Erica Swinney-Stein, who serves as the Associate Director and coordinator for career and community programs at Austin Polytechnical Academy High School, will be our guest speaker. 

From "A Troubled High School Celebrates a Milestone" by Meribah Knight

Austin Polytechnical Academy opened on the West Side of Chicago in 2007 as the city's first and only career academy dedicated to occupations in high-skilled manufacturing…The ambitious plan seeks to engage private-industry companies to help train the students, all of them from a community that has watched local industry flee, unemployment climb and foreclosure rates soar to the highest in the city.

Want to find out more?

• Setting career gears in motion
• Chicago High School Prepares Students for Real-World Manufacturing Jobs
• Austin Polytech creating healthy futures
•  Reviving Austin's glory days

Questions for Consideration

How is Austin Polytech setting new standards in public education? How can schools connect with community needs? How can we ensure that every student is given the same opportunity to excel and find work after graduation? What challenges might schools face when partnering with local businesses and industries? How relevant is job training in the U.S. manufacturing sector today?