Finding Their SPARCK: College and Career Readiness Groups for African American Females

Though often ignored or stereotyped in school settings, African American females have the strengths and resiliency needed to explore postsecondary options. Yet, current college and career readiness interventions does not meet the unique needs of this population. This article will integrate two models that may be effective in facilitating college and career exploration with African American females: the ASCA Mind-Sets and Behaviors for Student Success and SPARCK, the Life Design coaching intervention. Theoretical foundations of the models, as well best practices and implications for practice and research will be presented.