Toledo Public Schools show off Toledo Technology Academy to U.S. cabinet members

Toledo Public Schools superintendent Romulas Durant, left, speaks with U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez , second from left, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Toledo Public Schools got a chance to show off one of its crown jewels Tuesday to two U.S. cabinet members.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez visited the Toledo Technology Academy, a TPS magnet high school that mixes traditional coursework, hands on technological training, and internships. It consistently scores among top high schools in Ohio.

TTA students demonstrated for Mr. Duncan and Mr. Perez team-based projects that are at the core of its curriculum, such as its competition robots. The secretaries also sat in briefly for the school‘‍s governing board, which includes building and district administrators and union leaders, along with representatives from businesses affiliated with the school.

Board members emphasized that a bottom-up leadership approach and collaboration at the school has been core to its success.

The Toledo school district received a nearly $4 million grant this year, part of a federal program to make students career-ready through rigorous academic and career-focused curriculum. The district will use the funds for between 125 and 150 students a year over the 54-month program at TTA, and Bowsher, Start, Waite, and Woodward high schools. TPS will use funds to develop internships and eventually entry-level jobs with partnering businesses.

The two secretaries this afternoon took a tour of the Toledo Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee program on Lime City Road in Rossford. The 45,000 square-foot facility houses a training complex for apprentices seeking commercial and residential electrical careers jobs.