The decision to embed work experience into every student’s journey was shaped by the district’s understanding of its student body. “One of our challenges was that our students were not participating in these extracurricular access programs that we had for them, because they were going out and working,” details Vega-Barrio.“And we were having a problem with dropouts.” Fortunately Tornillo came up with the solution of building paid internships into career pathways, giving students a way to earn income while staying engaged in their education. “Now our dropout data has almost diminished, which is something that I’m very proud of,” she shares. Noting the efforts students put into making the most of these pathways and internships, and the pride the community takes in supporting them, Tornillo High School Principal Alejandro Olvera touts,“We service like a big high school does. We offer everything from athletics to opportunities for post-secondary. I love the fact that everything is funded directly from the PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TECHNOLOGY CENTER 6611 BOEING DRIVE EL PASO, TX 79925 915 780 1919 6650 CONTINENTAL DRIVE EL PASO, TX 79925 915 780 5345 LEARN GROW MASTER SUPPORTING TEACHERS FOR OVER 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 TORNILLO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
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