On Dec. 11, 2025, a classroom at KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School was transformed. There were no rows of desks or standard lectures. Instead, students stood in the center of a U-shaped gallery of community members, classmates, school leaders, and business partners.
These students weren't just presenting a class project; they were delivering business recommendations to two of Tennessee’s most impactful organizations. This was the culminating event of their semester-long work-based learning class organized around the Teamship program. A recent addition to The College Board’s portfolio of career-connected learning programs, Teamship is an intentionally designed learning experience that allows students to solve real-world business and organizational challenges. The Teamship model organizes students into teams acting as collaborative consultants, using a design-thinking framework to move from complex problem statements to evidence-based solutions.
Beyond the Classroom: Solving Real-World Business Challenges
Four teams of four students spent the semester consulting for their “clients” — organizations seeking actionable solutions to real challenges, not hypothetical ideas.
- A Tennessee community college: The community college has experienced a significant gap between admitted applicants and enrolled students in recent years. KIPP’s Teamship students were tasked with understanding barriers in the enrollment process and proposing strategies to help convert a larger share of admitted applicants into registered students.
- A Tennessee nonprofit and advocacy organization: As legislative session approached, the organization advocated for the passage of a prioritized bill. However, the organization’s current supporter base doesn't fully reflect the wide range of stakeholders across Tennessee. KIPP’s Teamship students developed strategies to broaden the organization’s reach, develop a more inclusive talent pipeline, and ensure the organization can better represent all Tennesseans.
The students didn’t just guess at solutions. They utilized professional analytics tools and research methodologies to back their recommendations. When the presentations ended, the business partners didn't just offer polite applause — they dug deeper during a live Q & A, mirroring the expectations of professional consulting environments.
“KIPP Nashville’s Teamship students demonstrated skills that industry is seeking in the modern talent pool: (a) teamwork, as evidenced by seamless hand-offs and full participation in Q & A; and (b) deep problem solving, demonstrated through research-informed insights and prototyped physical handouts, plans, and resources for their partners,” said Ben Laptad, The College Board’s senior director of district partnerships for Teamship.
On the Leading Edge in Tennessee
KIPP Nashville Collegiate, a public charter school serving more than 400 students in North and East Nashville, is on the leading edge of a broader statewide shift in how schools prepare students for life after graduation. Serving a student population of more than 95% students of color and 37% from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the school was recently awarded an A letter grade on the state’s report card — due in part to the school’s Level 5 score on the College and Career Readiness indicator.
These results are due to strategic leadership and an openness to try new approaches — including Teamship — to support students in their transitions beyond high school. KIPP Nashville Collegiate is the first school in a six-district Tennessee cohort to complete a full semester piloting the Teamship model. Participating students have also engaged in dual enrollment courses, which can provide them with college credit while effectively bridging the gap between high school, postsecondary success, and career exploration.
Expanding access to work-based learning (WBL) opportunities is key to ensuring all students graduate with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in a rapidly changing world. Models like Teamship offer a more flexible and nimble approach to traditional work-based learning that can open doors for students, particularly in areas where access to these types of opportunities or business partners may be limited. The urgency is clear: By 2031, nearly two-thirds of jobs in Tennessee will require postsecondary education or training. Today, only 49% Tennesseans currently hold a post-high school credential. Closing this gap will require rethinking when and how students are exposed to career-connected learning.
By piloting the Teamship model, KIPP Nashville Collegiate is helping the state expand hands-on experiences that connect classroom learning to real-world applications. This pilot plays a critical role in advancing the state’s ambitious goal of achieving universal WBL adoption by the 2035-36 school year and ensuring every Tennessee graduate leaves high school with workforce-aligned experience.
A Blueprint for Statewide Success
The success of this pilot extends far beyond a single classroom. While traditional internships are a valuable component of WBL, innovative models like Teamship offer a scalable way to provide professional experiences and serve more students at once without compromising rigor or relevance. This approach ensures students develop durable skills — including collaboration, critical thinking, and professional communication — while also building social capital and professional networks that can shape future opportunities. At the same time, this model addresses the growing statewide demand for these opportunities as it opens pathways to connect earlier with Tennessee’s future workforce.
That value was evident at the event, as business leaders and community members expressed immediate interest in exploring the students’ recommendations further, while other community members in attendance shared interest in learning how to bring this model to their own organizations.
As Tennessee continues to expand access to high-quality WBL learning opportunities for students, the work at KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School serves as a proof of concept for schools, districts, and industry across the state. When we give students the tools to solve real problems, they don't just meet our expectations — they help build a stronger, more competitive workforce that drives prosperity for all of Tennessee.