With companies clamoring for employees with trade skills, the Newark Board of Education is proving just how innovative public schools can be when it comes to career and technical education (CTE) programming.
A shining star of success?
The Newark School of Fashion and Design’s (NSFD) collaboration with Parsons School of Design not only prepares students for a career in fashion and design, but has them loving their school, thanks to its inclusive, creative culture. Together, the partnership may well be a role model for CTE programming in high school education.
A Partnership for CTE Programming
The journey began when the superintendent of Newark Public Schools, Roger León, wanted to explore progressive approaches for Newark’s CTE programming. A key initiative was to create a strategic, 10-year plan. As part of the Newark Board of Education’s high school redesign strategy, the Newark Schools established a high school specializing in fashion and design.
Superintendent León contacted Parsons School of Design in nearby New York City about collaborating. Parsons, well regarded as one of the world’s top fashion and design schools, is located just across the Hudson River from Newark, so connecting made sense.
When the request came, it found its way to the desk of Giselle Morell, head of marketing activations and customer engagement for N Ventures. N Ventures is part of The New School, the umbrella university that includes the Parsons School of Design. N Ventures facilitates partnerships and partnership initiatives around the world.
Morell remembers the early discussions with Newark Public Schools.
“We liked the progressive thinking of Superintendent León. Early conversations ultimately led to a strategic partnership and the development of the Newark School of Fashion and Design, which opened its doors in 2021.”
The NSFD is one of three new CTE programs planned by the Newark Board of Education. Based on early success with the NSFD, the Newark Board of Education is onto something with their partnership approach that could be a role model for how school boards think about CTE programming in the future.
A Seamless Pathway to Industry Success
Early discussions between Parsons, N Ventures and the Newark Board of Education stemmed from Parsons helping with curriculum development. Morrell reflects, “Together, we set out to take Parson’s fashion and design expertise and develop a tailored curriculum for Newark’s high school audience. But as conversations continued, it became increasingly evident that the partnership had legs to be deeper than a simple transactional relationship.”
Continues Morrell, “Everyone wanted to do much more. As discussions evolved, we began to think creatively about how to best create a world-class high school education environment that gets students excited about a career in fashion and design and arms them with the skills needed to get a running start in the industry or even start their own fashion companies.”
The result was a strategic collaboration where Newark’s School of Fashion and Design is “powered by Parsons,” with Parsons playing a key role as an academic partner, helping develop curriculum, providing professional development for teachers and creating engagement opportunities for students.
Of course, NSFD also gives students wishing to further their education a leg up, because Parsons is known as one of the best institutions in the world for pumping out luxury fashion designers. Graduates of the NSFD are just a short subway ride over to Parsons, should they want to continue their studies at the collegiate level.
Sakina Pitts, the principal of NSFD, appreciates how Parson and NSFD are working to close the high school-college gap that many students face. Says Pitts, “High school students often hear about college as a potential next step. What we have built with the Parsons partnership is a seamless pathway to industry success, whether that means coming out of high school with skills needed to hit the ground running in the fashion industry or having a running start into college with courses that naturally integrate with Parsons’ university-level curriculum.”
Pitts adds, “The partnership is seamless. It’s almost like Parsons designed a ‘baby school.’ Even the branding material is integrated, proudly stating ‘NSFD-Powered By Parsons School of Design.’ From the website to the brochures, everything is in step.”
Pitts is a walking cheerleader for NSFD.
“As the principal, it’s your job to be the natural cheerleader for the school you are in charge of. But the NSFD is truly the most amazing school I have ever been a part of. The school is structured like a pipeline, guiding students as young as 13 with no industry experience and equipping them with a marketable skill set that can land them a job upon graduation or give them a leg up at the university level. But more than just a seamless pathway to industry success, we have created an environment where students love to come to school.”
Beyond the Basics: Kids Who Love School
A vital part of the partnership’s success has come from Parsons’ ability to create additional opportunities for students. For example, the NSFD and Parsons recently collaborated with Singer to acquire 165 sewing machines. Students are free to take home said machines to continue working on projects to further improve their skills.
NSFD students also participate in a variety of fashion and design enrichment activities, such as visiting the LVMH headquarters and the Christian Dior flagship store in New York City. One of the highlights was also working with the Blueprint Denim (BPD) Washhouse where students were given the opportunity to work at the BPD for four weeks with professionals and experts who specialize in denim wear.
Shaping the NSFD Education Model for CTE
Pitts loves the contagiousness of their early success.
“The Parson’s partnership has opened so many doors you virtually never see in a traditional high school. These opportunities create richer opportunities for our students and help students see the art of the possible for their future. These opportunities would not have happened without a partnership like Parsons.”
But what Pitts is most proud of is that NSFD students love school. While NSFD is only in its second year, demand is high. Students from all over Newark’s school district can apply for the program, and — if accepted — attend NSFD.
Says Pitts, “I have students who catch two buses sometimes to get to the NSFD.”
But how much do they really like it? As part of a year-end exercise earlier this month, Pitts asked students to pick three adjectives to describe their feelings about the NSFD.
She then created a word cloud from the words they chose:
It’s easy to see why she’s enthused.
Students use words like “creative,” “energetic,” “interesting,” “fun,” “inclusive,” “positive” and “cool” to describe the NSFD. Pitts beams when she thinks about the word cloud.
“It’s so exciting to see students feel like school is a fun and inclusive place to be. As a professional educator, it’s the best feeling in the world to know you are not just providing the fundamentals of education, but creating a learning environment and culture students love.”
The early success of the Newark’s School of Fashion and Design can be seen as a role model for other school boards struggling to find ways to excite students about a CTE path and close the trade skills gap.
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