North Stafford and Stafford High Schools, allowing students to graduate with a cost-free Associate of Science degree. A standout initiative is the Future Educators Academy. Students in this program can earn their associate degree on the path to becoming an educator and are offered a contract to return and teach in the district. Beyond the classroom, every specialty center pathway integrates direct work experience. “They have those work-based learning experiences, those internships that are embedded into that program… and each pathway also includes a capstone project,” Smith notes. These are not abstract concepts, the local hospital, for instance, hosts students and has hired several. “Several of our partners have really committed to not only hosting our students but then if they are able to complete the certifications and complete the coursework to hiring them when they’re done,” Smith explains, “it’s a part of what I shared earlier about the community really wrapping their arms around our students, our staff, and our school system to make sure that we are really lifting up the values of our community.” INFRASTRUCTURE AND DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION Looking ahead, the district’s priorities are strategically split between physical infrastructure and instructional precision.The first priority involves a significant capital investment program.“In the next 10 months we’re going to be opening up three new schools and then… within two years after that we are rebuilding two more,” Smith says. Concurrently, the second priority is sharpening the academic core through data and early career alignment. The focus is on “understanding where each one of our students is and using data to help us to know what we need to do next so that we can truly meet the needs of each one of our students,” Smith explains. To guide this development, the district is launching a new academic and career tool, SchoolLinks. This platform will allow students and parents to explore potential careers as early as elementary school, 333 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 11 STAFFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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