boston Public Schools.

The Mission of STRIVE is to explore and provide pre-vocational, vocational and transitional services to students with disabilities.

STRIVE Goals

  • To facilitate and support career planning, job placement, and transitional services
  • To utilize functional, age-appropriate employment training models
  • To facilitate collaboration among students, families, schools, social service agencies and community resources.
  • To assist and motivate students to develop their potential as successful employees and citizens
  • To advocate building student self-esteem and empowering students to determine their futures through informed, goal-directed decision-making

Adult Rehabilitation Affiliations

The following adult agencies are common partners of the STRIVE program These agencies help with the planning and implementation of transition plans.

  1. Boston Center for Independent Living
  2. Community Work Services
  3. Department of Mental Retardation (DMR)
  4. Department of Public Health (DPH)
  5. Easter Seals
  6. Jewish Vocational Services
  7. Mass Commission for the Blind (MCB)
  8. Mass Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)
  9. Mass Rehabilitation Commission (MRC)
  10. Morgan Memorial/Goodwill
  11. The Vocational Advancement Center
  12. Work In

Five phases of STRIVE

STRIVE staff work with students based on their Individual Education Plans.  Each student is provided opportunity based on their interests and ability. Not all of the steps within the following stages are appropriate for all students.

  1. Intake & Relationship Building

    Conduct interest survey
    Begin one-on-one counseling
    Determine appropriate adult agency alignment

  2. Whole Life Planning
  • Personal Life Coaching
  • Support team identification
  • 688 referrals
  • IEP meeting participation
  • Family involvement
  1. Community Access Training
  • Use of public transportation system
  • Street safety
  • Registration for MBTA “The Ride”
  1. Action Plan Implementation
  • Adult agency referral
  • Job Development & Placement
  • Job application & interview skill development
  1. Post Secondary Transition
  • Resume development
  • Transition planning
  • Post-secondary options exploration
  • Adult agency placement
  • Employment

Supported Training to Reach Independence
through Vocational Experiences

STRIVE

STRIVE team members work with students to complete the following activities:

  1. Career Profiles
  2. Work Readiness Workshops
  3. Individual Job Development
  4. Career Field Trips
  5. Mock interviews and Job Coaching
  6. Vocational Evaluations
  7. Job Task Analysis
  8. Career Speakers
  9. Postsecondary Education
  10. Internship and Job Shadowing

Job Development

STRIVE works with students to establish  personal goals. Team members then serve as a coach to help identify opportunities that best meet both the established goals and the abilities of each student.

Currently STRIVE supports students working within the following pre-vocational and vocational programs:

  • CitiCycle I at Brighton High School
  • CitiCycle II at Wentworth Institute of Technology
  • Facilities Management at Wentworth Institute of Technology
  • Municipal Recycling

The STRIVE team works toward maintaining
and establishing program opportunities based on student goals, interests, and abilities as well workforce trends.

Job Placement

STRIVE supports students through the application, interview, and hiring process. In addition, team members work with students and employers to ensure that students are supported and working towards meeting the requirements of their job.

Transition Services

To meet the individual needs for each student, STRIVE staff work closely with each high school’s special education office to help develop appropriate transition plans. Staff members help in the planning process to prepare students for their departure from the Boston Public Schools (graduation or “turning 22”). Prior to a student’s departure from school, it is the goal of the STRIVE program to have appropriate adult linkages in place.