3DE
HIGH SCHOOL REIMAGINED: WHERE RIGOR MEETS THE REAL WORLD
Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay, in partnership with Polk County Public Schools, Tenoroc High, and non-profit organization Lakeland Leads, announced in the Fall 2022 the launch of Junior Achievement's 3DE model at Tenoroc High.
Junior Achievement's proven 3DE high school model fully prepares today's students for the demands of tomorrow's economy.
Through our 3DE program, students are learning how to tackle real world problems and issues facing businesses, said Jason Looney, principal of Tenoroc High. This is an exciting opportunity for students to bring together many different disciplines into a common goal. They must conduct research, draw upon their creativity, work effectively as a team, and hone their presentation skills.
Every four weeks, students break into teams to explore a specific business-related case challenge. For instance, students recently investigated how a national restaurant franchise could appeal to a younger demographic, thereby expanding its potential customer base.
Students must develop solutions and a proposed course of action. The final step is to present their findings and recommendations before a group of business partners, community leaders and educators. These stakeholders select an overall winner, and also share valuable feedback with each team. The main objective is to improve students' knowledge and provide them experience in critical thinking.
Tenoroc students are getting an amazing glimpse into how businesses must adapt to ever-changing conditions to be successful, said Fred Heid, superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. Strategic planning and problem-solving skills are invaluable for anyone entering the workforce. We are grateful to all of our partners for making this innovative learning model possible.
United around the belief that equitable access to high-quality education is the lever to economic mobility, 3DE is re-engineering traditional curriculum to be more experiential and to better reflect the real world. By integrating relevant content, interdisciplinary pedagogy, entrepreneurial thinking, project/problem-based learning, and authentic workplace experiences, 3DE schools empower students to achieve greater economic opportunity.
Working with Lakeland Leads in partnership with the Polk County Public Schools, and Tenoroc High has allowed us to bring 3DE's transformative capabilities to Tenoroc High and build on the established success of the 3DE model, said Shauna Dykes, Regional Director of Junior Achievement Tampa Bay Inc. By connecting education to real-world concepts through 3DE, we aim to improve students' appreciation for academics, give them the vision to see what is possible in the future and equip them with the skills they need to be 100 percent prepared for the real world.
3DE sponsor, Lakeland Leads, a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage the business community in transforming our public schools, explains This is an exciting development for Tenoroc students, parents, business partners, and PCPS stakeholders, said Dr. Melody Rider, President of Lakeland Leads. This unique program's rigorous standards-based education and real-world authenticity enable innovation to work from the inside-out towards positive outcomes for the high school community and Polk County as a whole.