Career academies: cutting-edge reform or passing fad?

A simple idea is taking hold in American high schools these days.

It's an idea that came together more than 30 years ago when the city of Philadelphia, still reeling from inner-city riots, came together out of concern over high dropout and unemployment rates among their youth. Out of the collective efforts of community, business, education, labor and government leaders came an innovative new approach to education reform called career academies.

Career academies were originally designed to help prepare at-risk youth for productive futures by combining academic course work with vocational training through "schools-within-a-school." The first academy, with an electrical emphasis, focused on keeping students in school by providing meaningful learning experiences and promising employment upon graduation.

From the very beginning, these programs aimed at building long-term relationships between students and teachers, developing peer support and improving achievement through highly focused small learning communities operating within the infrastructure of a traditional public school.

Now Philadelphia is home to more than 28 academies serving nearly 7,000 students in 17 high schools and several middle schools. And, according to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 2,500 (almost 24 percent) American high schools have a career academy--with more springing up each year through a variety of funding mechanisms, not the least of which is the federally funded Smaller Learning Community Initiative.

The Proof is in the Results

If the results of a comprehensive study conducted by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation are any indication, career academies are more than just a good idea. The study found that participating students have improved attendance and grades; higher self-esteem and satisfaction with school; improved sense of connection with teachers, other students and school programs; lower dropout rates; lower discipline problems and incidence of school violence; and lower sense of student apathy, isolation and alienation.

Supporters and participants of these career academies attribute their success to three main ingredients: the integration of academic and technical courses in a real-world context; business support; and the small learning environment.

When it comes to analyzing exactly what constitutes a successful career academy, the California Partnership Academies are a good place to look. With a track record of more than 15 years in 500 academies and funding criteria that requires careful tracking of student performance, they've discovered that strict adherence to a consistent academy model is the best indicator of success.

The Partnership's findings confirm a growing collection of data supporting the theory that the following 12 components are common to career academies operating in the truest and most successful sense of the model.

1. A school-within-a-school or small learning community atmosphere that provides a certain degree of autonomy and flexibility.

2. An enrollment policy that includes all students--both at-risk and high achievers.

3. A voluntary enrollment policy where participating students and staff are self-selected.

4. Scheduling systems that allow for consistent groups of academy students to move together in sequence for two-four years of high school.

5. A dedicated team of teachers with decision-making power and common teacher-planning time.

6. A designated academy director or lead teacher with counselor support.

7. A broad-based career theme, such as health or information technology, that is supported by community resources.

8. A block-scheduled format that integrates academic and career/technical education.

9. Rigorous, applied and contextual college prep curricula.

10. Business and community support that provide work-based learning experience, such as job shadowing, internships, mentoring, apprenticeships, etc.

11. Articulation with postsecondary education.

12. Parental involvement and support.

Building on a Theme

An important distinction that sets career academies apart from traditional vocational training programs is that career academies are built around broad-based career themes, not specific occupations. For instance, students in a health academy are introduced to the wide and diverse array of health-related professions that make up the health industry, as opposed to being prepared to work as a home-health aide or nursing assistant.

According to Neil Howe, co-author of Millennials Rising and a scheduled keynote speaker for the upcoming 2003 ACTE Annual Convention in Orlando, this is an especially important distinction for this up-and-coming generation. Howe notes, "Much of the value-added of traditional vocational education lay in the skill taught to each teen. The style and method of education was no different from the rest of the school system. Most of the value-added of career academies lies not in the skill taught, but rather in the unconventional style and method of education--which emphasizes teamwork, continuous peer and teacher feedback, close involvement of parents, careful monitoring of behavior, high academic standards, and regular interaction with working professionals in a safe, personal, and highly structured environment."

One promising, if unexpected, side effect of career academies is consistent evidence of teacher satisfaction. Academy teachers report that they like the team teaching approach and increased decision-making opportunities they have in a career academy.

Charlie Dayton, coordinator of the Career Academy Support Network, who has studied career academies since the 1980s, explains, "every survey conducted has shown that both students and teachers prefer the academy structure to the traditional high school structure. Teachers like the academy structure because it gives them more control over the learning environment, the ability to be more effective."

