Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders: The Vision of Lincoln Public Schools

by Tegan Colton

Tucked away in the plains of southeastern Nebraska, there’s a great gem of the Midwest that shines most brightly every year, from August through June: Lincoln Public Schools.

With Nebraska being a humble and relatively laid-back state (excluding Husker game days, naturally), most people would never assume one of the largest and most academically prestigious school districts in the United States calls Lincoln, Nebraska, its home. But peel back its modest wrappings and you’ll find:

42,000 students,

3,000 teachers,

One National Blue Ribbon School,

One School of Opportunity (Gold Designation),

Three schools that have won American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Awards,

And one of only 250 school districts in the United States on the AP District Honor Roll.

But why all this densely-packed educational excellence in a relatively small town in the Midwest? What’s the secret?

To LPS Superintendent Dr. John Skretta, the answer may be tied to LPS’s mission to create outstanding citizens. The aim is to provide tailored and excellent education to every student and to ensure every student is prepared to enter a career and society.

“Commitment here is supporting every individual student’s learning needs,” Dr. Skretta explained. “It’s about customizing the high school experience for students to help them explore their passions.”

Nothing proves this true better than LPS’s focus schools: eight schools serving students of various ages and catering to diverse and focused interests.

“I will tell you that I think (our focus programs are) just a shining point of pride for the Lincoln Public Schools,” Dr. Skretta said.

What is the mission of these focus schools? Career preparedness.

“We have students who by the end of their senior year in high school, by the end of our program, will have acquired their CNA,” Dr. Skretta said. “That would make them immediately employable.”

These focus schools cater to every interest and include a range of age groups, such as science, the arts, business, agriculture, web design, medicine, aviation, and culinary arts — to name a few.

Online sign-up is easy on the LPS website and includes details of academic and age requirements.

Students who attend focus schools typically show greater ACT scores, higher GPA, and higher graduation rates.

And students? They love it.

“These programs–they have just taken off,” Dr. Skretta said.

“(There’s a) self-reported sense of engagement and belonging with focused program participants,” Dr. Skretta continued. “They know that there are committed caring adults who are supporting their learning and that they are experiencing an individualized learning endeavor that is really about them capitalizing on their passion.”

For students with a love of science and a curiosity about pursuing a career in the field, the Science Focus Program, championed by the Children’s Zoo, may be of interest. The $3.2 million lab and classroom facility hosts students who develop capstone projects, which can include genome sequencing, forest decomposition, psychology, forensic science, and engineering.

For all LPS high schoolers who are artistically inclined, the Arts and Humanities Program offers artists, writers, and performers a space to nourish and produce creative projects. Many Arts and Humanities students have gone on to receive BFA or graduate school scholarships and degrees, gallery shows, and awards for their work.

For juniors and seniors who want to pursue medicine, Northwest High School offers the Medical Science Focus Program, which provides students with up to 13 credit hours of hands-on medical training from the Bryan College of Health Science. These include opportunities to earn Certified Nurse Aid (CNA) and other certifications, as well as learn phlebotomy, anatomy, and physiology.

Future entrepreneurs will want to check out the Nebraska Business Focus Program at Standing Bear High. Juniors and seniors who will be attending Standing Bear will be able to explore passions and career opportunities in the areas of accounting, economics, and entrepreneurship for college credit (and reduced tuition). This focus program focuses on business leadership and also includes personal finance and sports marketing. 

Juniors and seniors interested in content creation, marketing, journalism, and entrepreneurship may want to pursue attending the Bay High Focus Program, where students can gain technical skills in photography, videography, graphic design, and podcasting.

The Career Academy at Southeast Community College offers 16 different “career pathways,” including IT, entrepreneurship, criminal justice, culinary arts, health sciences, welding and precision machining, early childhood education, and others. Students earn free college credit and receive industry certifications, apprenticeships, and jobs from high school. Books are free, and tuition is reduced or free.

Northeast’s Early College Career and STEM Program partners with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources to offer students the opportunity to study agriculture and natural resources. Priority is given to non-college-bound students. Field trips introduce students to research facilities and the diversity of agricultural and natural resource careers. College courses are available through UNL for credit. Graduates receive certifications based on demonstrated expertise in conservation, crop production, problem-solving, and STEM systems knowledge.

The International Baccalaureate Program prepares students aged 16 through 19 to lead a global society by “developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better, more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” The IB collaborates with universities, governments, and international organizations to provide international education and prepare students for university and beyond.

High school students who love planes and are considering an aviation career may want to look at the Aviation and Focus Program. Northstar High School students can gain hands-on interaction with tools, trades, and equipment. It includes a complete enrollment and implementation of national aviation curricula with a hangar-sized facility to accommodate aircraft. The local partnership offers internships and presentations from professionals.

While focus schools are an option available to all students, some may find that the traditional high school experience offers just as much, if not more, meaning.

“For many students, a traditional comprehensive high school experience is great, and opportunities for athletics and activities involvement provide the sense of a strong affiliation and differentiation in the learning experience that’s everything a student could want and more,” Dr. Skretta said.

Ultimately, whatever an LPS student chooses to pursue is up to them and their individual passions. Among the schools at LPS, any school chosen is filled with passionate staff, thrilling extracurriculars, and opportunities that can lead any student to a fuller, brighter future.