| William H. Turner Technical Arts High School
Miami, Florida
"Tech Tuner" as it is known by its students, is located in an urban section of northern Dade County, Florida. Turner Tech is a magnet school in the greater Miami area operated by the Dade County Public School system. It draws students from across the entire county, with some students traveling an hour and a half each way to attend the school.
Founded and functioning as a high school focusing on work and careers, William H. Turner Technical Arts High School has taken the lead incorporating the School-to-Work System Components into its mission, operating structure, and curriculum. Partnered with businesses and industry, Turner Tech's career academies are committed to providing all students with a solid academic foundation and occupational skills training. Entitled “2-for-1”, this design offers every Turner Tech graduate a high school diploma and skill certificate.
At Turner Tech, learning experiences are founded upon the ten principles of the “Coalition” philosophy and focus on developing life-long student-learners and model citizen/workers. Academic and vocational teachers, working as a team, are committed to developing integrated curriculum and providing applied instruction. Each academy infuses work experiences into its programs of study and provides students with a variety of work opportunities both on and off campus. Maintaining gender equity and ethnic diversity, as well as providing for the needs of special populations, are a concern at Turner Tech. These issues are supported by specific programs, recruitment and articulation strategies and professional development activities.
| "Tech Turner draws students from across the entire county, with some students traveling an hour and a half each way to attend the school." |
Due to its mission and structure, as well as the commitment by faculty and student body, Turner tech has distinguished itself as a national model for school-to-work. Not withstanding, the school has encountered some obstacles. To be expected, these obstacles have kept Turner Tech from fully realizing its school-to-work initiatives. To that end, Turner Tech has developed a proposal that will allow the continued implementation of its current school-to-work initiatives and provide additional needed time and resources to overcome these obstacles.
Opened in August, 1993, William H. Turner Arts High School was created as a school of choice. Chosen in 1996 as one of ten “New American High Schools” by the U.S. department of Education, Business Week/McGraw Hill and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE), and in 1997 it was designated as the New Urban High School by the U.S. Department of Education. Turner Tech prepares students for work and careers. The mission of William H. Turner Technical Arts High School is to provide the entire student body of over 2,100 with high school education that will allow them to become informed, effective, and productive citizens/workers. To fulfill this mission, Turner Tech has formulated a threefold plan that seeks to:
- Develop partnerships with industry to acquire needed support.
- Develop and implement a marketing plan to promote Turner Tech's goals regarding recruitment and curriculum that will enhance the school-to-work concept in existing programs.
- Promote self-learning by adopting technology-enhanced curriculum and instruction that strengthens reading and mathematics skills.
| "Chosen in 1996 as one of ten “New American High Schools” by the U.S. department of Education, Business Week/McGraw Hill and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE)..." |
Turner Tech was established on the fundamental philosophy that a high school should facilitate a smooth transition from school to work and beyond for its students. This clear focus earned Turner Tech acceptance into the national Coalition of Essential Schools. Turner Tech is the only Coalition high school in Dade County. Even before becoming a Coalition school, the nine common principles of Coalition were an inherent part of the school's mission, organizational structure, and curriculum. In particular, the principles of “teacher as coach” and “student as worker” were evident in the school-to-work measures that were built into the school's framework. Turner Tech is also a Tech-Prep school. This mission and philosophy set the foundation upon which the structure and curriculum were formed.
Description by William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, Fall, 1998 |
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