Dr. James M. Davis, Principal at the Laurel County Schools Center for Innovation (CFI), served as an education innovation panelist at the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Summit 2020 to discuss issues related to student success and access to opportunity gained through educational programs.
Davis spoke about the incredible importance of students being prepared for successful transitions to postsecondary education and/or the workforce through their high school education and training experiences. “Students must be provided the opportunities to become successful whether that be a rigorous academic education that prepares them for matriculation to college or whether it means offering them a high-quality Career & Technical Education (CTE) program of study that enables them to become career ready and empowers them for competitive entry into the workforce”, remarked Davis. Various program initiatives at the CFI are implemented that facilitate student success to include offering quality academic instruction in the classroom augmented by honors, Advanced Placement, and dual credit college courses, the offering of industry recognized career ready credentialing for qualified graduates through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and CTE training, as well as workforce preparedness through technical skill attainment and work-based learning programs.
“We have taken an all of the above approach at the CFI by specifically integrating academic and technical education that affords the faculty an opportunity to collaborate across the curriculum (English, Math, Technical) so that students can apply academic learning in the classroom to their projects in the technical labs,” added Davis. For example, students in math classes that are learning the metric system and mathematical conversions can apply that knowledge to dosage calculations in health sciences, whereas students in English class can develop a persuasive resume and develop public speaking and interview skills through classroom activities and project presentations. “I am incredibly proud of the faculty and staff at the CFI that make it our mission every day to serve and support students and who help every student to set and accomplish their goals of college and career readiness”, exclaimed Davis.
