Students at 2 Phoenix high schools will help businesses solve real-world problems

The Phoenix Union High School District is partnering with Junior Achievement of Arizona to help students develop real-world business skills.

A new educational model, called 3DE, will be available to students at Cesar Chavez and Alhambra High Schools starting next school year.

Phoenix Union Superintendent Thea Andrade said the model brings professionals from high-demand industries into the classroom where students will work on case studies.

“And they’re solving real-world business problems that are brought to them by these companies," Andrade said. "So they’re authentic experiences that the companies are grappling with and the students get a chance to kind of jump in and see how they would problem solve.”

Andrade observed students in Georgia participating in the program and saw positive results.

“You know, there was no longer a ‘why do I need to learn this?’ or ‘what is the point?’ It’s this contextual learning and application and it gets kids excited and they see the purpose behind it and they engage," she said.

Other schools that have adopted the model have seen significant increases in graduation rates and enrollment in postsecondary education.

Some of the business partners include Cox Communications, Scooptacular and HonorHealth.