Where Academic Knowledge and Applied Learning Work Together
January 01, 2026
A district鈥檚 career pathways initiative moves to scale to treat career readiness as central to everyone鈥檚 learning
On a Friday afternoon at the Willis Tower in downtown Chicago, three seniors from Township High School District 214 stood before a panel of local investors at the annual Uncharted Learning student competition.
On the table between them sat a spray can labelled Shimmer Shield, a product that can stop jewelry from rusting by providing a clear, waterproof, protective coating. The students had conceived the product, developed a prototype and refined it with the support of their high school science teacher. Now they were ready to take their product to the consumer marketplace.
What began as a team project in our school district鈥檚 INCubatoredu course quickly became something bigger. These students identified a need and a market, researched materials and tested prototypes with mentors in the community. They learned to read a room, adjust a sales pitch and defend their business model under tough questioning from finance professionals.
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By Marcella Reca Zipp
Braided funding is the strategic coordination of multiple funding sources to support a single initiative while keeping each source鈥檚 identity and compliance requirements intact. Unlike blended funding, where dollars are pooled and used interchangeably, braided funding maintains separate tracking and reporting for each source while aligning them toward shared program goals.
Why braid?
Single funding streams are rarely reliable from year to year.
It maximizes resources and expands student access.
It enables targeted use of restricted funds without losing sight of the big picture.
It strengthens program sustainability by diversifying revenue.
Our braided model for youth apprenticeships and work-based learning draws on funding support from all levels:
Federal: Department of Education Perkins, Title I, Part A/Title II, Part A/Title III, Part A; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
State: Career and Technical Education Improvement; Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Illinois Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services grants
Local: Property tax-based school district operating funds
Philanthropy: The school district鈥檚 education foundation, corporate contributions and private grants
Perkins and state funds support career advisers, equipment and CTE programs. Titles I and III cover career advisers for underrepresented groups and dual credit fees. WIOA and DRS provide funding for job coaches and apprenticeships. Philanthropic dollars fill gaps, from reimagining classroom spaces to specialized equipment.
Best Practices for Braiding
Develop a funding map and matrix.
Keep separate tracking and compliance documentation for each source.
Use shared service-delivery models where possible.
Review funding alignment regularly and maintain transparency with stakeholders.
When done right, braided funding isn鈥檛 just a survival strategy. It鈥檚 a way to scale programs sustainably, expand access for all students and deliver measurable results without compromising accountability.
Marcella Reca Zipp is director of grants for Township High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Niche CTE Pathways Address Communities鈥� Needs
By Shari L. Camhi
When Baldwin Union Free School District introduced the nation鈥檚 first Jewelry Academy, it was more than a creative addition to career and technical education. The school was a direct response to the workforce needs of one of New York鈥檚 oldest industries.
Centered in midtown Manhattan鈥檚 Diamond District, the jewelry sector generates billions annually but faces a shortage of skilled workers. The one-block stretch on West 47th Street is home to thousands of wholesalers and retailers.
The Jewelry Academy is one of several niche Baldwin School District programs that directly address the economics of the Long Island/New York City region and, equally important, student interest. Other Baldwin programs relate to health care and police science.
In the Medical Office Assistant pathway, students learn medical terminology, office procedures, coding and billing, and gain hands-on experience in a clinical-office environment. The Criminal Justice/Police Science Academy pathway equips students with basic knowledge in law enforcement, corrections and public-safety careers.
One student who was in the Jewelry Academy鈥檚 first class in 2024-25 says she never considered a career in the field, 鈥渂ut now I can see myself designing pieces and even running my own business one day.鈥�
School districts elsewhere are launching CTE programs in fields that will supply trained labor in local industries. In suburban Chicago, Township High School District 214 developed programs in aviation and agriculture to address unmet career training.
鈥淪ome pathways may be smaller in size, but they serve distinct passions and are intentionally connected to real economic opportunities in our community, whether that鈥檚 pilot ground school or agriculture,鈥� Lazaro Lopez, executive director of the education foundation and career pathways for the district based in Arlington Heights, Ill., says.
