Career Exploration Without Barriers: A Middle & High School J-Term Experiment

Josh Davis & Melissa Phillips, Camanche Community School District

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Imagine giving middle and high school students a full week to explore careers without grades, homework, or “regular” classes. That’s the core idea behind Camanche Community School District's J-term: a dedicated pause in the academic grind that turns school into a career-exploration lab, where 5th-12th grade students can test-drive career fields, build confidence, and discover options they didn’t even know existed.

That's right: J-term is no longer only reserved for the college experience.

What makes this model so compelling is the way it engages students & teachers in a way that the traditional classroom never could. Middle and High School Principals Melissa Phillips and Josh Davis saw higher engagement and clearer direction in this real-world, hands-on week of learning. You see it in the outcomes and reactions: the high school generated 100+ internships, the middle school reported zero office referrals that week, attendance hit a high-water mark, and the community showed up in force.

In this episode:

Why a “no grades, no homework” week can reveal a different version of students and teachers.
How J-term creates equity in exposure by removing barriers families can’t always overcome on their own.
Why employers and community partners are more likely to say “yes” to short, high-impact experiences than longer commitments.
How a J-term can reshape course choices and future plans, helping students move from “I don’t know” to a real next step.

Watch the Full Episode on YouTube

3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:

1. A grades-free, hands-on week can encourage a different level of student engagement. At the middle school, they saw zero office referrals and “not one student” sent down for behavior during J-term. The deeper lesson is that when the goal shifts from performance to exploration, more students lean in because the experience finally matches how they learn best.

2. J-term is an equity play because it reduces the “who you know” advantage. The high school framed it explicitly as removing barriers for families who “don’t have the means” or the pathway to get students these opportunities on their own. Guardrails like requiring internships not be at a student’s current job help ensure the week is about new exposure, not just extending what already exists.

3. Short, real-world exposure can change trajectories faster than a semester of coursework. One student had such a strong internship experience that she reworked her schedule to keep going back, and it shifted her likely postsecondary plan toward education. The big insight is that a one-week “test drive” creates clarity either way, helping students confirm a direction or rule one out while the stakes are still low.

Resources in this Episode:

Read about Camanche CSD's J-Term week

Visit Camanche CSD

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