Office of College & Career Readiness
Missouri Career Advising Initiative (MCAI)
Formerly the Missouri Postsecondary Advising Initiative (MPAI)
About the Missouri Career Advising Initiative (MCAI) and rootEd Alliance
The Missouri Career Advising Initiative ensures all high school students, particularly those in rural communities, have an advisor exclusively focused on helping them achieve success following graduation.
Missouri Purple Star Schools
The Missouri Purple Star school designation is awarded to military-friendly local education agencies (LEAs) that have demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Schools that earn the designation receive a special Purple Star logo to display onsite and on their website. DESE honored the first cohort of schools earning this designation in fall 2022. The designation is valid for three years, which means schools that received it in 2024 could reapply by December 15th, 2027.