Consultant will help craft standards for new Cedar Rapids schools’ college and career programs

CEDAR RAPIDS — A consultant hired by the Cedar Rapids school board will help create standards for new college and career programs launching in the district by fall 2025, and provide professional development to educators and staff in the model.

Steele Dynamics was hired in two one-year contracts, worth a combined $158,600, from July 1 to June 30, 2025, as the district brings programs to students that will give them real-world experiences in the classroom that align with their career interests.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is preparing to launch freshman programs at three high schools for the 2025-26 school year. The academies will be small and supportive learning environments contained within a larger high school setting. The following year — the 2026-27 school year — the district will launch academies for sophomores, juniors and seniors at the schools.

The creation of college and career academies and pathways is an effort to increase graduation rates and ensure students leave the Cedar Rapids district with something more that a high school diploma, such as college credit or an industry certification.

The goal is to have the theme of the academies — such as for advanced manufacturing, health care, agriculture, business and financial services — identified by June 3. The academies and pathways will be based on local workforce needs and student interest.

In these new contracts — approved by the board Monday — Steele Dynamics will:

Steele Dynamics initially was hired by the school board last year to provide services to develop a three- to five-year action plan to create the college and career pathways in a $70,000 contract.

Chief Executive Officer and founder Jay Steele was director of career education at St. Johns County School in Florida in the 1990s and early 2000s, where he created and implemented the career academy program. He caught the eye of Metro Nashville Public Schools and worked with them to implement career academies, which led to the district seeing its graduation rate increase from 58 to 82 percent within five years, Steele said.

The Cedar Rapids plan is for Jefferson and Washington high schools to have academies where students take courses with a college and career theme for at least two years, taught by a team of teachers from different disciplines. Academies also have partnerships with local employers and bring in resources from outside the high schools.

Kennedy High will offer a slightly different version of college and career education, called pathways. Pathways are series of three or more courses with a specific college and career focus. Students in a pathway can take courses alongside peers with broader career interests for a more traditional high school experience.

The career-focus of the pathways and academies at each high school will be different. Students likely will be able to choose which career field they’re interested in, and attend a different high school than the one that’s within their residential attendance boundary.

Larson Construction was hired last month by the school board to consult through the design, construction and completion of renovations at the three high schools that will support college and career academies and pathways.

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