American Secondary Education 42(2) Spring 2014 51 Working Collaboratively in a Small Secondary (6-12) School to Facilitate Career Development Authors MARy BETh SChAEfER, ED.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at St. John’s University in Queens, NewYork. LouRDES M. RIvERA, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor for Educational and Community Programs at Queens College, City University of NewYork City. Abstract Helping students plan for their future in middle and high school is impor- tant for their college and career opportunities. Career development pro- grams can help students become more engaged in school and more focused on their future. This case study of of one small “early college” high school shows the collaboration among school staff and university faculty as they built and implemented a career development program. Findings suggest that, although this program itself helped students become more planful and relective about their future, school-wide programs need to have a clear advocate at the school itself to ensure continued success. For several years now, educational leaders have focused their energies on im- plementing new standards designed to ensure that all students are prepared for college. These standards, known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), have now been adopted by forty-ive states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (http:// www.corestandards.org/in-the-states). Although the Common Core stan- dards address the challenge of ensuring that all students are ready for college level work, the career-ready piece seems to have been neglected. Such ne- glect may, moreover, come at the detriment of successful transitioning from school into the increasingly complex and competitive world of work. We view career development as integral to college readiness and as a key component of readiness for the work place. We believe that university