The STEAD School

In Commerce City, Colorado, a new project-based school concept called STEAD is reimagining what it means to have a school and a farm in the community. Sitting on the footprint of a former 10,000-acre farm, this school is committed to continuing to develop leaders in agriculture through nimble, hands-on learning and flexible pathways.

The public charter serves 370 students in grades 9-11, with its first graduating class beginning 12th grade next year. Grades 9-10 are a cohort band resulting in numerous cross-grade learning experiences. 

Through partnerships with Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and Together We Grow, the school is able to deliver on four primary pathways: animal, plant, environmental, food science, within which there are over 3000 career possibilities. The school model also features accelerator weeks which give the students short sprint-like opportunities to develop projects, connections and learn what they like to do. 

On the campus is the Seed Lab, a one-acre farm, a greenhouse and three steel structures filled with flexible learning spaces. The one-acre farm grows vegetables and leafy greens that directly integrate with the school lunch and culinary programs. Moving forward, there will also be stables on the site where students will get hands-on veterinary experiences. To keep the summer garden alive, they launched STEAD Market where students are hired to run the garden and facilities over the summer. To graduate, these students complete a minimum of one Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) internship

When talking with students, we heard that they most appreciate the student/teacher relationships, which often show up in their ‘hive,’ an advisory model that supports students in portfolio creation, career exploration and more. 

They think of the campus as if it were a college, many of the buildings and spaces are named based on donors as a result of how they were able to source the funding and students find themselves frequenting common spaces and controlling their environment to maximize collaboration. STEAD students are also part of Future Farmers of America and soon will be the largest contingent in America.

Watershed School

Nestled against the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, Watershed School fosters a community of intellectually curious and socially conscious learners. Since it was established in 2004, Watershed has been committed to cultivating an educational experience that bridges academic rigor with real-world engagement, preparing students to become active participants in shaping a better world.

At Watershed, learning happens beyond textbooks and outside of classroom walls. Students are encouraged to explore their passions, question assumptions and challenge conventional thinking. The curriculum comprises both Skills and Expedition courses, with the intention of engaging students in work that matters and is based on the 25 global goals referenced in Difference Making at the Heart of Learning.

A cornerstone of Watershed is the belief that education should be deeply rooted in a sense of social responsibility. Students are actively engaged in service learning projects, tackling issues from conservation to community development. These experiences foster empathy, compassion and a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of our world.

Watershed graduates carry with them a sense of purpose and the transferable skills to make a positive impact on the world.  As students navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world, Watershed provides them with the tools and the courage to help shape a world that is sustainable, equitable and filled with possibility.

Compass Community Collaborative School

Established in 2017, Compass Community Collaborative School in Fort Collins, Colorado, is a learner-centered competency-based public charter school. A sign hangs above the entrance to the school building that reads “WE STILL LOVE SCHOOL Real World Learning in Real Times.”

At Compass, the traditional classroom model gives way to a dynamic learning environment where students take ownership of their education. Students build their personalized learner record, through Mastery Transcript Consortium, moving through levels of autonomy based on mastery of competencies throughout their middle and high school years.

Treating the community as their campus, students collaborate with local institutions and organizations such as No Barriers, Colorado State University and OtterCares to do research, participate in internships, utilize outdoor learning spaces and dive deep into projects that address community needs. Compass is a part of the Big Picture Learning network, and real-world learning, authentic assessments, teacher professional development, post-secondary planning, leaving to learn experiences and advisory are all integral components of the school.

A typical day in the life of a Compass student begins with three Studio courses in the morning, such as Math, Spanish, and ELA, a 90-minute Advisory class, and then the rest of the afternoon is spent in their Venture course. Wednesdays allow for Electives and an extended deep dive into their Venture course. Compass designs each Venture to cover skills and knowledge across competencies while peaking student interest, frequently considering student input and requests as they develop and build new courses each year. One course currently being offered is “The Art and Science of Cosplay” where students design their own costumes incorporating coding in Python.

These schools are great examples of flexible learning environments and the many benefits of embedding in community.

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One great example of this, recently highlighted in the New Yorker, is Connecticut Technical Education and Career Systems (CTECS). CTECS is a state-run vocational education program that offers high-quality technical education to students in Connecticut. It was established in 1910 and has since grown to become one of the most comprehensive technical education programs in the United States. With a focus on providing students with hands-on training, CTECS has earned a reputation for producing highly skilled professionals who are in demand across a range of industries.

