Developing College and Career Readiness Through the Man Up! Men's Leadership Summit

High school guidance counselors have a tremendous job of balancing their administrative responsibilities and providing students with career and college guidance. However, collaborative efforts that bring together guidance counselors, institutions of higher learning, and local community members can provide students with the guidance needed to set and achieve lifelong dreams. A qualitative research design was used to evaluate the merit, worth, and effectiveness of a daylong career development conference offered to male high school juniors and seniors residing in a Midwestern metropolitan area. By following Perna's (2006) multilevel conceptual model, organizers of the Man Up! Men's Leadership Summit brought together 166 high school males and community leaders to discuss how to chart a career path. Three themes emerged that support the effectiveness of this model. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future directions are offered.