Teenagers say they want to be treated like adults, and that they want more responsibility. But what happens when you give it to them in the classroom?
Turns out they like it. They REALLY like it.
This past school year, the
Kenton County School District began a major shift in how it educates its most motivated, tech-savvy high school students. The school created the
Kenton County Academies of Technology and Innovation in Edgewood, in the the former J.D. Patton Career and Technical Center.
The building houses six career-based academies, all centered on in-depth study, collaboration and project-based learning. They include:
- Biomedical sciences
- Engineering
- High performance production technology (HPPT)
- Informatics
- Media arts
- Sustainable energy technology engineering
The district chose these areas of study based on regional job growth potential over the next several decades, says Academy Director Francis O'Hara.
"Those jobs of the future are here, especially in the Commonwealth," he says. "These areas are where we're going to see the most growth."
Students spend half a day in the classroom, and the other half at their respective academy. Kenton County is embarking on this new approach in order to energize a student body that is more technologically savvy than any before them, O'Hara says.
"These students are digital natives,” he says. “They don't know a time before the Internet and computer technology. But they are also digital introverts; they don't usually demonstrate their knowledge. What we're doing through the academies is motivating the students to take ownership of their education and exposing them to different professions.”
In its first year, 230 students (all 10th and 11th graders) from the district's three high schools worked in the academies. All were chosen through an application process. Next year, more than double that number are expected to take part, O'Hara says.
Read the full story
here.
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