Jackson Reed Academies

[Anonymous]

I see there is an older thread from last year on the JR biomed academy - which doesn’t seem to be recommended. Just wondering if anyone has some more recent feedback on any of the academies and whether it makes sense to do them. Specifically engineering and biomed.

[Anonymous]

My kid is in engineering and loves it. The classes feel more practical and career-oriented than the more traditional academic subjects, which appeals to him.

I believe all the academies have public Instagram accounts. Engineering is @jacksonreedengineering
and that account follows most or all of the other JR academy Instagram accounts.

[Anonymous]

Left to her own devices, my ninth grader is a solid B student. She doesn't like school in general, but seems to really enjoy the engineering class. Oddly enough, she says she doesn't want to pursue engineering, but she continues to sign up for all of the field trips and opportunities. It's a lot of group work, the teacher is very laid back and approachable, and I think they get just enough exposure to things they wouldn't otherwise see.

They send a weekly email listing all the visitors and trips coming up. They have the option to go to Amazon and Verizon this week. A few weeks ago there was a Women in Aviation thing out in College Park and something else at American University. I like it so far and wish I could've done something like that in high school.

[Anonymous]

I strongly suggest joining an academy - any academy. Increasingly the school is limiting various electives to only students in the academy, which can make it really difficult to fill up 8 credits each year because you run out of electives. Unfortunately, it’s very limiting for someone who does not have a strong interest or changes their focus area while in high school but that is the current tradeoff. My kid decided Junior year that he was interested in finance but it was too late and he was not permitted to take any of the finance electives, which was pretty frustrating. For STEM kids, both the engineering and IT academies are great and have really fun extracurricular associated with them if that is of interest.

[Anonymous]

I was a reluctant supporter of the hospitality academy when my kid said she wanted to join. But I’m now a huge supporter. She’s had amazing summer jobs and internships. The academy sponsored a trip to Cornell her junior year, and she fell in love. She’s there now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I strongly suggest joining an academy - any academy. Increasingly the school is limiting various electives to only students in the academy, which can make it really difficult to fill up 8 credits each year because you run out of electives. Unfortunately, it’s very limiting for someone who does not have a strong interest or changes their focus area while in high school but that is the current tradeoff. My kid decided Junior year that he was interested in finance but it was too late and he was not permitted to take any of the finance electives, which was pretty frustrating. For STEM kids, both the engineering and IT academies are great and have really fun extracurricular associated with them if that is of interest.

I think it’s great that the academies exist and meet the needs of interested students. But neither of my kids joined one, and neither of them have experienced what you describe above. None of the academies’ topics interested them, so their existence was barely on their radar. All electives they’ve wanted to take have been available to them.

So my advice to students would be to consider joining an academy if there’s a topic that interests them, but there’s no need to force yourself into one.

[Anonymous]

I don't like that that they are funneling students into academies. It feels like JR is increasingly focus on academies, leaving behind students who are not interested in the specific academy offerings. My kid is interested in creative writing, for example, and there isn't a a pre-professional academy for her. School is about more than vocational training, though it seems that JR is forgetting that.

[Anonymous]

MacArthur is pushing academies hard, too, although they only have a handful to offer at this point.

So DCPS. Academies and CTE are great things, but just because they are great for some doesn't mean they are great for all. But DCPS wants "equity" everywhere, so how dare some kids want college not want a vocational focus in high school.

The big educational failure is restricting AP Computer Science to academy-only.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s helpful to remember that kids at JR take eight (8) full credits per year, while kids at Walls take seven, and kids at many privates take six. So the academies aren’t taking away from the classic core of five academic subjects, or even from a reasonable set of electives. They’re total add-ons. And if your kid doesn’t want to join an academy, they shouldn’t! No one has to. My kid didn’t join one until the week school started and no one gave us any trouble about it—he just decided to join one to be with a friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a reluctant supporter of the hospitality academy when my kid said she wanted to join. But I’m now a huge supporter. She’s had amazing summer jobs and internships. The academy sponsored a trip to Cornell her junior year, and she fell in love. She’s there now.

That’s very cool! is she actually studying hospitality there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MacArthur is pushing academies hard, too, although they only have a handful to offer at this point.

So DCPS. Academies and CTE are great things, but just because they are great for some doesn't mean they are great for all. But DCPS wants "equity" everywhere, so how dare some kids want college not want a vocational focus in high school.

The big educational failure is restricting AP Computer Science to academy-only.

Totally agree, and I think more JR parents need to complain to Principal Brown about this AP Computer Science restriction. There is broad interest, and this is a reasonable AP for a range of students. It should not be restricted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a reluctant supporter of the hospitality academy when my kid said she wanted to join. But I’m now a huge supporter. She’s had amazing summer jobs and internships. The academy sponsored a trip to Cornell her junior year, and she fell in love. She’s there now.

That’s very cool! is she actually studying hospitality there?

Yes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see there is an older thread from last year on the JR biomed academy - which doesn’t seem to be recommended. Just wondering if anyone has some more recent feedback on any of the academies and whether it makes sense to do them. Specifically engineering and biomed.

JR's biomed academy is still a nightmare for all the reasons stated in the separate thread. Nothing has changed. Students and parents beware.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't like that that they are funneling students into academies. It feels like JR is increasingly focus on academies, leaving behind students who are not interested in the specific academy offerings. My kid is interested in creative writing, for example, and there isn't a a pre-professional academy for her. School is about more than vocational training, though it seems that JR is forgetting that.

this ^^^

how about making sure that the regular courses have small class sizes and are taught by competent teachers (many are, but there are quite a few who are not). i'm so sick of things like this: https://jrbeacon.com/23804/news/uneven-workload-frustrates-teachers/

jr admin are terrible. i'd much rather have the better teachers running the school.

[Anonymous]

have there been any improvements in the biomed academy?