The Akron Public Schools’ focus on getting students ready for college or careers will be the subject of a three-day conference, beginning today, that will bring about 300 educators to the city to learn how the district transformed its education system.
Akron in Action is drawing people from as far away as Alaska and as close as Ohio, said Marcie Ebright, Akron’s director of college and career academies. She said she sees the site visit, part of the Ford Next Generation Learning program, as evidence that the district is moving in a positive direction.
“For us personally, it’s recognition we’re on the right path with some things we’re doing,” Ebright said. “In Akron, it’s a big win to have people come and study what we’re doing. I hope they walk away with a lot of ideas.”
Akron’s college and career academies are modeled on a similar program in Nashville, but Ebright said no one else in Ohio is following the model. The intention of the program is to help students focus on pathways from a young age, learning about topics ranging from sports medicine to dance to biotechnology.
Every class, from math to English, is intended to be aligned with the field of study to help engage students in topics they’re interested in and show them the interplay between learning and their future plans.
The college and career academy model is already operating in Akron’s middle and high schools; Ebright said the district will soon roll it out at the elementary level. Already, there are planned field trips at each grade level to help expose students to various job opportunities and focus areas.
At the higher grade levels, students work on projects to help solve community issues and understand nonprofit, business and college opportunities, among others.
The attendees will visit schools and sit in on programs that will help educational leaders figure out how they might roll out similar programs in their districts, engaging businesses and creating their own pathways. At a program at the Akron Art Museum, for example, attendees will learn about how students are taught about artists as inventors who create something new.
The traditional elementary education is a “splatter of stuff,” Ebright said, but a focused approach can direct students toward their interests while still allowing them to explore. It can also help teach them about the city’s strengths and opportunities when it comes to employment. Polymer technology should be taught “early and often,” she said, to get students acclimated to the idea of such careers.
This is the second time Akron has served as a demonstration site for the Ford program; the first was in 2022. Then, Ebright said, about 200 people attended. She said the intention is to show other educators both the struggles and the successes of the program so they can make decisions about how to move forward in their own districts.
“Transformation work is hard,” Ebright said. “We want to help share what we’ve learned.”
Teaching through a career-themed lens is sometimes still a struggle, she said. But teachers are continuing to make progress and students are getting more exposure to their post-school options. She said as the model rolls out at elementary schools over the next five years, she thinks it will become part of the district’s cultural norm.
Carla Jackson, vice president of the Akron Board of Education, said she was looking forward to the series of site visits and events.
“It’s very well put together,” she said. “I’m excited for it.”
