JCPS Academies of Louisville Offer Real-World Learning Experiences
Writer: Mallory F. Wright
At 2:20 the bell rings and the wooden doors fly open with students gushing out, fleeing to their friends in the other classes, giving them the heads up of the pop quiz and trying to get the last math question completed on the homework assignment so they don’t have to take any books home tonight. They all ride the same school bus home together and they all play for the local baseball team. They’ve been going to the same school since kindergarten and were in all the same classes.
Those were the days. And those days have since changed. The school system doesn’t work like that anymore. Especially Jefferson County Public Schools. More people are relocating to Louisville, Kentucky and more students are enrolling in our school systems. With JCPS educating 100,900 children and young adults, ranking as the 28th largest school system in the nation, they must ensure they’re evolving and providing what every student needs to be successful. Furthermore, schools are constantly trying to differentiate themselves from each other: higher test scores, more Advanced Placement classes offered, dual credit opportunities, magnet programs career paths. The list goes on and on.
JCPS began implementing The Academies of Louisville. The Academies of Louisville prepare, inspire and empower students by offering meaningful and relevant learning experiences that directly relate to our world today. The academies consist of small learning communities catered towards specific industries that are relevant to our communities and connect to our students. Dr. Polio, JCPS’s Superintendent, would love for the academies to be integrated in as many high schools in JCPS as possible.
“Our superintendent is fully vested and supportive of the Academies,” says Christy Rogers, The Director of College and Career Services of The Academies. “He has done a great job speaking throughout the community to advocate on behalf of the Academies and the importance of them within each of our schools.”
In the 2017-2018 school year, 11 JCPS high schools implemented The Academies which affects 13,000 students. The Academies consists of four phases over a four-year time frame. All 11 of these schools are in Phase 1, which is designing and creating a Freshman Academy. One of the goals hoping to be achieved by the end of Phase 1, is for every student to go on an industry field trip. This is similar to field trips students take throughout school, but it is focused on the industry of their career preference – whether that’s touring a healthcare facility and observing nurses, visiting an Iron yard and interviewing employees or attending a studio where graphic design is being completed.
“Presenting students with the opportunity to witness in action career pathways gives them the chance to visualize their future,” Rogers says.
The second phase consists of the students selecting their career pathways and enrolling in classes that are catered towards that career by offering industry professionals to speak in the class and businesses to partner within the school. The goal is to have a full-blown academy, “wall-to-wall” impacting all students within the walls of the school.
With each Academy, there is a designated Academy coach for each school. Jeffersontown High School welcomed The Academy with open arms and fully embraced the change for their school. Ashley Drager, the Academy Coach for JHS has witnessed firsthand the impact The Academies have had on the school, students and faculty.
Drager grew up in Louisville and graduated from Jeffersontown High School. After college, she was hired at her alma matter to be an English Teacher. When The Academies were being discussed, Drager went to her principal and voiced a desire to become a coach.
“Not that I didn’t love teaching or that I didn’t want to teach, but I felt I could make a bigger impact as a coach,” she says.
Drager’s days are now spent taking students on industry field trips, collaborating with The Freshman staff and diligently working to recruit business professionals.
Not only is there a designated Academy coach within The Freshman Academy, but the academy is housed in a separate wing of the school and has a dedicated principal and counselor that stays with their class all four years of high school. Drager emphasized the importance of this consistency.
“The dedicated freshman faculty meets weekly to discuss progress and areas of improvement for students, where intervention might be needed and how to cross plan among the curriculums,” Drager says. “The students also know an adult they can trust.”
When students can trust their teachers, a foundation is built that can help students grow.
“The difference between being in a Freshmen Academy or being in another school is that the academy has more of a family feel,” says JHS freshman, Laila Randoph. “I have a closer connection to my teachers and I know the students better, so I feel more comfortable overall.”
During the first year of The Academies, JCPS added 21 occupational based teachers and 20 new career pathways among the 11 schools. For the upcoming calendar year, they have three additional schools that will start phase 1, and there will be an additional 19 new Academy teaching positions posted, according to Rogers. Based on the data received in the academies, the most popular pathways selected this year have been Health Science, Manufacturing & Engineering and Information Technology.
At Jeffersontown, the change in culture has been remarkable. While the freshmen class is most affected currently with The Freshman Academy implemented, other student bodies are seeing the impact as well.
“This has allowed me to get more engaged in my classes and really enjoy what I learn,” says senior Luke Stout. “I have been exposed to more than a traditional student gets to because of the academies and project-based learning. Being a part of our business program has really given me an idea of what I want to do with my life. When I came into high school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but being a part of the business and FBLA has helped me decide what my next step is after high school.”
In addition to adding more career paths, students are now also able to obtain industry certifications prior to graduation. These certifications are paid for by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Kentucky Department of Education has also encouraged businesses to offer more co-ops for seniors. By restructuring the material and curriculum students are learning, we are taking skills from the classroom and making them applicable to the real world.
The change wouldn’t be as impactful if it wasn’t for the businesses that partnered with the schools. A goal for the 2017-2018 school year was to have 80 businesses committed to adopting schools for the academies. They are currently at 62 businesses and still climbing.
For Drager, one of her biggest responsibilities as an academy coach is to network with businesses in the community and gain their support. Once a business adopts a school, the business puts together an action plan with three goals in conjunction with the school. This helps facilitate hands-on learning that keeps the students engaged. Ford, Nationwide, Sign-O-Rama, and Lantech are just a few companies out of the 62 who specifically support Jeffersontown.
Drager has loved watching the businesses not just partner with the school but truly changing the students’ lives. Jeffersontown now offers opportunities where students can graduate with certifications in their career field of choice and position themselves to be much more successful than before.
“We are building the plane while flying it at the same time,” Rogers says of the biggest obstacles and challenges. “It’s not like we’re implementing one school at a time, no, we are doing 11 this year and three next year. They have to assess each school to understand where the needs are and what gaps there are to ensure they can train and staff the school accordingly. But it’s worth it.”
The students are seeing the rewards, the teachers see the rewards, and soon the community will reap the rewards too. A true “wall-to-wall” effect. The academies are constantly meeting with businesses in the community to partner together in efforts to prepare students with authentic learning. If you’re a business owner and interested in hearing more about partnering with the Academies, please email Christy Rogers at Christy.Rogers@Jefferson.kyschools.edu.
