District staff say industry visits and Ford coaching show progress in academy transformation
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Summary
District staff reported that about 500 staff visited industry partners in a newly piloted industry experience day with 16 partners; a Ford Next Generation Learning coaching visit placed the district in phase 4 of a five-step process and highlighted academy teaming and areas for improvement including schedule constraints and freshman curriculum updates.
District staff told the governing board on Feb. 4 that an "industry experience day" and a Ford Next Generation Learning coaching visit both provided evidence that the district's academy-transformation work is advancing.
A presenter described the industry experience day as a district-run professional development activity in which nearly 500 teachers, counselors, administrators and support staff from all six comprehensive high schools visited workplaces hosted by 16 community partners. The visits paired campus career pathways with employer demonstrations; staff then returned to campuses to debrief and begin designing industry-linked classroom projects. The presenter said the initial feedback rating from participants averaged 3.55 out of 4.
On the external review, the presenter said Ford's coaching team assessed the district as in phase 4 of its five-step model, meaning the district is "living" the academy model but has work to do to reach full implementation in phase 5. Strengths Ford identified included academy teaming and students reporting increased belonging. Areas for improvement included constraints created by a six-period schedule for students seeking both pathway and AP/arts coursework, the need for additional support mechanisms for academy leads and administrators, and a recurring need to revise the freshman-experience curriculum.
Board members asked how Ford obtained student feedback; the presenter said academy coaches recruited about 10 students per campus for 30-minute focus groups and that administrators were not present during those student sessions. Trustees thanked staff for authentic student input and noted safety- and partnership-related activities in the region.
What happens next: Ford will return in June for a follow-up visit; district staff said they will continue to refine the freshman experience and academy supports and provide future updates to the board.