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Statewide Assessment Results Show Impact of Pandemic Disruptions
Gulfport’s Take on Career Academies Blends Traditional Academics With Practical Learning
Veteran Gulfport High School (GHS) math teacher Scott Wedgeworth’s teaching mantra is simple: “I’m a ‘Here’s the example of when this really happens’ teacher.” That mantra is why it’s not uncommon for an engine from the local shop to be used as a teaching tool in his class.
Wedgeworth, who teaches within the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academic institute, said using physical implements like engines allows students to better grasp — literally and figuratively — mathematical concepts in a way that provides real insight into what they’re learning.
“I’ll point at it and say to my students, ‘Do you see this? This is what a cylinder looks like. Guess what? In calculus, we can find the volume of that cylinder. Now, let’s go learn that formula,’” he said. “It’s not that every student will become a professional automotive technician, but it’s … training the way the brain functions, getting them to think more critically Two Gulfport High School (GHS) culinary arts students pose with California roll the class made for an event. Culinary arts is part of the communication, arts and business (CAB) academic institute at GHS, and academic institutes are the school’s take on the career academy model that blends traditional academic classes with career and technical education (CTE) elements.
and applying those things to realworld examples. Those examples are what I love to do.”
Many schools across Mississippi are utilizing the career academy model to create tailored instruction that prepares students for both college and career by blending traditional academics — basic math or English classes, for example — with career and technical education (CTE) elements. Academic institutes, Gulfport’s take on the career academy model, delivers classes and instruction aligned to “What we’ve done with [the career academy model] is we’ve figured out how to integrate all of these important things into every lesson every day. When we talk about alignment, we’re not joking around. In reality, what we’re doing is proving to the kids that every standard in academics is absolutely necessary in order to get a job and be successful in the future.”
- David Cress, MDE director of career academies and innovative programs
three career clusters: communication, arts and business (CAB); health and human services (HHS); and STEM.
Teachers within the GHS institutes and other career academies across the state continuously collaborate when developing lesson plans, which allows the educators to thread common topics across a variety of classes. David Cress, who helps develop innovative programs for the Mississippi Department of Education Cress (MDE), uses an example of how an English class reading “Pixar Storytelling: Rules for Effective Storytelling Based on Pixar’s Greatest Films” could highlight CAB students’ needs.
“If [students] are reading that story, not only are they learning English standards, Wallace but they’re also learning about the business and history behind moviemaking, linear editing versus nonlinear and so forth,” he said. “They’re doubling, tripling and even quadrupling the total amount of knowledge and standards they’re learning.
“What we’ve done with [the career academy model] is we’ve figured out how to integrate all of these important things into every lesson every day. When we talk about alignment, we’re not joking around,” Cress added. “In reality, what we’re doing is proving to the kids that every standard in academics is absolutely necessary in order to get a job and be successful in the future.”
Gulfport’s success in implementing its version of the career academy model is due to many deliberate steps. District leaders made moving to the system a priority in long-term planning, and a bond issuance funded a redesign of the high school campus that intentionally placed CTE classes alongside their more traditional brethren. Gulfport School District (GSD) also received District of Innovation status from the MDE, and GHS administrators retooled class blocks to a five-by-five structure, thereby allowing students to capture more credits in their freshman and sophomore years.
“Many of our students were then coming to their junior years with nearly what they needed to graduate,” said Dr. Tom Wallace, the high school’s CTE director, “so then the focus changes
Left: GHS students work on a vehicle with their teacher during an automotive class. Math teacher Scott Wedgeworth said he routinely uses automobile engines as real-world teaching implements to explain complex mathematical theories. Right: Firefighters with Gulfport Fire Department assist the GHS law and public safety program during a mock gas attack. The school’s academic institutes routinely bring in real-world professionals to provide insight into their day-to-day jobs.
from ‘What do I need to graduate?’ to ‘What am I going to do as a career?’ and ‘Am I going to college or am I going to the workforce straight out of high school?’ It then becomes a natural fit to plug and play them into CTE courses or academic courses slanted toward workforce building.”
