Hopefully we are starting to emerge from the pandemic and we are just beginning to understand its full impact on the lives, learning and future of our children.
The pandemic claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of family members. This has led to an alarming rise in mental health problems, the so-called second pandemic. And during periods of distance and hybrid learning many successes in study the students stoppedespecially for those who have already fought.
Unfortunately, many students during this period completely abandoned their studies. In Chicago’s public schools, for example, data show that attendance has plummeted, especially among Black students. A a quarter of the district’s low-income students stopped going to classes all together.
District leaders and educators will not address these issues by focusing only on regaining lost learning time. In fact, when the accumulation of more academic work comes through meaningful and engaging content, such an approach can further distract students. That’s why my district is rethinking high schools with a strong focus on helping students become leaders in their own learning and teaching others – it’s a path to future success and economic mobility.
In 2017, I became a warden of the town of Rich, where today 95 percent students are black or Hispanic and senior 99 percent come from economically disadvantaged homes. Up to that point, my career had given me great opportunities to learn, lead, and inspire others, but I had not yet worked with students from the environments in which I was raised.
Before coming to Rich Township, I spent five years in 155th County High School Community, a suburban school district in the Northwest with plenty of resources. More than three quarters the students there are white and fair 23 percent come from low income. Students there were encouraged to create and collaborate, and asked to become leaders and innovators. However, the city of Rich was dominated by a culture of trying to get students to focus on their studies and get better answers on tests.
The difference between the two districts could not be greater. Students in 155 learned to be leaders; Rich students learned to drive.
Why did one district prepare students to be leaders and another district prepare students to followers?
Related: OPINION: High school career planning prepares students for better workforce choices
I immediately saw that my most important task was to consider different ways of teaching students in these different zip codes.
In this way, we reworked the high school experience, allowing incoming freshmen to learn about career paths that will drive their coursework over the next four years. As part of this redesign, we created a “superschool” with two campuses –Fine Arts and Communication (including business) and STEM.
At both campuses, we have introduced experiential learning approaches that allow students to work together to master important knowledge and skills while exploring their hobbies and solving real-world problems. For example, we have set up an advanced manufacturing lab where students work with colleagues on a business program to develop products and then bring them to market.
We also started using Uncharted Learning Incubatoredu, the same youth entrepreneurship program we offered to students in District 155 so that our students of Fine Arts and Communication can gain first-hand experience as identifiers of problems and solutions. In the program, student teams identify a problem — often a problem that matters to them or their community — and then brainstorm, develop, and develop a solution.
Why did one district prepare students to be leaders and another district prepare students to followers?
At the end of the year the teams offer real investors for financing. While some may win start-up money, many will not. But here’s the thing: the goal is for each student to develop entrepreneurial skills, discover their hobbies and learn to withstand setbacks.
Students also have the opportunity to work closely with entrepreneurs and business owners who play an important role in demystifying the business world. This is very important, because most of our students did not know anyone who started a small business, ran a corporation or invented a product – and even more so did not imagine it. Teachers not only provide industry experience but also teach students in time management, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and interpersonal communication.
According to Julia Freeland Fisher Christensen Institute our schools have historically failed to help minority students establish such connections that can lead to social mobility. She says “schools are not following a model of learning that could truly link what is happening in the classroom, with a wide range of industries in the real world.”
This is a problem we are now solving in the city of Rich. Investing in students through youth entrepreneurship helps our district achieve what other districts can take for granted – access to role models and practical learning opportunities. This experience helps our students become active participants and leaders in their learning and future. This is especially important for many students who are not traditionally served, who desperately need opportunities to learn what motivates them.
At Rich Township our students are committed to continuous improvement and finding ways to bounce back from perceived failures. Such thinking is not only the key to learning and economic mobility, but will also be a cornerstone for prosperity after a pandemic and building a successful life.
Johnny Thomas is the head of District 227 of Rich Township High School in suburban Chicago.
This piece is about empirical learning was made Hechinger’s report, a non-profit independent information organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Subscribe to Hechinger Bulletin.
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