Danbury leaders inspired by Nashville career academies journey
DANBURY – Mayor Dean Esposito looked into the eyes of Nashville high school students and saw Danbury’s future.
“We’ve seen a lot of kids take pride in what they’re doing,” Esposito said of a three-day trip to Tennessee last week with schools Superintendent Kevin Walston to observe the career academies Nashville launched 16 years ago. “The whole student body was so active, and into it, and so proud.”
He helped Esposito see Danbury’s transformation possible by reorganizing high school education into smaller career academies where each student is on an individualized path to college or a job after graduation.
The Nashville trip comes a month after Danbury broke ground on West Middle School and High School, where two of the district’s six career academies will be located when the doors open for the 2025-2026 school year.
“What I’ve seen in Tennessee is that Nashville is 100 percent engaged with this process,” Esposito said. “I see it as the future of this city.”
Walston agreed.
“This model will make the curriculum more relevant and engaging for our kids than ever before, and kids will be connected in ways they haven’t been before,” Walston said. “They will have a more meaningful relationship with teachers and classmates and schools.”
The main reason for the transformation: smaller learning communities, Walston said.
The key to envisioning Danbury’s plan, which would be the first in the state to have all high school students participate in a career academy model, is to stop thinking of high school as one big group of 3,800 students, but instead think of six career academies. 450 students each and a first-rate academy, Walston said.
“When our children enter the age of 10th grade level, they will have the same teachers for the next three years in a comprehensive school of 400 to 450 students, which will be good for students and parents,” Walston said. “I didn’t necessarily learn anything new on my trip to Tennessee, but it reinforced a lot of what’s good about small learning communities.”
Nashville educators also urged guests from Danbury, including City Councilman Duane Perkins, to ensure teachers and community leaders share the same vision as the City Council and Board of Education.
“What they’ve emphasized is making sure employees are involved in the process from the beginning,” Walston said. “We can’t move this forward if teachers aren’t involved or business partners and civic leaders aren’t involved in this process.”
At stake is Danbury Public School, which has been catching up for years; not only is it trying to build enough classrooms to keep pace with runaway enrollment, it’s also trying to get its fair share of the city’s education grants.
Academy at a glance
Danbury’s career academy would be unlike anything in Connecticut, leaders say. It wouldn’t be one Henry Abbott Technical High School or another Waterbury Career Academy.
Instead, Danbury’s academies would be an inclusive system for all high school students, college or work, who would select a specific career academy and then specialize in that academy.
“Let’s say you are in the communication and design academy; there are four pathways (one of which is) … web design,” Walston said. “In that pathway students could pursue anything from a bachelor’s degree to a micro-credential to certification to work in this field. whether you are or not, he is looking at the career.”
To prepare for the career academy, students will first go through a freshman academy at the high school on Clapboard Ridge Road, which remains the largest high school in the state.
As freshmen take college and career preparation courses, they will meet with counselors to consider which of the six academies they should enter: scientific innovation and medicine; global business and economy; innovation technology and cyber security, professional and public service; art, engineering and design; or communications and design.
Until late last year, the plan was to open the Danbury academy in 2024. That schedule was more ambitious than successful after the city broke off talks with the owners of The Summit to lease school space in the sprawling office park and the city. purchased its hilltop campus formerly home to Cartus Corp.
The plan now is to open the $164 million Danbury Career Academy in August 2025.
After opening the academies at the high school and west campus, 10th graders will begin core courses in their specialty, along with field trips and guest speakers. The following year, students will take “hands-on, content-specific” electives and work toward industry certifications. In the final year, students will take advanced electives, complete a final project and participate in an optional internship.
“It will be a great opportunity for our students and a transformational district,” Esposito said.
Contact Rob Ryser at rryser@newstimes.com or 203-731-3342
