Tidewater Community College and The Chesapeake City Schools have joined forces to create a dual enrollment program where students can simultaneously earn both high school and college credits as well as industry certifications that allow students to exit high school and enter directly into a career field. Students often go to work for companies that further fund educational initiatives thus allowing students to complete degrees with no or minimal school debt. Eric J Beaver, Instructor in the TCC Mechatronics Program discusses the benefits to the dual enrollment program.

This week, Educationally Speaking has reviewed the City of Hampton’s participation in the ACT Certified Work Ready Initiative which focuses on building the local workforce through economic development. This effort includes work with the public schools to close the skilled trades gap that exists in local industry. The program has both vocational and educational objectives. Students can earn the National Career Readiness Certificate which is a national recognized credential that enhances a candidate’s employment profile.

The City of Hampton has embarked upon a program known as the ACT Work Ready Initiative. This national effort focuses upon economic vitality through workforce development. The city is buoyed by the new “Academies of Hampton” approach within the city schools. The ACT Work Ready initiative provides credentials based upon workforce skills while the Academy approach tracks students into career and college pathways. City and school officials say the two programs work together to help local industry address the critical shortage in skilled trades.

Hampton has joined other communities nationwide om becoming a work ready community. This initiative focuses upon workforce development. The program helps potential employees with workplace skills. Pam Croom, Workforce Development Coordinator for the city explains how the ACT Key Train System is a series of courses to boost career readiness.

The city of Hampton has joined other localities nationwide in becoming a work ready community, an initiative that focuses upon workforce development and helps potential employees with necessary career skills. ACT provides a series of courses designed to enhance workplace skills. This program is buoyed by the Hampton City Schools and their unique Academy system where students are tracked into either college prep coursework or a career pathway series of classes. Pam Croom, workforce development coordinator for the city of Hampton explains how the ACT and the Academy Program helps to boost career readiness.

Veronica Hurd of Hampton City Schools discusses the new Academies of Hampton model that presents career pathways for each student.

This week, Educationally Speaking has looked at the issue of school starting times for high school and middle school students. Chesapeake City Schools already has a later start time for these students. Virginia Beach and Norfolk City schools will shift in the 2020-2021 school year to later start times. Studies indicate that adolescents perform better academically when they begin school after 8:30AM. Citing these studies, the school divisions are shifting their opening times. This presents some logistical issues that divisions must address including after school care for elementary students and transportation. However, citing Chesapeake's long standing later opening times, other divisions are embarking on the change. Hampton City Schools also have a later start time while Newport News maintains an earlier opening. Both Norfolk and Virginia Beach sought input on the change. Both divisions report a positive community response for the shift. The later start times for middle and senior high schools is part of a broader shift in primary education which includes more technology in the classroom, on-line instruction, fewer use of traditional textbooks, and increased vocational and career instruction. This indicates a continuing realignment of the traditional public school setting that many communities are undertaking.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that delaying school start times leads to a wide range of potential benefits, including regards to mental health, safety, and academic achievement.

Local school divisions have been discussing later start times for several years. Community input on the issue has mostly been positive. Chesapeake City Schools as for years had later start times for its senior and middle schools. School Board members there said the “thought has always been that older students are more alert when they start later."

Norfolk and VB City Schools are shifting their start times in the 20202-2021 school year. This shift is backed by current research that indicates older students do better in schools with later start times. Dr. Melida Boone, Superintendent of Norfolk City Schools, discusses how this shift affects only the start times for the division and not the actual amount of time students are in the classroom. Also, the shifting start times creates several logistical issues for school divisions- including transportation, before and after school care for elementary students, and lighting of athletic fields for the senior high schools.

Dr. Melinda Boone of Norfolk City Public Schools discusses the logistics of changing their middle and senior high schools to a later starting time.