College Prep Builds the Resume. We Strengthen the Teen Behind It.

A 7-session program that gives high schoolers the self-knowledge, planning skills, and real execution skills that college prep rarely covers -- so the teen doing all that work actually knows who they are and where they're headed.
Harvard Kennedy School UC Berkeley Former SFUSD High School Teacher Symantec Award for Innovation in Education 2000+ Students Reached AUSD Bond Advisory (Alameda) Kaiser Permanente Strategy Harvard Kennedy School UC Berkeley Former SFUSD High School Teacher Symantec Award for Innovation in Education 2000+ Students Reached AUSD Bond Advisory (Alameda) Kaiser Permanente Strategy

  The problem

The system wasn't designed for this.

82%

of managers say Gen Z lacks needed soft skills

Source: Harris Poll

56%

of high schoolers report persistent sadness: 20yr high

Source: CDC

55%

of teens hang out with friends 2+ times weekly (20+yr low)

Source: Atlantic

57%

of Gen Z lacks savings to cover 3 months' expenses

Source: Bank of America

And it's not your fault. Dating back to the 19th century, our education system was built to produce workers for the industrial economy — not to help teenagers figure out who they are and where they're going.

FOR PARENTS

"Your teen is overwhelmed (or lost). You've tried tutors, apps, and pep talks. But nothing connects into an actual system."

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FOR DISTRICT LEADERS

"Your strategic plan is gathering dust. Your data tells you what's wrong, but you need a bridge from strategy to execution."

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  The life design Process

A structured path to college readiness and a life by design.

Every stage keeps the student's long-term success and fulfillment at the center — with family input throughout. 

MPA Life Design Process

Summer 2026 "Designing High School" — (Online, Hybrid Format: Live & Asynchronous, Open to Bay Area Rising 10th & 11th Graders)  

12 - 15 students. 6 weeks. The skills and frameworks that change everything after high school.

$1,500

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available — inquire during your free consultation call.

Compare: private school runs $20-60K/yr. Admissions coaching up to $10K.

Download the Program Info Sheet →

Priority enrollment is opening soon. This cohort is limited to 12 students. 

Neil Speaking

Built by a Practitioner

The students MPA has worked with — and the districts — share a similar challenge: the potential is clear, but the path forward isn't.

Neil Dandavati founded MPA because he'd seen that challenge up close, in a San Francisco classroom. The life design course he developed there won a national teaching award and scaled to 15 Bay Area schools and more than 2,000 students a year through a partnership with the Pearson Foundation.

Since then he's carried the same framework further, advising Alameda County district leadership on long-term planning, and leading strategy and operations at an early-stage AI company. The context changes. The work is the same.

That work is what Master Plan Academy is built on. The students and districts we work with leave with more than just a plan — they leave with the clarity and confidence to act on it.

Harvard Kennedy School * UC Berkeley * AUSD Bond Advisory * Former SFUSD  High School Teacher * 2,000+ students reached

I especially valued the clear, practical strategies for college admissions and the way you made the activities and digital tools engaging.

— Parent of 10th grader, Alameda, CA