Our Programs

Middle School Career Exploration

The decisions students make in middle school, about their interests, their goals, and their high school coursework, can shape the opportunities available to them for years to come. Education is Freedom believes those decisions should be made with the best possible information, and with adults who care about where students are headed.

EIF’s Middle School Career Exploration program introduces students to career pathways, financial literacy, and future planning before they enter high school. By engaging students earlier in their educational journey, we ensure that conversations about the future begin when students still have the most time and flexibility to act on them.

THE CURRICULUM

A Proven Curriculum

Education is Freedom’s Career Exploration Curriculum is a proven, highly regarded program designed to help middle school students explore career options, increase their financial literacy skills, and make intentional choices about their high school experience.

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A CLEAR PATH FORWARD

The curriculum aligns with Texas House Bill 5 (HB5), which requires all Texas students to select a high school endorsement in one of five areas: STEM, Business & Industry, Public Services, Arts & Humanities, or Multidisciplinary Studies. By involving students, parents, counselors, and teachers in the endorsement decision, EIF ensures that students’ choices are intentional, connected to their career aspirations, and informed by both personal interests and family input.

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REAL CLASSROOM IMPACT

District teachers deliver the EIF Career Exploration Curriculum in a daily course, offered in either a semester-long or year-long format. In the 2025-26 school year, the curriculum reached approximately 11,500 middle school students across 71 schools in Dallas ISD and Garland ISD.

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WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

What’s in the Curriculum

  • Career exploration across a wide range of industries and pathways
  • Financial literacy, including budgeting, saving, and understanding salary ranges for different career fields and jobs
  • Introduction to high school endorsements, district CTE programs, and how course choices connect to future careers
  • Goal-setting and planning skills
  • Awareness of postsecondary options, including college and workforce training

The curriculum is designed to be engaging and relevant to students’ lives, connecting what they are learning in school to the careers and futures they are beginning to imagine for themselves.

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2025-26 Impact

11,500+

middle school students served in 2025-26

71

schools across Dallas ISD and Garland ISD

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common Questions

In which schools is the curriculum offered?
The EIF Career Exploration Curriculum is currently offered in Dallas ISD and Garland ISD middle schools. In the 2025-26 school year, the curriculum was used in 71 schools across both districts. Contact us to learn whether the program is available in your child’s school.

Who teaches the curriculum?
District teachers deliver the EIF Career Exploration Curriculum within the regular school day as a dedicated course. EIF provides the curriculum, training, and ongoing support to ensure teachers feel confident and equipped to deliver engaging, high-quality instruction.

How does this program connect to high school?
The curriculum is specifically designed to prepare students for the high school endorsement selection process required by Texas HB5. Students who participate arrive at high school with a clearer sense of their interests, goals, and the coursework that will best support their future plans.

CONTACT

Learn More

For more information about EIF’s Middle School Career Exploration program, including how to bring the curriculum to your district or school, please contact:

DEVON LOCKARD
Data Manager, Education is Freedom
[email protected]