CTECS offers a wide range of technical education programs across 17 campuses in Connecticut. These programs include courses in areas such as advanced manufacturing, automotive technology, culinary arts, information technology, healthcare, and many more. The programs are designed to prepare students for careers in their chosen field, whether they are looking to enter the workforce immediately or continue their education at a higher level.

Curriculum Development

The CTECS curriculum is shaped by a number of key stakeholders, enabling it to stay relevant and robust amidst technological changes.

Certain projects, like the development of a sustainability-minded e-house, are being funded and driven by interested community partners like the Connecticut Green Bank. CTECS also hires and leverages trade experts at the district level, attending trade shows, etc. Beyond that, there are program advisory committees and input from the state department of labor, ensuring workforce needs are being met throughout the state.

Teaching within these programs also requires some specific life experience. Teachers within CTECS must have at least 8 years in the field and maintain their licenses so that they are able to work within the community. Upon being hired, they must also take a few college classes that are reimbursed by the state. The CTECS network does its best to match what these potential teachers were making in their previous industry.

Community Connected Projects

Through this program, the students and the faculty co-run a business, The Student Workforce, that does real projects throughout the community. Aside from community members being able to bring their cars into the school for support from the young mechanics, members can apply online for the school to come do electrical, plumbing or other construction work on their house.

The school-run business will then vet the projects based on curriculum alignment and the size of the job. There is a maximum of 18 students per teacher for safety reasons and out-of-school projects must be able to utilize all 18 students. “The projects are meant to enhance learning and supplant budgetary restrictions,” said Brent McCartney, Architectural Construction trade consultant for CTECS who also oversees the Student Workforce. S “Teachers are selective with jobs to ensure the most diverse experience for students. This means some jobs are passed over to prevent redundancy.”.”

Once the project is done, the school is paid (usually about 1/5th the cost of a professional project). This revenue goes right back into the shops to help buy equipment, etc.

These students are also able to participate in a rigorous work-based learning program where they are able to leave school to work full or part-time jobs if they meet certain criteria.

In Conclusion

This program got off to a bit of a slow start, however, with the rising interest in trade-based professions, demand has surged in recent years. “For this next enrollment period, we got 7000 applications for our incoming class. That’s more than double the available seats,” said Kerry.

The next phase is the launching of a robust Career Center to better inform parents as well as students about the myriad work opportunities and to help industry partners more directly reach the students with news and announcements about project opportunities, event opportunities and more.

Across the country, there are skilled worker shortages and growing global challenges that will require reskilling and redoing infrastructure at a never before seen rate. One of the keys to addressing this shortage is to encourage more young people to consider a career in the trades. Many high school students are pushed towards traditional four-year college programs, even if they are not interested in pursuing a degree. However, CTECS offers an alternative path that can lead to a successful career without the need for a college degree. By providing students with a practical education that leads directly to a career, CTECS is helping to fill the skills gap in industries like electrical work.

The post Putting the Connect in Connecticut: Powerful Pathways to Employment from High School appeared first on Getting Smart.

ConnectED partners with schools, districts, and community leaders to support students in leading fulfilling college, career, and civic lives. Starting in 2006, ConnectED designed and led the Linked Learning initiative in nine large school districts in California to build systems in college and career pathways (see this blog we published in 2019).

They since have expanded nationally and continue to partner with communities to design pathways for college and career (not one or the other but both) including these four core components: college preparatory academics taught differently (more emphasis on project-based learning, real-world learning, and performance assessment), linked to a cluster of career courses, a continuum of work-based learning (job shadowing and internships), and personalized student support (social-emotional learning, college and career counseling, and accelerated instruction in reading, writing, math).

ConnectED is fundamentally about changing teaching and learning so that what students experience inside and outside of the classroom is different from traditional high school. Focusing on district-wide pathways, with a big emphasis on long-term systemic change, they go beyond the classroom to join with community partners in a local context. The education ecosystem, as ConnectED refers to it, is interconnected and the entire infrastructure of the community must collaborate to support and guide the next generation.

In the Fall of 2021, in partnership with ConnectED, North Kansas City Schools (NKC) transformed their high schools into wall-to-wall career academies. The same four pathway programs are offered at all four comprehensive high schools in the district in Health and Wellness, Public and Commercial Services, Business, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, and Design, Innovation and Technology. Starting in ninth grade, every student selects a four-year program of study in one of these pathways.

