Map Academy students are survivors — many have been forced to navigate challenges beyond their years. To help students through these obstacles, Map offers wraparound supports, like social workers who help students tackle a wide range of barriers — from hunger, to housing insecurity, to substance misuse, and more. And, crucially, staff works hard to ensure students know that Map will be there for them when they’re ready and able to re-engage with their education.

This persistent yet patient approach is key to the success of Map students like Maria. As a working student, she fell off track academically in traditional school, then fell into a cycle of substance misuse. In this episode, we follow her recovery journey and hear how Map has supported her along the way to her diploma.

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Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy — a free, public charter high school open to all Massachusetts students.

More about Map Academy: themapacademy.org

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/themapacademy

This podcast is a Hairpin production: hairpin.org