benchmark.All four schools are HRS level three.”The HRS designation refers to High Reliability Schools under the Marzano framework, indicating guaranteed viable curriculum delivery in every classroom. Additional accolades continue to accumulate.“We’ve had some AP honor awards, FAFSA completion rates, I-Learn scores have been very high,” Burns explains. “North Elementary earned some designation for that as well. North High is an early college recognized high school in the state of Indiana; South Elementary and North High had been recognized as STEM certified schools by the Department of Education.” In Indiana’s competitive educational landscape, where rural schools receive proportionally less state funding, such comprehensive recognition across all grade levels highlights exceptional organizational achievement. INNOVATIVE CAREER PATHWAYS, FROM BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE TO CYBERSECURITY In today’s world, where traditional career boundaries blur and technical skills command premium wages, forward-thinking school districts are reimagining vocational education. Decatur County Community Schools has positioned itself at the forefront of this transformation, creating specialized learning environments that mirror real-world professional settings. “We completed our biomedical science center maybe a year or two before that.And it is actually a hospital wing where the kids go in and learn. We also do a CNA program out of that biomedical science center,” Hocker explains.The facility simulates and replicates healthcare environments, providing students with authentic clinical experiences that prepare them for immediate entry into Indiana’s robust healthcare sector. On the opposite end of the county, technology takes center stage. “We have the cybersecurity pathway, we have the engineering pathway and the computer science pathway that are all stemmed out of the cybersecurity lab,” Hocker notes. The cybersecurity center, established three to four years ago, addresses critical workforce needs in an increasingly digital economy where cybersecurity professionals command salaries well above regional averages. 248 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 08
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx