Beyond the Classroom: How School Districts Are Building Real-World Career Pathways

课堂之外：学区如何构建现实世界的职业道路

When a water-treatment plant outside Denver discovered an algae problem in its pipes, it did not call an engineering firm. It called the students.

丹佛郊外一家水处理厂发现管道内出现藻类滋生问题后，并没有聘请工程公司，而是向一群学生寻求帮助。

The aquatic robotics team at the Innovation Center at St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colorado, sent underwater robots into the facility, collected data, identified the algae species and helped eradicate it. The plant now contracts with the student team for quarterly checkups. Neighboring towns have started calling, too.

科罗拉多州朗蒙特市圣弗雷恩谷学区创新中心的水上机器人团队，派出水下机器人进入这座水处理厂开展作业，采集数据、鉴定藻类种类，并协助彻底清除了藻类。如今，该厂已与这支学生团队签约，委托其每季度定期巡检。周边城镇也纷纷前来寻求合作。

This is not a simulation or a classroom exercise conjured up to look like real work. It is real work, and it reflects a broader shift underway in districts. Increasingly, schools are building career learning pathways that connect students directly with professional challenges, industry mentors and, in some cases, a paycheck.

这并非刻意模拟、或是为贴近真实工作而设计的课堂练习，而是实打实的真实工作，也折射出各学区正在发生的大范围变革。如今，越来越多的学校着手搭建职业学习通道，让学生直接对接职场难题、结识行业导师，部分学生还能借此获得劳动报酬。

The Case for Real Work

真正工作的案例

The urgency behind these efforts is hard to ignore. A 2023 review from the American Institutes for Research, drawing on two decades of studies, found that career and technical education participation has statistically significant positive impacts on academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills and college readiness.

推动这类教育举措的迫切性不言而喻。美国教育研究所 2023 年结合二十年研究成果发布的一项评估报告指出，参与职业技术教育，对学业成绩、高中毕业率、职场通用能力以及大学入学准备度，均具有显著的积极影响。

The question districts are now wrestling with is not whether to offer career pathways, but whether those pathways lead anywhere real.

如今，各学区纠结的问题，已不再是要不要开设职业发展课程，而是这些路径能否真正落地、发挥实效。

Policy leaders are paying attention. The Education Commission of the States has identified building aligned career pathways and removing barriers to economic opportunity as one of its top priorities through 2027.

政策制定者正对此高度关注。美国各州教育委员会已将搭建衔接贯通的职业发展通道、破除经济发展机会壁垒，列为 2027 年前的核心优先工作之一。

At St. Vrain, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation Joe McBreen has spent years trying to answer that question through a program known as project teams.

在圣弗雷恩谷学区，分管创新事务的副学监乔・麦克布林多年来依托项目小组课程体系，致力于解答这一问题。

After school each day, roughly 264 students log in at the district’s Innovation Center and begin work as paid district employees, billing hours against accounts for actual clients. Students can join a drone show team, a cybersecurity unit, an AI development group or a dozen other teams, rotating among them as their interests evolve.

每天放学后，约 264 名学生前往学区创新中心开展工作。他们以学区带薪雇员的身份，为真实合作客户核算工时、对接业务。学生可加入无人机表演团队、网络安全小组、人工智能研发小组等十余类项目团队，并能根据自身兴趣变化，灵活跨组轮换学习与实践。

“It’s low threat, high reward,” says McBreen. “Students get paid, grow their network, develop soft skills and test drive careers. And if they get into a team and realize it’s not for them, there’s real value in that, too.”

麦克布林表示：“这种模式风险低、回报高。学生既能获得劳动报酬，拓展人脉资源，培养综合软技能，还能提前体验各类职业。即便加入某个团队后发现并不适合自己，这一经历同样具备实际价值。”

The model relies heavily on industry mentors who bring in real work rather than invented classroom projects. Damon Brown, a senior cybersecurity adviser for the U.S. Department of State focused on Ecuador, mentored seven St. Vrain students on a complex assignment.

该模式高度依赖行业导师，由他们引入真实工作项目，而非虚构的课堂任务。美国国务院负责厄瓜多尔事务的高级网络安全顾问戴蒙・布朗，就曾指导圣弗雷恩学区的七名学生完成一项复杂的实务任务。

He asked them to design the architecture for a cyber intelligence fusion center using open-source tools — work that could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if contracted from a professional firm.

他要求学生们利用开源工具，设计一套网络情报融合中心的架构方案。倘若交由专业公司承接，这项工作的成本本会高达数十万美元。

“The students knocked it out of the park,” says Brown.

“学生们把它打出了公园，”布朗说。

They built the system architecture, wrote user manuals, recommended equipment and conducted a threat analysis of countries surrounding Ecuador. Brown was so impressed he is now hiring six St. Vrain interns.

学生们完成了系统架构搭建、撰写用户手册、给出设备选型建议，并对厄瓜多尔周边国家开展了网络安全威胁分析。布朗对此成果十分认可，目前已决定录用六名该学区的学生担任实习生。

“This experience binds people together,” he says.

“这种经历将人们联系在一起，”他说。

The program also has a way of growing in unexpected directions. After one student’s grandparent was victimized by a cybercrime, the cybersecurity team created an awareness curriculum for senior citizens. They taught five classes to 24 senior citizens in the first year; the second session was standing room only. Senior facilities now pay the students to come in and teach.

该项目还以意想不到的方式不断延伸发展。一名学生的祖父母遭受网络犯罪侵害后，学区网络安全团队专门为老年人编写了网络安全科普课程。第一年，他们为 24 位老人开设了五场讲座；第二期课程更是座无虚席。如今，各地养老机构都会付费邀请这些学生前去授课。

Meanwhile, the drone team flies commercial shows for companies across the country on Friday afternoons, billing clients at rates few drone pilots in the country can match. One former member is now studying aerospace engineering and using money from drone flying to help pay for college.

与此同时，无人机团队每逢周五下午为全美各地的企业承接商业表演业务，向客户收取的服务费用，业内鲜有无人机飞行员能够企及。一名往届团队成员目前就读航空航天工程专业，依靠无人机表演的收入补贴大学学费。

Taking the Model Out West

将模型带到西部

St. Vrain’s work has drawn attention from educators around the country, some of whom are adapting pieces of the model to fit their own communities.

圣弗雷恩学区的教育实践已受到全美教育工作者的广泛关注，不少地区正借鉴该模式的部分内容，结合本地实际加以改良推行。

Kris Hagel, chief information officer of Peninsula School District in Washington state, visited the Innovation Center and came away convinced he could build something similar.

华盛顿州半岛学区首席信息官克里斯・哈格尔实地参观了这座创新中心后，坚信当地也能够打造出类似的教育模式。

Two years ago, Peninsula launched a paid drone internship program, starting with seven students and gradually expanding. Students work alongside industry partners while learning how to navigate FAA regulations, program autonomous flight paths and repair drones.

两年前，半岛学区推出了一项带薪无人机实习计划，初期仅有七名学生参与，后续规模逐步扩大。学生们与行业合作方协同工作，同时学习遵守美国联邦航空管理局的相关法规、编写自主飞行航线程序以及维修无人机。

“When you’re willing to look at what’s cutting edge and think innovatively without being constrained by traditional systems, you can create opportunities for kids that transcend what we think of as traditional education,” says Hagel. “This program has become so much more than I thought was possible.”

哈格尔说道：“只要愿意放眼前沿领域、打破传统体制束缚、创新思考，就能为孩子们创造出超越传统教育范畴的成长机会。这个项目最终取得的成果，远远超出了我的预期。”

The district partnered with Firefly Drone Systems, one of the few American drone manufacturers, to train students and help them operate drone shows.

该学区与美国为数不多的无人机制造商之一 —— 萤火虫无人机系统公司展开合作，由企业负责培训学生，并指导他们开展无人机表演作业。

The program also includes multiple roles beyond piloting, including marketing, animation design and equipment maintenance. Hagel envisions a future where students studying business management hire other students to operate the program.

该项目除飞行操控外，还设有多个岗位，涵盖市场营销、动画设计与设备维护等领域。哈格尔设想，未来可由工商管理专业的学生牵头，雇佣其他同学共同运营整个项目。

A skilled drone operator who leaves high school with the capital to purchase equipment can enter a six-figure career almost immediately, says Hagel.

哈格尔称，一名技术娴熟的无人机操作人员，若在高中毕业时拥有购置设备的资金，几乎可以立刻入行，开启年薪六位数的职业生涯。

Finding the Problem First

首先找到问题

Not every district is building toward robotics contracts or drone shows. For Michele Davis, CTE department chair at Metropolitan School District of Steuben County in Indiana, the real-world pathway is entrepreneurship.

