By Donn Kirkwood, Senior Leadership Coach

At Alabama’s Career Academies of Decatur, a simple but profound question set a powerful transformation in motion:

“What if every academic lesson felt like a step toward a real career?”

In fall 2024, the CAD Academy team, in partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board, embarked on a journey to bring that vision to life. The mission was clear: close the gap between traditional classroom instruction and the workforce demands students will one day face. The result? A schoolwide cultural and instructional shift that empowered both teachers and students to think — and teach — with purpose.

Identifying the Problem of Practice

At the launch of the partnership, many academic teachers acknowledged a challenge: They felt disconnected from the realities of today’s workforce. While they were deeply committed to student success, they hadn’t had exposure to industrial life, technical job roles or success skills that employers prioritize.

To address this, CAD Academy launched a multi-layered initiative built around immersive learning, collaborative planning and real-world relevance.

From Industry Tours to Pillar Formation

Teachers kicked off the year with industry tours and business panel discussions with companies like 3M Company, Nucor Corporation, General Electric Company, and Daikin Industries, Ltd — not just to observe but to listen. These visits sparked vital conversations. What skills do students need beyond the textbook? What does problem-solving look like on the factory floor? What’s missing in our instruction?

The workforce professionals not only had the answers — they were willing to show the teachers what real-world applications looked like and how to create relevance in the classroom.

These insights led to the birth of the CAD Pillars: Work Ethic, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Adaptability.

More than a slogan, these became the lens through which teachers redesigned their instruction and the traits students began exhibiting in their reflections and presentations.

Building Real-World Learning Through Coaching

With coaching support from SREB, academic and CTE teachers joined forces to co-create scenario-based projects like:
     •  Writing standard operating procedures
     •  Designing safety infographics
     •  Crafting research briefs on community issues
     •  Presenting virtual and hands-on career explorations

These assignments weren’t hypothetical. Students interviewed a NUCOR human resources leader to deepen their study of career-focused texts, trained with 3M’s mobile center to connect classroom learning to technical skills, and conducted experiments in a partner-designed clean water lab that brought science standards to life — authentic experiences shaped and reviewed by industry partners. Many were reviewed by industry partners who had helped shape them. SREB instructional coaches supported this evolution with:
     •  On-site and virtual planning support
     •  Co-facilitated workforce professional learning communities
     •  Plan-Do-Study-Act research and reflection protocols
     •  Project tuning sessions and rubric alignment

As one teacher put it,
“I’ve never seen students more motivated—because they now understand the ‘why’ behind what they’re learning.”

Data That Tells the Story

An SREB survey of CAD teachers before and after this school improvement initiative showed impressive growth:
     •  Teachers’ confidence in creating workforce-aligned environments more than doubled.
     •  Teachers reported significantly greater comfort in providing student feedback, embedding real-world scenarios and collaborating with industry partners.
     •  Over 80% of teachers said the initiative positively changed their instructional mindset.

The Showcase: Where Everything Came Together

On May 5, 2025, CAD Academy hosted its inaugural Student Showcase — a powerful demonstration of collaboration between educators, business partners and industry leaders. The showcase drew more than 30 community leaders, including Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, Decatur City Schools Superintendent Michael Douglas, Decatur City Board of Education member Jason Palmer and Decatur City Schools Foundation President Stevi Price. Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Crystal Brown, state Rep. Terri Collins, Rep. Parker Moore, and Alabama Sen. Arthur Orr also attended the event.

Students presented in their English, social studies, science and math classes, showing how workforce literacy was seamlessly integrated across the curriculum. They analyzed workplace skills using texts like Plain Talk, traced the histories of local industries, and conducted interviews with CEOs — culminating in polished presentations delivered to community leaders.

“My teachers are intentional about setting up lessons that connect to real world work and experiences,” one attending student said.

The results spoke for themselves. Students not only shared what they learned but demonstrated the very employability skills the workforce demands: communication, professionalism, and critical thinking.

“I can now see the connection between what I’m doing in a core class and what I will be doing for my career,” another student said.

Brown addressed the students, lauding their accomplishments in the program.

“Because of your professionalism and employability skills, I would hire you on the spot,” Brown said.

The showcase was more than an event. It was living evidence of what happens when schools, industries, and communities come together to prepare students for real careers.

What’s Next: Sustaining the Work

Career Academies of Decatur isn’t done. With momentum on its side, the school plans to:
     •  Continue workforce PLCs
     •  Embed the CAD Pillars into grading and culture systems
     •  Host an annual showcase
     •  Deepen relationships with local industry through the Decatur Chamber of Commerce

The story of CAD isn’t just about changing instruction — it’s about changing futures.

And the best part? It’s replicable.  This wasn’t theory—it was practice. It was literacy in motion.

Any school ready to bridge the gap between academics and the workforce can start here: with a vision, a few bold questions and a team committed to reimagining what school can be.