An ambitious restructuring of high schools to focus more on students’ futures is in the works at School District U46.
On Monday, U46 officials presented an “early vision” of goals for as early as 2018, such as dual-language rollouts at all the high schools and career exploration opportunities at middle schools. In 2019, U46 would like to adopt its largest change of all: every high school student to be enrolled in some career academy and pathway.
“If we have students in some type of academy, they will have a reason to want to come back to school,” said Terri Lozier, assistant superintendent of secondary schools, instruction and equity.
Lozier, CTE coordinator Kinasha Brown, and Gifted, Academies, AP, and World Languages coordinator April Wells presented arguments as to why U46 high schools need college and career pathways. Having students more focused on a path could improve graduation rates, reduce dropout rates, reduce the number of students taking remedial courses in college, boost the number of AP students, among others, they said.
“We are losing these kids,” Lozier said. “They don’t have the opportunities that other students get. If nothing else, we need to make sure we bring them back in … we need to save our kids.”
Lozier said the percentage of U46 graduates taking remedial courses in public colleges and universities is above the state average of 49 percent.
She continued with some of U46’s shortcomings, such as the district only beginning to offer dual-credit programs while other surrounding school districts have already adopted the option. In three of the five high schools, the percentage of students who qualify as college ready is below the state average of 46 percent.
However, the three presenters noted the strengths of the district’s five academies, which are selective and require students to apply and go through a selection process.
Currently, each of the five high schools has one academy — Elgin houses the gifted program, Larkin performing arts, Streamwood world languages/international relations, Bartlett STEM, and South Elgin a broadcasting academy. Findings from an audit of the academies found academy students were more invested in their learning, more likely to feel like they belong at the school, have better relationships with teachers, take on more academic challenges and extra-curricular activities.
However, with U46 intent on increasing academy-like options to all students, changes may be in place for the five academies. But officials said it is too early to tell what will happen.
“The elephant in the room is what happens to our current academies,” said Lozier. “And we can honestly say we don’t know.”
Some South Elgin students and families wanted to know what would happen to that school’s academy, as rumors swirled over its immediate fate. Lozier said it is too early to tell, as no pathways — a CTE audit recommends between 9 and 14 — have been decided, there is no cost estimate, and no drafts of the plan.
CEO Tony Sanders added no action has been taken in any restructuring of the South Elgin academy or any other academy.
Regardless, students testified in support of their academy — and student freedom, in general. The early talks of a set, defined path for students from the first day of high school to graduation did not sound appealing to the group.
“It’s concerning to me that we are looking at kids’ education based on what careers they may want to go into and not on what their interests are and what they like to do,” said Emily Young, a 2012 graduate from the South Elgin Beacon academy.
Meanwhile, Casey Pearce, the board’s student advisor, added, “It’s hard enough for a kid who’s 13 years old, and then to pick what high school they want to go, to prepare themselves for what college they want to go to, prepare for a career.”
Career pathway programs are used in other local districts, such as School District 300 just north along the Fox River, which offers 11 pathways in concentrations such as education, manufacturing and graphic design.
