Tammy Lorenzo
Director, Athletic and Academic Achievement Academy; Academy of Global Service and Diplomacy; Leadership Academy (Cybersecurity and JROTC)

Regina McClure
Director, Biomedical Academy; Engineering Academy; Information Technology Academy

Brandon Wims
Director, Academy of Graphic Design; Audio Video Production Academy; Academy of Finance; Academy of Hospitality and Tourism

Jackson-Reed High School hosts 10 career academies, the most of any school in the District of Columbia. Academies are small learning communities embedded in the high school that offer a program of study that combines coursework, work-based learning, and industry-specific skill development. 

In Part 1 of this two-part Q&A, Tammy Lorenzo, Regina McClure, and Brandon Wims reflect on the unique educational opportunities Jackson-Reed’s academies provide, how they work together to create an inclusive community across the many academies, and how policymakers can help students access similar career and technical education (CTE) programs and their many benefits. 

This Q&A is part of a series, Voices of CTE, that highlights experiences with career development among DC students, educators, and program directors. We ask them to share their perspectives on how career development opportunities support students’ career pathways to give a more personal look at the ways CTE is affecting students around DC. The Q&A is part of the DC Education Research Collaborative’s multiyear study to examine career development opportunities for middle and high school students in DC Public Schools (DCPS).

How did you come to this work?

Regina McClure: I was a teacher at another DC public high school, and I did a lot of college and career readiness work there. At the time there was not a lot of other infrastructure [for career development]. There were no academies when I first started — there was a focus on college only.

We did a lot of great work on that front, but I soon realized that college is not for everyone. When the academy models were introduced by DCPS’ Central Services, they provided structure and tangible skills training, certifications and hands-on exposure to careers before students graduated high school. I wanted in on that. 

Tammy Lorenzo: I started working with high school students for a college and career access program and then I transitioned into higher education. I was at a university actively recruiting students from high school.

Can you tell me about the programs that you run and what students do in the program? 

McClure: Each academy has a course sequence that students follow. They’re not just random classes in students’ schedules; they build on top of one another, and they result in students graduating with four academy courses that are built into their schedule and are very project-based and hands-on. 

 All academies share the internship component. We expect all students to participate in an 80-hour internship before they graduate. There is also professional development leading up to those internships. Students are invited to participate in resume workshops, mock interviews, LinkedIn workshops, and other professional development activities. So, the academies not only include the internships themselves, but also all the preparation for that professional setting. 

Students enrolled in academies experience an emphasis on work-based learning. We are always out of the building on field trips that are aligned to what they’re working on in the classroom or aligned to the academies themselves.

Brandon Wims: Across DCPS and at Jackson-Reed, we try to prepare our students for not only the rigorous coursework but also the real-life application aspect of it as well.

How do the different academies and students work together as a school community?

Lorenzo: We do a lot of collaboration among the academies. We have an academy leadership council to help facilitate and organize various events within our school building and outside of the community, and we’ve seen that has been extremely beneficial to get academies working together.

Wims: We host a big mixer when the new student academy leaders begin. They come together and brainstorm for the events that they host, and then we have incoming freshmen come during the summer in a program called Summer Bridge. Many of the student leaders put on a big academy fair for them so the future freshmen coming into Jackson-Reed can see what all the academies have to offer. 

Lorenzo: We make sure that the students are exposing themselves to the field that they’re interested in as much as possible. For instance, the Hospitality Academy puts together a formal dinner for families and community members to come together. The Engineering Academy puts together the engineering night or the expo night, and all of the students showcase their work for families and community members. The Global Service Academy recently organized a small United Nations (UN) mini simulation where they showcase their debating skills. So, aside from creating community within the school, they also create meaningful events that they can add to their portfolios or resumes.

Part of being a director of the academies is the ability to create different experiences. This year, we may work on something very specific, or we may have a vision for all of the academies. And then next year we might switch things around. The creativity that we are allowed to have with the experiences we offer the students is huge.

McClure: I want to highlight our teachers. We’re a team. Without our teachers, we cannot do this work. We have really amazing, awesome teachers here at Jackson-Reed, and they do a lot behind the scenes.

How can policymakers ensure that DC students who would benefit the most from career and technical education are able to access it? What do you think DC schools can do to support students on their pathway to sustaining and fulfilling careers? 

Wims: I think DCPS does a great job of providing CTE programming throughout the city, the vast majority of our high schools have CTE programs. There has been a huge push for middle school programs and career and technical student organizations (CTSO) for both middle and high schools. Now the District is building another Advanced Technical Center (ATC) specifically for CTE programs, where scholars from various high schools can take a bus to these centers and learn a specific CTE skill or pursue a specific CTE pathway.

I think DCPS also does a great job providing internships, and we also do a great job of providing college readiness resources for students who may not want to go directly to college.

McClure: We know that internships also really help move students along, so we’re grateful that DCPS continues to pour into experiences that are effective. 

Interview edited by Ariella Meltzer. 

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305N240059 to the Urban Institute. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Urban Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.