Overland Park-based CAPS education network launching cross-cultural program in India

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies’ (CAPS) first international affiliate program in India has the potential to break down geographic barriers to provide students with exposure to real workplace experiences on a global stage, said Corey Mohn.

Corey Mohn, Center for Advanced Professional Studies

“I think [the American School of Bombay] is really the perfect partner to get started with,” said Mohn, executive director of the Overland Park-based CAPS network of high school programs. “I think that as we learn and grow with this first [international] affiliate, it is opening up new opportunities for us — and by us, I mean everyone that’s connected to CAPS, not just in Blue Valley, but across this network — to tap into a whole new realm of opportunities and to give students even more of a chance to explore what the jobs of the future look like, what the world looks like, and how to be culturally intelligent and relevant.”

The American School of Bombay (ASB) — an international school in Mumbai, India — becomes the 49th affiliate program to implement the CAPS model, he said, noting the remaining 48 are spread across 13 states in the U.S.

Click here to read more about CAPS’ mission to remake education using experiential learning.

The ASB partnership could mean students from different countries collaborating on projects, and not being limited by the businesses in each region, he said.

“[Students] could virtually connect, work using project management software, and get a sense of what it’s like to do business when your team is not all in one place,” he added. “I think there’s potential not just with India — there’s a lot we can do with our program partners in St Louis, Minnesota, Utah and Arizona, and all these other places where we have programs based on what the students are interested in and what the businesses need.”

Within the first meeting with ASB, the schools discovered a shared strategic vision for the collaboration between educators and business communities, said Mohn.

“It became very clear that we were very well matched in terms of an ability to help each other and to push along this greater movement in education around getting students real experiences, and tapping into this huge potential of our young people to make a difference,” he said.

The professional studies model is expected to work well for students and an effective framework for building community partnerships in Mumbai, said Fiona Reynolds, ASB’s deputy head of school.

“Mumbai is a city rich with opportunities to partner with local businesses, startups and [nonprofits],” said Reynolds. “We had been looking for structured ways for our students to learn and work with community partners.”

CAPS program

CAPS prefers to “learn by doing,” said Mohn, noting the ASB partnership provides a testing ground for future relationships abroad.

“[We will] see what we can learn, what works really well, what doesn’t work as well,” he said. “I think we’ve got a partner with the American School of Bombay that fully knows that that’s what we’re both getting into and embraces that.”

“[The whole team] sees lots of potential for all of us to potentially meet and partner with some international businesses, and to raise some cultural awareness amongst our students and our staff,” he added.

A student-made documentary detailing the experience of working cross-culturally is in the works, said Mohn, noting an initial release date of March 20 at an AMC Theater location in Leawood.

“The importance of adding an international affiliate and spreading the word about CAPS through the documentary cannot be understated. Every student deserves the right to discover who they are and explore the world of opportunities waiting for them,” Mohn said. “We are extremely proud that the CAPS model started and continues to grow from right here in Kansas City.”

Click here to read more about CAPS receiving $145K in funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2017.