The Mesa Public Schools in Arizona operate on the promise of “knowing every student’s name and preparing them for college, career and community.” This ambitious goal was shared by the panelists from Mesa at ”Transforming Education Through Work-Based Learning Opportunities and Partnerships” on Saturday morning at the AASA national conference in New Orleans.
“Robust academic skill-set with technical and durable skills is the goal for all Mesa graduates,” said panelist Tracy Yslas, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning in the Mesa district.
Jennifer Echols, director of teaching and learning in Mesa, described going to see different schools around the country and then “pulling different things together to see what fits Mesa.”
The school district has built a system of work-based learning curriculum in which freshmen, after a year of exploration, choose an academy that specializes in a broad topic such as health and medical science, engineering and design, digital design and creative arts and public service, Yslas explained.
“While in the academies, the students are receiving standard ELA, math, science and social studies classes, but through the lens of their respective course,” Echols said.
For example, in an English language arts class in the health and sciences track, students may learn medical terminologies along with standard reading and writing, she said. In response to an attendee’s question, Marlo Loria, director of career and technical education and innovative partnerships for Mesa Public Schools, admitted there are not great pathways to transfer between academies if students realize they are not comfortable with the path chosen.
“It’s all about having the kids connect with what they’re passionate about,” Loria said. AT&T, CORE, Honeywell and many more are business partners that the Mesa district has established, Loria explained. Showing students the opportunities they may not see at home gives kids more belief in their future, she added.
“The business partnerships result in 12th-grade internships or capstone projects in their respective fields,” Loria said, giving students real-life experience before advancing to post-secondary education, she said.
The biggest innovation in the Mesa system is the introduction of cohort-based classes, Randy Mahlerwein, assistant superintendent, said. Justin Wing, assistant superintendent of human resources, said, “One teacher, one classroom is outdated.” Rather, groups of students overseen by a group of educators allow for increased collaboration between teachers, he explained.
“Teachers are dying on the vine,” Mahlerwein said. “They are expected to be everything for everyone.” Creating cohorts gives students a sense of belonging and better quality of teaching due to the collaborative nature of group teaching, he said.
“The work-based learning opportunities give students durable and necessary skills in today's economy, allowing them to go into post-secondary with options for their future,” Loria said. “The academics give the classroom structure.”
Without the academies in the cohort style, classes would not be possible, Mahlerwein said.
(Ruthie Feinstein, a sophomore at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, is a reporter for Conference Daily Online.)
