Keeping It Real - A Toledo Public School Prepares Students for College and Career

Oct 15, 2026

Keeping It Real profiles the Toledo Technology Academy (TTA), a career-tech magnet within Toledo Public Schools in Ohio, and explains how its STEM-focused education connects students’ coursework to engineering and technology career pathways. The narrative follows Ian Furstenberg through TTA’s hands-on labs, engineering coursework, and the career portfolio used for internships, job searches, or college admissions. It also describes TTA’s labor-management partnership, governing structure, and regional manufacturing context shaping the school’s creation and success.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Student and Career Connection

STEM curriculum at TTA

Career portfolio for next steps

School Structure and Partnerships

Labor-management model

Governing board and leadership

Regional Context and Outcomes

Toledo’s manufacturing economy

Preparing skilled trades and engineering talent

Keeping It Real A Toledo Public School Prepares Students for College and Career PHOTOGRAPHS BY JIM WEST AND TROUTNER & SCHULTZ PHOTOGRAPHY By Jennifer Dubin “W hy doI have to learn this?”It’s a question that crosses the minds of many high school students, but one that Ian Furstenberg doesn’t need to ask. Because of his classes in such technical 􀀞elds as digital electronics and automation, he can seethe immediate connection between his schoolwork and his career interests; he dreams of becoming an engineer. Furstenberg attends the Toledo Technology Academy (TTA), a career-tech school within the public school system in Toledo, Ohio. TTA teaches students in grades 7 through 12 using a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum. In addition to the traditional academic subjects of English, history, science, and math, TTA also provides engineering and technology courses, such as those Furstenberg is taking his junior year. When he graduates from TTA, Furstenberg will leave with a career portfolio, which will include certi􀀞cations attesting to his technical expertise as well as letters of recommendation from his Jennifer Dubin is the assistant editor of American Educator. Previously, she was a journalist with the Chronicle of Higher Education. To read more of her work, visit American Educator’s authors [index at www.aft.org/](index at www.aft.org/)[ ](index at www.aft.org/)[newspubs/periodicals/ae/author.cfm](newspubs/periodicals/ae/author.cfm). teachers and the company that hired him for his school-sponsored internship. If he decides to work right after high school, he can present that portfolio, showcasing his knowledge and skills, to a prospective employer. Or he can submit it to a college admissions o􀀆ce along with the standard application. Students and teachers engage in hands-on work in engineering and technology elds at the Toledo Technology Academy. The school is a labor-management partnership between Toledo Public Schools and local business and labor leaders. It’s a decision Furstenberg will make in the near future, and it’s just as important as the one he made a few years ago to apply to TTA, a magnet school. While 70 percent of the students, like Furstenberg, come from Toledo Public Schools, 30 percent come from surrounding suburban schools. Students enroll because of the school’s reputation for rigorous academic and technical instruction. Roughly half of TTA students receive free or reduced-price meals, a figure indicating economic challenges at home. But despite coming from low-income families, many students are able to put 􀀞nancial concerns aside and focus on their studies, geared to preparing them for further education or training and future careers. Nearly all students pursue some form of postsecondary education upon high school graduation, and many work while doing so to make ends meet. 18 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2014 􀀝e school’s emphasis on engineering technology makes sense in a region of the country known for its manufacturing base and ties to the auto industry. 􀀝e largest city in Northwest Ohio, Toledo is car country. Major employers include a Daimler-Chrysler plant, a Jeep assembly plant, and GM Powertrain, the biggest transmission plant in the world. O shoring of manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico as well as the recent recession hit the Toledo area especially hard. But the local economy has begun to rebound. Projections based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show employment growth from 2010 to 2020 for Toledo and its surrounding counties in the following areas: plastics and rubber products manufacturing (3.7 percent), nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing (8.2 percent), and fabricated metal product manufacturing (7.5 percent). Economic growth in Toledo will require businesses to hire welltrained employees in skilled tradesand engineering. To keep such workers from leaving the area and prevent “brain drain” is largely why TTA was created in

FAQs

What is the Toledo Technology Academy (TTA) and who does it serve?

TTA is a career-tech school within Toledo Public Schools, serving students in grades 7 through 12. It uses a STEM curriculum and includes engineering and technology courses alongside traditional academics.

How does TTA prepare students for college or immediate employment?

Graduates leave with a career portfolio that includes certifications, letters of recommendation, and details supporting their technical expertise. Students can present it to employers or submit it to college admissions with a standard application.

How is TTA governed and what partnership supports it?

The school is a labor-management partnership between Toledo Public Schools and local business and labor leaders. A governing board made up of district, union, and business representatives meets monthly to manage the school.

Oct 15, 2026

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