November 12–14, 2025
College & Career Academies of Akron • Akron Public Schools
Akron in Action continues to raise the bar each year—and the 2025 experience was no exception. More than 150 attendees explored how Akron Public Schools (APS) and its extensive network of community, business, and postsecondary partners support career awareness, exploration, and engagement across the full PK–12 continuum. The strength of Akron’s approach was evident everywhere: in the district’s strategic priorities, in schools, and in the sessions offered throughout the event.
District Cornerstones in Action
During the Opening Session, district leaders elevated APS’s four cornerstones, which shaped every visit and session throughout AiA:
- Culture of Safety & Belonging
- Academic Achievement
- Partnerships, Family & Community Engagement
- Operations Excellence
Participants consistently saw these priorities reflected in the stories, practices, and data shared across the two days.
A short historical context helped frame Akron’s system-wide transformation:
- APS launched wall-to-wall high school academies in 2017.
- A middle school model followed in 2021.
- In Spring 2024, APS added an elementary-focused addendum to its master plan, becoming a PK–12 Ford NGL community.
Impact Data: What Community-Connected Transformation Delivers
District leaders shared new data demonstrating the tangible results of Akron’s approach:
- Graduation Rate:
- 2024: 88.9%, slightly above the Ohio state average (88.7%)
- 2021–22: 83.1%, showing significant multi-year improvement
- College & Career Readiness:
APS students ranked in the top 15% statewide last year. - State Rating:
Based on the district profile, APS would typically receive 2 stars, yet it earned a 3.5-star rating out of 5.
These indicators clearly show that what Akron is doing—with and alongside its community—is making a meaningful difference for students.
School Visits Designed Through the Ford NGL Lens
AiA school visits were intentionally connected to Ford NGL’s three strands, with each site highlighting a particular emphasis.
One example: Buchtel CLC (grades 6–12)
Participants experienced:
- A student’s personal story describing their pathway journey
- The principal’s explanation of how mock interviews help 9th graders make informed academy/pathway selections
- The academy coach’s candid reflections on learning to teach through the academy lens amid staff turnover
- An opportunity to observe a live academy team meeting—in lieu of a tour—to see structures, processes, and decision-making aligned to the district cornerstones and Ford NGL strands
Sessions Aligned to Community Connected Transformation
Tours were offered Thursday morning and afternoon and Friday morning. Those who opted for site visits missed half-days of robust sessions, thoughtfully curated to connect directly to Ford NGL’s Community Connected Transformation framework. Highlights included:
Leadership Development in the Academy Model
How APS cultivates academy leadership through Improvement Science and simulation-based learning.
Deep Dive from the Partner Perspective
Partners shared authentic insights about what makes engagement work and what they’ve learned along the way.
Instructional Framework for Inquiry
Facilitators unpacked APS’s inquiry-based instructional framework, showing what it looks like at every grade band and how it aligns to the community’s Portraits of a Graduate.
Innovations Unique to Akron
Several sessions spotlighted practices emerging uniquely from the Akron community—approaches that may inspire replication in other Ford NGL communities:
Changemaker Challenge: A Summative Middle School Experience
Adapted from Chicago Public Schools’ Student Voice Committees, Akron’s 8th graders:
- Research an issue in their community
- Make a public call to action
- Optionally develop a proposal for real implementation
- Pitch for potential funding up to $4,000 to bring their ideas to life
Trust for Public Land: A National Inquiry & Design Model
7th graders at one APS middle school were challenged to reimagine an underutilized green space as a vibrant shared school–community environment—using a real-world design-driven process.
Creating a School House System
Inspired by professional learning at the Ron Clark Academy, two APS schools shared how adopting a multi-grade house model has strengthened belonging, pride, and attendance.
A Takeaway for Every Ford NGL Community
Whether attendees represented brand-new Ford NGL communities or seasoned ones, Akron offered something valuable for everyone. APS’s transparency, resource-sharing, and passion were evident at every turn. The energy and belief in students—and in the power of Community Connected Transformation—were infectious.
Now is the time to connect.
If Akron in Action sparked ideas or raised questions about what’s possible in your own community, reach out. Ford NGL and our network of communities have decades of experience, proven resources, and countless examples of what Community Connected Transformation looks like in action. We’d love to explore how you can tap into this work, strengthen your local ecosystem, and accelerate meaningful outcomes for young people. Communities across the country are already leveraging this work to drive impactful change—join them and see how far you can go with the right support.
