Goodwill’s adult high school launches first day; work continues toward long-term campus

The region’s first-of-its-kind adult high school opened classes Monday, offering a glimpse into programming and projected outcomes for the Goodwill-run Excel Center now operating out of space at Metropolitan Community College’s Penn Valley campus.

Dr. Romeo Michael, Excel Center

“The opening of the Excel Center is a major step, not just for our organization, but for the entire region,” said Dr. Romeo Michael, director of the Excel Center, which targets prospective students 21 and older who do not currently have a high school diploma (about 60,000 adults in the Kansas City area). 

Forty seven other Goodwill Excel Centers, including six in Missouri, have been successfully operating since the first site opened 10 years ago. Data shows the model provides immediate and long-term economic mobility for participants, Michael said, citing such findings as:

• $9,330 average annual increase in initial earned income;
• 22 percent more likely to be employed than their peers;
• 20 percent more likely to be enrolled in college or certificate programs; and
• 35 percent increase in earned income compared to peers after four years.

About 115 students are already enrolled in the new local program, which is offering its first-term classes from MCC’s location on Southwest Trafficway. Excel Center secured an initial four class and office space on the campus, buying time to formalize its long-term home while getting the program off the ground.

First approved and announced about a year ago, Kansas City’s Excel Center is an initiative of MERS Missouri Goodwill and supported through funding from the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

RELATED: Goodwill merger pushes expansion plans, KC’s new adult high school to the front of the store, leader says

All of Goodwill’s programs and services are available to clients at no cost and the services are provided directly to the client.

Excel Center classes on Day 1 at Metropolitan Community College’s Penn Valley campus; photo courtesy of MERS Missouri Goodwill

The vision for the Excel Center is to open doors for continued education, good paying jobs and industry certifications through local business partners and post-secondary institutions, Michael said. In addition to on-site childcare, Excel Center students will have access to trained life coaches who provide support with challenges such as transportation, food and housing insecurity, and help develop personalized academic and graduation plans.

“The transformative power of a high school diploma is undeniable: the median weekly earnings for a person without a high school diploma is less than 80 percent of what a person with a high school diploma earns, and less than 72 percent of what a person with some college or an associate degree earns,” Michael continued. “It’s our hope that the Excel Center will be the first stop on our students’ journey to success.”

The local Excel Center employs qualified education instructors to offer individualized assistance for people with disabilities, English language learners, and learners with a range of previous education. All students will be encouraged to earn industry recognized certifications and/or dual college credits along with their diploma. 

“I look forward to meeting students where they are, watching their growth, and celebrating their milestones along the way,” said Jasmine Anderson, college and career readiness specialist for Kansas City’s Excel Center campus.