The Iowa City Community School District sign by Dodge Street. CREDIT ANNIE BARKALOW
The Iowa City Community School District is in the beginning stages of its Center for Innovation, a project-based learning initiative that will give students hands-on experiences that translate to the real world post-graduation. Employers in today’s market are seeing underdeveloped skill sets in recent graduates, and the ICCSD is hoping to rectify that with its […]
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The Iowa City Community School District is in the beginning stages of its Center for Innovation, a project-based learning initiative that will give students hands-on experiences that translate to the real world post-graduation.Employers in today’s market are seeing underdeveloped skill sets in recent graduates, and the ICCSD is hoping to rectify that with its students by targeting skills that transfer to a career, while providing tangible results from their learning experiences.“I think that the earlier exposure, and the better connections to how they see those skills being relevant, useful in their life is important,” said Matt Degner, Iowa City Community School District superintendent. “And then again, I think any of the topics that we do in education, always providing that relevance aspect and connecting it to the kids' purpose, or a problem that they're trying to solve…that’s becoming critically important.”
Portrait of a graduate
The plan began taking shape when the district was crafting together the Portrait of a Graduate, a strategic plan that targets skills necessary for a student to be successful post-graduation. From there, the idea to create the Center for Innovation fell into place.The school district purchased the Tyler building from ACT in the Spring of 2022, and renovations began this past summer in anticipation of the 2024 cohort.“The world of entrepreneurship and how people start businesses, and how we train people to start businesses, has radically changed over the last 15 years,” said Dawn Bowlus, director of University of Iowa’s Jacobson Institute.The Jacobson Institute works with teachers, schools and partners in the community to foster problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability and resiliency within students.Bowlus pointed out that educational programs like the Center for Innovation can act as a safety net for students to test-drive career or apprenticeship options, while having the freedom to pivot in another direction if their interest takes them elsewhere. From a community perspective, projects like this have the potential to create partnerships between students and area businesses and professions, thereby encouraging incentives to remain in the area post graduation.
Goals
“I want every kid to feel like they've had an experience here in the Iowa City Community School District that has channeled them into a passion area, or a purpose area, for them that gives them some confidence in their next step – that they know what they're following, that they feel good about,” said Mr. Degner.In the near future, the Center will be looking for people and businesses that would be interested in partnering with the school district in ways where it could engage the kids.“It (the Center) offers a lot of opportunities for community partners to raise their hand and say yep, I want to be part of helping that next generation,” said Ms. Bowlus.