The experience
Aliya Puryear is the definition of a well-rounded student thanks to GHS.
All three academic institutes have shaped her education: She’ll graduate with credits in Auto Mechanics, AP Physics and AP Calculus from the STEM institute; she took numerous HHS institute science classes in preparation for college; and she serves as vice president of the school’s DECA chapter, which falls under the CAB umbrella, and as a member of the school’s student ambassador program.
“This may seem like a very undecided way to explore our CTE courses, but I chose to be a part of each institute for very specific reasons. My involvement in the STEM and HHS institutes really developed my love of mathematics and science, and they are a big part of my aspirations to become a biomedical engineer. My involvement with DECA, as well as the student ambassador program, has fostered my communication and leadership skills. My experience with all three of the institutes has given me lifelong connections and skills that are indispensable,” she said. “[GHS] has provided me with a unique experience I do not believe I would have gotten in a traditional classroom. The best part about tying in academic studies with real-world concepts and industry is that it provides us with a pipeline into the real world and gives us an in-depth and hands-on look at what we could be doing in our future. Because of these institutes, I feel that I am beyond
Community members and business leaders interview GHS students during the school’s annual Rising Stars event. The event helps prepare seniors as they begin emerging into the workforce by developing their interviewing and networking skills.
prepared for whatever is thrown at me next in both my professional and personal life.”
But what was one of Puryear’s coolest institute experiences? Learning about physics concepts by shooting potatoes across the school’s parking lot.
“It gets no better than this,” she said.
As a sophomore, Luke Simpson was allowed to join the STEM institute a year early because of his membership with the school robotics team. From working on a robot for the Gulfport SWAT team to developing an automated oyster
My experience with all three of the institutes has given me lifelong connections and skills that are indispensable. [GHS] has provided me with a unique experience I do not believe I would have gotten in a traditional classroom. The best part about tying in academic studies with real-world concepts and industry is that it provides us with a pipeline into the real world and gives us an in-depth and hands-on look at what we could be doing in our future. Because of these institutes, I feel that I am beyond prepared for whatever is thrown at me next in both my professional and personal life.”
- Aliya Puryear, Student at Gulfport High School
The GHS sign is pictured. Dr. Tom Wallace, the school’s CTE director, said Gulfport School District’s leadership took deliberate steps toward adopting the career academy model, including utilizing a school bond to redesign the GHS campus so traditional classrooms were built next to CTE shops and learning spaces.
cultivation system for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Simpson, now a senior, said the STEM institute afforded him experiences not offered by traditional engineering classes.
“The culmination of … engineering curricula and real-world work experiences provides a way of teaching like no other,” said Simpson, who is expected to graduate with an associate degree along with his high school diploma. “The Institutes at Gulfport High School helped to shape my outlook on my future career and developed a deeper passion for the STEM field.”
Education with a purpose
From the design of its campus to teachers showing students how they can apply theory to the real world, both Cress and Dr. Aimee Brown, the state’s former CTE director, said Gulfport’s academic institutes are succeeding because of the intentionality and purpose behind the district’s educational goals.
“It’s all about that purpose. They really embraced the comprehensive high school model; they built their facilities intentionally to accomplish that goal; they support their teachers; and they have great buy-in from the local community,” Brown said. “[GSD Superintendent] Glen East quickly identified what he wanted to accomplish and how, and he designed a strategic plan to make it happen. They’ve had strong leadership and strong support from business and industry, and it’s really paying off in terms of outcomes for our students there.” Those outcomes, Brown said, are students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and then start a career in the area they’ve been trained. “One hundred percent of what we’re trying to do is focused on student outcomes,” Cress said. “What happens with student engagement [in the career academy model]? It increases. Understanding the whys and hows of the world is the motivation that pushes students to do better.”
GHS student ambassadors pose outside the high school. Aliya Puryear, a GHS senior, said her experiences serving as an ambassador and with classes and groups within all three academic institutes gave her “lifelong connections and skills that are indispensable.”
