The new head of The English High School’s innovative Career Pathways Program is Andreina Ferreira who, during her own career, has been involved in vocational training, public education, health care, and community affairs.

Career Pathways is one of the Boston Public Schools’ most exciting programs, one that prepares students to be leaders in college and careers.

The state considers English High’s Career Pathways a high-quality Chapter 74-approved vocational technical education program. Andreina says, “Pathways is unique. Our teachers have lived, worked, and studied these areas and are able to speak from a place of passion. Students feel and understand that. They connect with their teachers.”

Authentic Learning Experiences that Mirror Workplace Environments

There are other Chapter 74 programs in the District, but English High is the only high school with five Chapter 74 programs. These include Business/Finance/Entrepreneurship; Design & Visual Communications; Health Assisting & Wellness; Programming & Web Development; and Legal & Protective Services. Andreina says, “The Pathways are designed to afford students authentic learning experiences that mirror professional workplace environments while developing literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking skills. These 21st century skills engage students through hands-on projects or problem-based learning that teach communication, goal setting, and collaboration, culminating in presentations that demonstrate academic growth and accomplishments.”

She says participation in the program begins in 9th grade when students choose a cohort and continue with their chosen pathway until grade 12: “We currently have 196 students enrolled in Pathways and 119 grade 9 students participating in the exploratory rotation.”

The English High School Association (EHSA), the Alumni group, supports Career Pathways, lecturers, lab scrubs, and other programs. Andreina says, “We need volunteers who can share their experiences, knowledge and skills, and align them with students’ interests.”

Pointing Students in the Right Direction

She provides examples: Three Legal & Protective Services students participated in the Judicial Youth Internship program where they were mentored by the Chief Prosecutor in the Juvenile Unit  Migdalia Nalls ‘97. Tom Connors ‘68, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge is a regular lecturer for students in the Legal & Protective Service Program.

Andreina says many of today’s students focus on Public Service: i.e., State Police, Boston Police Department, Coding, Web Development, Cybersecurity, Visual Design, Entrepreneurship, Firefighting, Nursing, and Radiology, to name a few. “We point students in the right direction, connecting them to industry professionals, having volunteers visit classrooms to provide authentic hands-on experiences so students understand what it takes to reach their goal of becoming a nurse, lawyer or police officer, etc. Our Advisory Board helps Pathways teachers to continue with industry networks and stay relevant with current trends.”

She says, “We’re working to build new partnerships to provide students with workplace-based learning opportunities. Also, community colleges allow Pathway students to take college courses that are directly aligned with their interests. They are preparing themselves academically and professionally for the world of work or for post-secondary education.” She hopes the program will yield internships and scholarships to help students achieve their goals.