Lakota Local School District

Traditional education has focused on tests and theoretical application of concepts, but often leaves students ill-prepared for their professional lives. Following our Strategic Plan for 2019-2021, we would like to expand RWL opportunities to make instruction more relevant. We plan to build out 1300 internships per year by developing support structures with the cooperation of local businesses, organizations, and governmental partners. The Real World Learning Roadmap, which we helped to create in the Challenge Collaborative, will provide a resource for teachers to be able to develop the types of programs and sessions that will enhance student outcomes.

We are seeking ways to incorporate more real world experiences into classroom instruction by increasing the number of internships for high school students as well as having guest speakers and project mentors play a more prominent role in instruction. This is requiring us to expand our network of Brokers as well as the role they serve. As we develop these added services, we will be engaging with the other members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools to better understand the research behind RWL and find better ways to measure it.