ACHS Academies, Old and New Again

From The Alexandria Times, September 5, 2024

Organizing Alexandria City High School students into academies for academic and social objectives resembles the coming of the cicadas: the process can occur every 17 years and the results are unpredictable.

When ACHS’ King Street Campus opened in 2007, the administration and the School Board worked hard to allay public concerns about students feeling overwhelmed in a 440,000 square foot high school by promoting a plan to organize students in academies.  The school-within-a-school movement at that time was driven in part by research indicating superior student outcomes in smaller learning communities advanced by, among others, the Gates Foundation.

At that time, the English “house” system (exemplified by the academies in the Harry Potter books and movies) seemed to be a way to organize instruction, encourage interactions between staff and students, and provide students with a connection, or social setting, that would counter the impersonal effects of a large school.

When the three-story King Street Campus opened, signs identified its classroom wings as Academy 1, Academy 2, etc.  Teachers with classrooms in those wings were deemed to be in those academies. When a student was described as “in their academy” they were in one of the administrative offices in each wing that housed counselors, social workers, and assistant principals for each academy. 

With an important exception, the academy structure never got real traction at the King Street Campus.  Explanations include the impossibility of assigning students, particularly in core courses, exclusively, or even mostly, to classes taught by teachers in their academies.  The master schedule which affords every student an individual class schedule conflicted with delivering instruction by academy.  At one point, the academies were renamed “Learning Communities.”

At the front door of the King Street Campus in August 2024

When the high school was reorganized some years ago to group teachers in the same department together the academies became even less relevant to teachers

The pressures and complexity of life in a large high school may have precluded a real effort to articulate what membership in an academy meant, or was supposed to mean, to students.  For example, I cannot recall any student-focused academy-based group activities. The academies were an administrative convenience, not settings for student experiences.

One of our sons, a 2009 graduate, could describe where he went to see his counselor or assistant principal, but he never remembered the number of his academy.

The exception was the International Academy which occupied a large portion of the third floor at King Street.  The International Academy grew rapidly and was staffed by people who created a welcoming environment for English language learners.

School began last month at the impressive new 300,000 square foot Minnie Howard Campus, and at the King Street Campus. One of the most interesting things to watch is whether organizing ACHS in six new academically-themed academies will make a difference for students. ACPS’ website describes the academies as “small learning communities organized around instructional themes. Each academy provides students an opportunity to explore a comprehensive curriculum within a specific field. They do this alongside peers who share similar academic and career interests.”

Students can elect to participate in academies in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math; Business & Government; Education, Liberal Arts & Human Services; Visual, Performing & Applied Arts; Global Studies; and General Studies.

ACPS describes the goals of ACHS’ new academies as “[defining] the student’s four-year experience. Core content and elective teachers connect with a subgroup of students to ensure interdisciplinary alignment to the Pathways [student course selections] and offer advisement and mentorship. [The academies] provide a supportive environment in the school that helps learners connect, collaborate, and grow.”

Will the new academically-oriented academies be meaningful for students?  Or, does the reappearance of the academy model 17 years later simply provide more evidence that, as one of my treasured mentors said, “If you wait long enough in education, everything will come around again”?

None of the above is to disparage the implementation of academies at ACHS or to predict the success or failure of such an effort. This is only a fingers-crossed wish for the best possible results from the academies for students and staff. For real-time information on how the new ACHS academies are working, please consult the high school student or students in your area.

The writer is a former lawyer, member of the Alexandria School Board from 1997 to 2006, and English teacher from 2007 to 2021 at T.C. Williams High School, now Alexandria City High School. He can be reached at aboutalexandria@gmail.com and free subscriptions to his newsletter are available at https://aboutalexandria.substack.com.