School district in Akron bringing driver’s education back
In a classroom at Buchtel High School less than 24 hours before winter break, six students sat at their desks reviewing material with their teacher before a final exam.
This test would give them more than a letter grade.
If they passed, each student was one step closer to earning a driver’s license.
Driver’s education classes have nearly disappeared from schools — Akron last offered the classes in the mid-1990s — with the industry shifting to a private thirdparty model of preparing 15to 18-year-olds for the road.
That’s made it harder for some students to access the classes required to pass to earn a driver’s license before turning 18.
As part of its effort to better connect students with jobs and careers after they graduate, Akron Public Schools is piloting a program to bring driver’s education back into some high schools where the need is greatest.
A third-party group still runs the program, but classes are held at Buchtel, the first school to offer the classes this fall. They take place directly after school and at a discounted rate, with some students also earning scholarships to further defray costs.
Rachel Tecca, executive director of Akron’s College and Career Academies, said the district received feedback from business partners that a lack of a driver’s license could be a deal breaker for an employer considering a new hire.
“They are unable to even get their foot in the door if they don’t have their driver’s license,” Tecca said.
The district spent much of the last decade revamping its traditional classroom offerings to align with students’ future career interests, culminating this year in the full implementation of the academies in every high school.
Students now take their required classes through the lens of their field of interest, including finance, health care or the performing arts. The goal is for every student to graduate high school with an industry certification along with their diploma.
But none of that will do them much good if they can’t get to a job.
Some students can even start earning money in their fields while still in high school, if they have a license.
Antonio Evans, 16, is in the masonry program at Buchtel, and wants to work in the field as soon as possible.
But due to constraints of both time and money, he didn’t think he would be able to take the classes to get his license. Had the classes not been offered at school, “I would have just waited until I was 18,” he said.
That would have delayed his chances for an internship, and deprived him of the potentially lifesaving lessons learned in driving school.
Last Thursday, before the final exam, the class was learning what to do if their car started to go off the road.
“Your first reaction is really the most important,” instructor Tom Kircher of Driving Schools of Ohio, told the class, stressing the importance of not panicking.
Aside from the practical aspect, TR Construction owner Joe Riley said earning a license shows an employee is committed, pays attention to detail and can be trained.
Riley is on the district’s career advisory board and offered scholarships from his foundation to help support students earning their licenses.
“What happens is, a lot of the inner-city kids are disqualified” from jobs, Riley said. “They just don’t get the chance of getting a good job.” That rejection takes its toll. “It takes the self-esteem and drives it down,” he said.