The California State University Sacramento (CSUS) College of Education recently awarded Hiram Johnson High School's Education and Leadership Academy with the Educational Partnerships Award. The program’s director Shana Just, who teaches biology at Hiram Johnson in addition to coordinating the Education and Leadership Academy, accepted the award on behalf of the program. (Disclosure: she’s my Mom!).

The Education and Leadership Academy, a small learning community at Hiram Johnson funded by a grant from the State Department of Education, partners with the College of Education’s Accelerated College Entrance (ACE) and Preparing Urban Teacher Leaders in Secondary Education (PULSE) programs to provide courses in education to students at Hiram Johnson.

The academy, in its second year at Hiram Johnson, specifically focuses on developing the skills necessary for a career in urban education, where the majority of students are often high need, high risk, and speak English as a second language. Just has worked extensively with CSUS professors and other Hiram Johnson teachers to develop education courses with this focus that earns students college as well as high school credits. The courses are ACE approved, and then taught by teachers at Hiram Johnson with Masters degrees in education.

Also as part of their education in the academy, students intern in an urban educational environment, most often an elementary or middle school classroom. These students work in schools where students eventually attend Hiram Johnson for high school, where many of the students are high risk and speak English as a second language. They often assist teachers, as well as independently tutor students in small group.

Because the students in the academy came from the schools that they intern at, “they understand the importance of giving back to the community and become leader within the community,” Just said. Just herself tutored friends and classmates when she was a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento, and said it was one of the experiences that lead to her love of teaching.

In addition to giving student real life experience in the education field, the program hopes to decrease the teacher attrition rate in California.

“Nearly 1/3 of teachers leave the profession within their first 5 years of teaching because they don’t have real life experience in the classroom until after they attain their degrees in education,” said Just. “By having education students experience the classroom environment as a tutor or teacher’s assistance while they are still in high school, students are much more likely to stay in the education field after they attain their degrees in education.”

While the Hiram Johnson Education and Leadership Academy only in its second year, similar programs across California have cut the teacher attrition rate by half, allowing more teachers to stay in the classroom.

Another goal of the program is to increase diversity in the education field, particularly in high need urban schools. The majority of students at Hiram Johnson, nearly 87 percent, are minorities, with many of those speaking English as a second language. Students at Hiram Johnson who go into education directly and more clearly understand the challenges that face minority students.

“They understand the immigrant challenges and language barriers,” Just said. “They are more readily able to connect with students and “are more likely to be willing to stay in urban schools.”

“Most teachers come from a white, middle-class background, and don’t necessarily understand the challenges that face minority students,” she continues. “While they may work in high need and high risk school for a while, they often leave to go to schools that have predominantly white, middle class students.”

Just also said that having more minority educators in urban schools sends a message of hope to students. “When those kids see that someone like them made it out, they see the possibilities available to them and say ‘I can, too.’ You’re not just telling them, but showing them what they can accomplish.”