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 the second part of this two-part Q&A, Tammy Lorenzo, Regina McClure, and Brandon Wims share the magic of watching students grow. Below, read their discussion of how Jackson-Reed’s academies support each student’s plans for life after high school, whether those include entering college or starting a career. Or go back and read the first part of the Q&A.
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.
Tell me about the students in your programs. Do they have any shared reasons for signing up or something that draws them to the academies?
Regina McClure: First of all, they are all open enrollment, meaning we aren’t looking at GPAs or test scores for students that are looking to join. We really take students where they’re at, as they are, as long as they have an interest in that actual field.
Brandon Wims: I think it’s a great introduction to possible careers that they want to go into or potentially major in in college. It’s also a good gauge to see if [it’s] something that they really want to do. A kid could go into [an academy] like, “yYeah, I want to be a finance major in college or accountant” and then turn around after the academy like, “oOh no, I think I might switch to engineering.” Or a kid might go into the biomed [academy] and be like, “I want to be a doctor,” then come out like, “I want to be a doctor wholeheartedly. I know how the whole human body works now, right. I got a leg up so when I go to college, I’m gonna be a little more well- versed, more equipped.”
We hear feedback from students that go to college when they come back their first year: “I took this academy course, and it prepared me so much for what I want to study.”
[Academies] also allow for students that might not know if they necessarily want to go to college a chance to explore their options. They get certifications [while in high school] to be successful in the industries after graduating. So it’s not like, “hHey, I’m transitioning from high school to college or high school to real life, and I don’t know what I want to do.”
McClure: Jackson -Reed is one of the largest schools in DC, and we have a really vibrant parent and family community here. Families talk, and they want their kids to feel well- adjusted coming from middle school to high school. I think between the clubs and the academies, it’s a way to make sure your student has more guaranteed opportunities and more adult support.
How do you define success for your students, both during and after the program?
Wims: I would define success during the program as getting involved and finding your own community, not only within the building but within the academy. We offer so many academies. It is important to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented, from college tours to work-based learning opportunities to meeting people. You might not be the best-best student within the classroom, but you have a skill set, you can network and talk to people, and that could really build confidence and take you far.
McClure: For after high school, each student should have a plan that they and their families are on board with. iIt doesn’t have to be college. It can be going right to a career, it could be a training program, it could be military—all of those are successes. We just want to make sure that they’re clear on those next steps and what they need to do. We do a lot of case management in that with our 500 students, by the time they get to be senior year, we want them to feel supported and have a strong plan for their next steps.
Tammy Lorenzo: Another way to measure success for us is skills attainment. Part of the reason that they are choosing this specific career path is to develop very specific skills that would help them, you know, in whatever they pursue. So for hospitality, that can be client services and learning how to speak to the public and community. In cyber security, certifications are a big one, so making sure that the students learn how to code and they learn how to create different networks. There are different ways of measuring success within the academies, but I’ll piggyback on what Brandon and Regina said: making sure that the students know how to use their resources and that they know how to leverage not just the skills that they’re learning but also the partnerships that we’ve created. We have a big rule of no gatekeeping, so we help each other and collaborate often, and I think that’s something that we also pass on to our students.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Wims: My favorite part is working with the kids day in and day out, seeing their growth from freshman year to graduating, and communicating with the families and providing opportunities for students that they might never have thought possible. I love seeing them do the internships and becoming amazing young people. I think that is the best part—just being a trusted adult for them while they’re in high school.
McClure: I’ll zero in on the whole internship process because I think for many students, that’s the first time they’ve had a real job opportunity, along with all of the prep for it and reflection from it. I’ve seen students truly grow up over the summer. When they come back, they seem older in all the right ways. Being a part of that journey for them is really meaningful for me.
Lorenzo: Seeing the students grow is what keeps us coming back every day. That’s the beauty of working in student development, that you get to see them grow in different ways—emotionally, intellectually, and professionally—and they get to add things to their portfolios. But you also get to see them add a little “magic” to their pockets. A student came in one way when we first met, and now they’re growing into this beautiful professional that otherwise wouldn’t have happened without this, and I think that’s the beauty of the work that we do.
Interview edited by Ariella Meltzer.
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through Grant R305N240059 to the Urban Institute. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Urban Institute or the US Department of Education.
