Pittsburgh Real World Learning

Schools We’re Visiting

Background

Emerging as a hub for innovation in education, Pittsburgh boasts a diverse educational landscape. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) stands as the largest public school district in the city, catering to over 23,000 students. Additionally, Pittsburgh is home to several prestigious universities and colleges, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University.

These institutions play pivotal roles in driving research and innovation across various disciplines, drawing students from around the globe. Alongside traditional educational establishments, the city has witnessed a surge in charter schools, providing parents and students with a range of educational options and fostering a dynamic learning environment.

Getting Smart on Dallas School Visits

Dallas School Visits Podcast

Want to know what it’s like to go on a school visit with Getting Smart? Check out this recap of the recent Dallas School Visits with Tom Vander Ark and Shawnee Caruthers!

Listen to Episode

School Overviews

Avonworth High School

Avonworth High School, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a comprehensive public high school known for its commitment to academic excellence, innovation and community engagement. With a focus on personalized learning and student success, Avonworth High offers a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college and career pathways. The school emphasizes hands-on learning experiences, advanced placement courses, and partnerships with local businesses and organizations to provide students with real-world skills and opportunities. Additionally, Avonworth High fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, where students are encouraged to explore their interests, pursue their passions, and contribute positively to the community.

Environmental Charter School

“Environmental Charter School (K-12) at Frick Park in Pittsburgh uses its theme to build systems thinkers, explore complexity and develop problem-solving skills in a multidisciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach that builds active, engaged, and empathetic citizens. Through an innovative, eco-literacy-based curriculum, ECS grows active, engaged, empathetic citizens who are critical thinkers and purposeful agents of change.” Founded in 2008, ECS integrates environmental education into all aspects of its curriculum. Located in the city’s East End, ECS serves students in grades K-12 and offers outdoor experiences, community engagement and project-based learning. The school’s campus includes green spaces, gardens, and eco-friendly facilities that provide students with opportunities to explore and learn about the natural world. ECS emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, incorporating environmental themes across subjects such as science, math, language arts and social studies.

Fort Cherry High School

Fort Cherry High School is located in the rural setting of McDonald, which is about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. It serves students in grades 9-12. The high school offers a comprehensive academic program along with extracurricular activities including athletics, clubs, and organizations. With a focus on preparing students for college and career success, Fort Cherry High School emphasizes academic excellence, character development, and community involvement. The school prides itself on fostering a supportive learning environment where students can thrive both academically and personally.

South Fayette High School

South Fayette High School is a comprehensive public high school also located in the town of McDonald. Serving students in grades 9-12, the high school emphasizes innovation and technology, with many partnerships with local businesses and organizations to provide real-world learning experiences. South Fayette High School has gained recognition for its commitment to excellence in education, including accolades for its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs and achievements in academic competitions with a focus on preparing students for college and career success.

Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State

The Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center, located at Penn State in Pittsburgh, serves as a dynamic hub for education, research and community engagement. Named after the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers player Franco Harris, the center embodies a commitment to excellence and impact in the Pittsburgh region. It provides a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, hosting a range of programs and initiatives focused on addressing local and global challenges. Through partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations, the center aims to foster innovation, promote economic development, and enhance the quality of life for residents of Pittsburgh and beyond. 

“The Readiness Institute at Penn State enables education, industry, and community partners to coordinate, collaborate, and create experiences for learners to achieve community and future readiness — regardless of their zip code, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, and ability level. The idea for the Readiness Institute began when Dr. Stan Thompson posed a question to his colleagues at The Heinz Endowments: “What would it take to prepare each and every Pittsburgher for personal, professional, and civic success?” The ensuing conversation moved beyond the concept of college and career readiness to a deeper and more satisfying discussion about community and future readiness. Thompson proposed a new educational, career-focused, and civic-minded track for high school juniors and seniors to explore learner identity, aspiration, pathway, growth, and service.”

Passport Academy Charter School

Passport Academy provides a personalized and flexible education option for students who may benefit from a non-traditional learning environment. Catering to students in grades 9-12, Passport Academy offers a blend of online coursework and in-person instruction, allowing students to progress at their own pace while receiving support from certified teachers and staff. The school focuses on meeting the individual needs of each student, whether they are looking to accelerate their learning, catch up on credits, or pursue alternative pathways to graduation. Through a combination of innovative technology, personalized learning plans, and a supportive learning community, the school aims to empower students to achieve academic success and prepare for their future. Passport provides students with career counseling and readiness training, mentoring, tutoring, job referrals and internships, postsecondary transition planning and personal finance counseling.

Parkway West Career and Technology Center

Parkway West Career and Technology Center is a vocational school offering specialized education and training programs to high school students and adult learners. The center provides hands-on learning experiences in various career pathways, including automotive technology, culinary arts, healthcare, construction trades and IT. PWCTC aims to prepare students for success in their chosen fields by equipping them with practical skills, industry certifications and work-based learning opportunities. The center collaborates with local businesses and industry partners to ensure that its curriculum aligns with current workforce needs. Through its programs, PWCTC provides a pathway for students to pursue careers directly after graduation or to continue their education at post-secondary institutions.

Cafe Momentum

An award-winning restaurant and culinary training center, Cafe Momentum’s mission is to “transform young lives by equipping our community’s justice-involved youth with life skills, education and employment opportunities to help them achieve their full potential”. Under the guidance of trained chefs, youth participate in paid internships, education and training, and physical and mental health support. Cafe Momentum has locations in Dallas and Pittsburgh.

Remake Learning

“Remake Learning is a free peer network for educators and innovators in the greater Pittsburgh region. The network helps people connect, exchange knowledge, collaborate on new ideas, improve their practice, and find funding to spark more engaging, relevant, and equitable opportunities to enrich Pittsburgh’s learning ecosystem.”

Tour Guides

In addition to the school and organization leaders outlined in the agenda, the following members of the Getting Smart team will be acting as tour guides:

Shawnee Caruthers is VP of Advocacy at Getting Smart. Shawnee is passionate about advocating for others and making sure all educators and students are engaged. She believes true engagement is achievable through human centered learning experiences, real world learning experiences and a dedication to not only powerful learning for youth, but for adults as well. Shawnee started her career in advertising and journalism and eventually pivoted to the classroom where she taught English and business due to her industry experience prior to teaching. This enabled her to supervise and oversee their career and technical education offerings in Chiefs Kingdom (Kansas City) where she resides.

Rebecca Midles is the Vice President of Learning Design at Getting Smart and is an innovator in competency education and personalized learning with over twenty years of experience as teacher, administrator, board member, consultant and parent. She has worked in several transformational systems in Alaska, California and Colorado that represent different scaling challenges from demographics to charters and comprehensive systems. Starting with some of the first district work nationally on competency-based/personalized learning in Alaska, Rebecca then helped design and create the first competency based high school. As a national consultant, she supported the most often cited CBE/PL districts and schools across the country. Rebecca was the district lead for competency-based learning in Lindsay Unified School District in California, as well as the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning for Mesa County School District 51 in Colorado, a district of 43 schools.

About Getting Smart: As a mission-driven organization, Getting Smart® is passionate about accelerating and amplifying innovations in teaching and learning. We help people and organizations learn, grow, and innovate. Our blog, GettingSmart.com is a community of learners and contributors that cover important events, trends, products and publications across K-12, early, postsecondary education and lifelong learning opportunities all centered around learning innovations.