并非所有学区都在打造机器人项目或无人机表演业务。印第安纳州斯托本县大都会学区职业技术教育部门负责人米歇尔・戴维斯认为，贴近现实的发展路径应当是创新创业教育。

Working with the StartED Up Foundation, Davis guides students through a three-year sequence: identifying an actual problem, developing a solution, building out the business model and presenting it to real audiences.

戴维斯携手斯塔德创业教育基金会，为学生设置了为期三年的系统化培养课程：从发现现实问题、制定解决方案，到搭建商业模式，最终面向真实评审人群进行项目展示。

Students take “opportunity walks” around the school, documenting everyday frustrations and brainstorming solutions. They learn how to market their ideas professionally by practicing elevator pitches, presenting case studies to various audiences and explaining their ideas to elementary school students.

学生们会在校园内开展 “机遇走访” 活动，记录日常遇到的各类难题，并集思广益构思解决方案。通过练习电梯简报、面向不同人群展示案例分析、向小学生通俗讲解创意构想，他们学习如何以专业方式推广自己的想法。

“Opportunities are everywhere,” says Davis.

“机会无处不在，”戴维斯说。

The ideas that emerge can be surprisingly practical. One student designed a reversible outfit to solve a quick-change problem in theater productions. Another class developed a mobile trailer concept that could help unhoused people access hygiene services.

学生们构思出的创意实用性极强，令人惊喜。一名学生设计了双面服装，解决戏剧演出中的快速换装难题。还有一个班级研发出移动服务拖车方案，旨在为无家可归者提供个人卫生服务。

Beyond the business concepts themselves, Davis says the program focuses heavily on communication skills and confidence. “We get students comfortable doing things that are normally uncomfortable,” she says.

戴维斯表示，除商业创意本身外，该项目着重培养学生的沟通能力与自信心。她说：“我们让学生从容应对那些原本令他们感到不适的挑战。”

A Credential, Not Just a Class

一个凭证，而不仅仅是一个类

At Suffern Central School District in Rockland County, New York, Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen has taken yet another approach.

在纽约州罗克兰县的萨弗恩中央学区，学监 P・埃里克・冈德森采取了另一种截然不同的模式。

Through a partnership with the League of Innovative Schools and curriculum provider Paradigm, the district launched a three-year cybersecurity certification pathway embedded directly into the high school. About 60 students are currently enrolled.

该学区联合创新学校联盟与课程提供商帕拉迪姆公司，在高中校内开设了为期三年的网络安全认证培养项目。目前约有 60 名学生修读该课程。

The program was designed to reach students who might not otherwise see themselves in a cybersecurity career. The district actively recruited students from immigrant communities and others who are new to the U.S.

该项目专为原本不会考虑网络安全相关职业的学生设计。学区还积极从移民群体及新赴美居民中招募学员。

Students work in a “sandbox” environment that simulates real cyber incidents, allowing them to practice identifying threats and responding to attacks.

学生在沙盒模拟环境中演练真实网络安全事件，练习识别安全威胁、应对网络攻击。

“The means to send a kid to college is not as great as it was, and a lot of what we’re reading questions the importance of a college education,” says Gundersen.

冈德森表示：“如今，供养孩子上大学的经济能力大不如前，而且诸多研究与观点也在质疑大学教育的实际价值。”

Those economic realities, he says, are pushing districts to rethink how they prepare students for the workforce.

他表示，这些现实的经济状况，正促使各学区重新思考该如何帮助学生做好就业准备。

Career credentials embedded with traditional high schools can open doors for students who may not otherwise have clear pathways into high-skill industries.

将职业资格认证融入普通高中课程体系，能够为原本难以进入高端技能行业的学生打通发展通道。

Education That Looks Like Life

看起来像生活的教育

Across these programs, the details vary widely, but the philosophy is the same: Authentic experience is not a supplement to education. It is education.

尽管各类项目细节差异巨大，但核心理念始终一致：真实实践并非教育的补充，其本身就是教育。

As McBreen says, “I encourage districts to expand their vision. Anyone can do this. Start small.”

正如麦克布林所言：“我鼓励各学区拓宽视野。这件事人人可为，从小处着手即可。”