EduCon 2026

Our session will begin with a brief overview of our Title I public school context, highlighting our citywide admission policy, project-based learning approach, advisory model, and interdisciplinary curriculum—all designed to be accessible to students traditionally underserved by such educational models. We'll share key demographics and explain how our program aims to address challenges faced by students with a history of trauma. The core of our session features three representative case studies illustrating common barriers, challenges, and assets among our prospective interns. Through these authentic examples, we'll demonstrate our holistic approach to: Supporting the whole student (academic, social-emotional, and professional skills) Leveraging cross-functional collaboration between Teacher/Advisors, our Real World Learning Director, and Social Worker Aligning internships with students' interests and future career pathways Creating continuity of support throughout students' 9-12 journey After presenting each case study, attendees will break into small groups to discuss similar challenges in their contexts and share promising practices. Each small group will document strategies that worked in overcoming specific barriers, which we'll collect and synthesize into a collaborative resource of promising practices that participants can implement in their own settings. Throughout the session, we'll emphasize how our approach explicitly addresses equity by removing barriers to high-quality work-based learning for traditionally marginalized students, building agency through interest-driven experiences, and disrupting systems of inequity by connecting students to professional networks and opportunities that may not have been accessible to them otherwise.