Designed to prepare students for both college and career readiness, these programs are closely aligned with the local industry and provide students with opportunities to explore careers and gain transferable skills. The Real World Learning initiative in Kansas City supports over 30 districts in the region with the shared vision that by 2030 all students will graduate with at least one market-value asset (MVA); industry-valued experiences.

Chad Sutton, Deputy Superintendent of Academics in North Kansas City Schools says, “One of the keys to expanding partnerships has been our Industry Executive Council and our Pathway Advisory Boards. Each of these boards is facilitated by business leaders, each with a series of clearly articulated goals centered on providing students with work-based learning experiences. These leaders in turn go out and recruit their colleagues within their industry to partner with us and provide our students with authentic work-based learning experiences. We have reached a point in which our business leaders are doing as much recruiting as we are.”

A college and career-ready student develops from the care of their educators, their pathway/industry program, their school and district, and their community; like concentric circles with a common center. The gain is not only to the student, however; the community can benefit greatly from a student who has been exposed to career awareness and exploration throughout their education, built the technical and durable skills necessary for employment, and created a network of people in their community.

“One of the biggest positive changes we have seen is a more engaged community and I think a lot of that is we have a better way to engage community and business partners,” says Mark Maus, Executive Director of Academic Services in North Kansas City Schools. “Our partners have significantly expanded over the last several years and number nearly 500 partners when previously we were at a little over 200 partners. Our partners appreciate and enjoy working with our kids. It is changing the network of connections our students are leaving with!”

Designing a district-wide pathways system ensures that the majority of students get to participate in a pathways program, creating more options and opportunities to establish equity for all learners. NKC Schools, with the support of ConnectED, are making certain this is the case for all students in their district beginning with the graduating class of 2025.

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NAF is not extra, it is totally integrated; students go to all of their classes in small community cohorts throughout the day within a NAF Academy (this is the ideal case but they do have a flexible design that can fit into all kinds of existing public schools). It is a wall-to-wall model with five pathways: Engineering, Finance, Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism, and Information Technology. Essential to this design are NAF advisory boards, which are local collaborations between schools and the business community to develop the future workforce through curriculum integration, work-based learning opportunities, and mentorships. NAF created a work-based learning tracker that really looks at the outcomes of what kids get out of the experience, besides just a list of things they were involved in. Over the past five years, NAF has seen a growing group of other themes too (about 10% of academies now); sometimes student and community desires to drive more pathways to be created for specific community industries and needs.

Students can earn a NAFTrack Certification in all approved courses, a credential that signifies to employers that a student is college and career ready. There are three components: a minimum of eighty hours of a qualifying internship, four semesters of career-focused courses and meeting the district requirements for high school graduation. There is not only one pathway to a NAFTrack Certification; besides the curriculum utilized in its five academy pathways, NAF accepts third-party and state-aligned courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), early college/dual credit, and courses through Project Lead the Way,

NAF shifted to a district approach so that there is more community buy-in and engagement; when multiple academies are in one place resources can be shared and the most sustainable model is created. Even community business partners have decided to use NAF as their workforce development strategy because of the ability to be a tailored solution targeted towards a business partner’s needs. One such community-driven example kicked off in early 2020 in Puerto Rico, when NAF and Raytheon Technologies partnered to create two NAF Academies of Engineering. “Raytheon Technologies is incredibly proud to partner with NAF, an organization that is transforming the STEM learning environment with tangible, hands-on learning opportunities for high school students in underserved communities,” said Greg Hayes, Raytheon Technologies Chairman and CEO. “These academies will expose generations of students in Puerto Rico to STEM classes, mentorships and company internships, bringing to life what a future career in engineering and technology can look like.”

NAF continues to see their programs grow (even during the pandemic) and have further explored how to use technology to provide more access and opportunity for more kids in smaller or remote places where resources are more limited (this includes the idea to create more virtual internship opportunities with business partners). KnoPro, a tech-based project that NAF developed, is an internship-like experience that is totally self-guided where students are given Challenges and Skillbuilders, such as the AI For Good Challenge. It was co-designed with teachers and business partners to provide students with real-world, project-based career readiness experiences.

Coming soon! The Open Data Index for Schools (ODIS), powered by NAF in collaboration with the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management; a resource that will more strongly clarify the challenges and stressors that communities face in order to offer more targeted support for high school students. You can sign up here to be notified when it launches and to receive more information.

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