Jump-Starting Options
The idea for the Jewelry Academy surfaced when a Baldwin board of education member, Annie Doresca, a jewelry industry professional, expressed a need to address the shortage of skilled workers in her field. She asked whether an academy pathway could be viable. Industry professionals offered to shape the curriculum and connect the school with key resources and hands-on learning options.
Baldwin partnered with the National Diamond Council, the Black in Jewelry Coalition and local jewelers and designers. These partners work side by side with educators, mentoring students, co-developing curriculum and providing workplace experiences. Students gain authentic exposure through internships, studio visits and guest lectures, which places real-world learning at the center.
The Baldwin curriculum blends artistry, technical training and business skills. Students begin with design and computer-aided modeling and are introduced to gemology basics, including the properties of stones and metals. In the workshop, they practice the skills of soldering, casting and polishing. Courses in branding, marketing and entrepreneurship help students understand how to take a product from design to market.
Rapid Appeal
Launching a first-of-its-kind academy brought both opportunity and challenge. The opportunity: aligning a high-demand, high-skill industry with Baldwin鈥檚 diverse student body and opening doors to careers they never might have imagined. The challenge: building a full-time curriculum and network of partners without an existing K-12 model.
The program quickly proved its appeal upon its launch in fall 2024. Twelve students from 10-12th grade enrolled in the course. Baldwin, a 4,200-student district, serves a middle-class community about 25 miles from the Diamond District. The Jewelry Academy attracted strong student interest, reflecting both the community鈥檚 support for unique occupational pathways, academic rigor and the need for economic preparedness in students鈥� futures.
In addition to specialized training, the academy fosters broader life and professional skills 鈥� creativity, problem solving and entrepreneurial thinking 鈥� that serves students well in any career. By linking CTE directly to New York鈥檚 jewelry field, Baldwin has shown how schools can prepare students for the future while contributing to the region鈥檚 economic vitality.
SHARI CAMHI, a former 萝卜AV视频president, is a retired superintendent for Baldwin Union Free School District in Baldwin, N.Y.
Health Care Pathway
More than 3,000 workplace learning experiences happen for students each year in our high school district across pathways such as health care, business, STEM, transportation, arts and communications.
Because they are embedded with dual credit and industry credentials, the students鈥� experiences inform their personal choices. They develop a deeper understanding of who they are and cultivate a systemic context that leads to discovering a purpose and finding where they belong.
One of those students is Zander, now a high school senior apprenticing as a biomedical equipment technician at Endeavor Health Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. Rather than working in retail or food service, he spends his afternoons alongside professionals training to install and maintain the equipment that literally sustains lives 鈥� patient monitors, ventilators, ultrasound machines, even X-ray machines.
鈥淚 had quit my old job and was planning to get some kind of internship,鈥� Zander says. 鈥淭hen Mrs. Thompson (career discovery student success coach) came into my auto class and gave a presentation on apprenticeships. They offered all the experience internships did, but they were paid and career-tailored.鈥�
That shift opened doors Zander never expected. 鈥淭his apprenticeship has impacted my future decisions greatly,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten insight from people I鈥檓 shadowing about different colleges, learned how broad biomedical engineering is and discovered jobs I didn鈥檛 even know existed. Now I know what I鈥檓 getting into when I pick this career.鈥�
On the job, he鈥檚 learning problem solving and precision. 鈥淛ust this week, I was helping fix a tourniquet machine. I thought the problem was the motherboard, but it turned out to be the conductors on the button wearing out,鈥� he explains.
Beyond the technical side, Zander says he benefits from the teamwork emphasis. 鈥淚f someone needs help, there鈥檚 always someone there,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned how effective communication keeps the team moving.鈥�
The apprenticeship isn鈥檛 just about skills. It鈥檚 about clarity. 鈥淭his experience gave me so much more to consider,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd confidence that I鈥檓 choosing the right path.鈥�
鈥� Lazaro Lopez
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