Another crucial aspect is business and community involvement. Sometimes supporters think of business involvement primarily in terms of financial support. However, the real value in teaming up with local businesses is the hands-on activities such a partnership often generates. Business provides the impetus for much of the real-world relevancy central to academy curriculum through teacher externships, guest speakers in the classroom, field trips, student job shadowing, mentoring, summer and after-school jobs, unpaid and paid internships, donated equipment, and other important resources. They also incorporate the soft skills and attitudes essential for a student's successful career into the academy structure.

Building Academic Performance

Of course, no discussion about education reform is complete without reference to the all-important academic performance standards. Are career academies up to the challenge? The answer is a qualified yes. Career academies are, in fact, increasingly being seen as an effective counter measure to critics who complain about poor academic performance in general and about vocational education in particular.

One promising indicator was uncovered in a study conducted by Maxwell and Rubin (1997), which found that at-risk youth who graduated from career academies were far more apt to attend college than their non-academy counterparts.

The realities of the 21st century economic and labor market demand workers who are well prepared for highly skilled, increasing technical jobs.

Career academies everywhere are stepping up to the plate with rigorous, real-world learning programs that prepare students for postsecondary education and training and productive entry into the workforce.

As Stern, Dayton, Paik and Weisburg (1989) concluded, "Career academies are flourishing because they have succeeded in solving some of the fundamental problems in American high schools; they link school to the world outside, place academic instruction in a practical context, engage students in a learning community, avoid tracking, and prepare students for both work and further education."

Philadelphia's career academy pioneers may not have set out to revolutionize career education back in 1969. However, they'd probably agree with Connie Majka, outreach coordinator for the Philadelphia Academies, who says, "I have read the data, I have seen the statistics, and I have seen people try to dissect them. And what I have found and what I believe is that the `magic' of academies is making a human connection. When people start to think of `those kids' as `our kids,' it changes everything."

Career Academy Resources

Career Academy Support Network at http://casn.berkeley.edu

High Schools That Work at http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/hstwindex.asp

National Academy Foundation (NAF) at http://www.naf.org

National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) at http://www.ncacinc.org

Philadelphia Academies, Inc. at http://www.phsainc.org

Talent Development High Schools at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University at http://www.csos.jhu.edu/tdhs/.

Career Academy Timeline

1969: The first career academy opens its doors at Thomas Jefferson High School in Philadelphia.

1981: California jumps on the bandwagon with the creation of two academies.

1982: With funding provided by Citigroup and American Express, the first Academy of Finance opens at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, N. Y.

1984: Legislation passes in California to fund 10 additional academies, officially called California Partnership Academies.

1986: Academies of Travel and Tourism are established in New York City and Miami.

1987: Forty more academies are funded in California due to improved student performance evaluations.

1989: The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is established as a central organization to oversee the quality and expansion of academies that emphasize finance, travel and tourism, and information technology.

1990: Baltimore, Md., and Florida start academies.

1991: Ford Academies of Manufacturing Science make their debut in Dearborn, Mich.

1994: Illinois creates 20 state-funded academies. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 paves the way for increased emphasis on career academies as an effective way to prepare young people for either high-quality jobs or further education and training.

1996: The National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), a grassroots organization, is launched to help create and support emerging and existing career academies.

1998: Career Academy Support Network (CASN), a project based at the University of California at Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, is established to foster the growth and improvement of career academies and other small learning communities.

2001: The National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) partners with the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) to provide technical assistance and support to public service academies.

2002: The National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) launches pilot sites to develop academy strands in construction and communication in collaboration with Associated General Contractors and Public Relations Society of America. The National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) initiates strand development in the areas of health and manufacturing.

2003: California is home to approximately 500 career academies, with academies starting to have a strong presence in Arkansas, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Hawaii and Guam.

Sandra Mittelsteadt is executive director of the National Career Academy Coalition and a teacher who has taught at virtually every level--from preschoolers in Saudi Arabia to high-risk youth in Missouri. She can be contacted at [e-mail].

Diane Lindsey Reeves is publisher at Bright Futures Press and the author of more than 20 books about career exploration. She can be contacted at [e-mail].

Mittelsteadt and Reeves are co-authors of the Career Academy Toolkit: A Think It Through, Get It Going, Make It Happen Planning Guide for Career Academies and Other Types of High School Small Learning Communities.