Candidates propose dual enrollment, internships and device education to ease high-school-to-adulthood transition

Candidates and council members on a Malden podcast debated classroom and extracurricular approaches to help students transition from high school to adulthood.

Ward 6 school committee candidate Peter Piazza said expanding access to advanced coursework—Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment programs—can earn students college credits and demystify the college pathway. "Getting those touch points, whether to college or to career early on, I think those things help to clarify" the post‑graduation question, he said.

Piazza also recommended internship and apprenticeship partnerships with local businesses for students who are not college bound, to give hands‑on exposure to careers.

A school committee member whose name was not supplied argued that high schools should treat students as "young adults" and teach responsible phone use rather than supporting a "bell‑to‑bell" statewide phone ban. That speaker said many students have jobs or family responsibilities that require phone access and that schools should instruct students on responsible device use.

Neither speaker proposed specific funding sources or a formal schedule for program rollout on the recording. Piazza tied advanced‑course access to research evidence about long‑term academic outcomes; the other guest framed device policy as part of broader adult‑readiness instruction.

Ending: Both candidates emphasized early exposure—academic or vocational—to help students make post‑graduation choices, while differing on the role of device restrictions in high school life.