Position Paper on Implementation of SB 1232

By Connie Scotchel-Gross

Career academies, which began over 30 years ago in Philadelphia, have now spread throughout the country. They are one of the most common forms of small learning communities and considered one of the more effective high school reform models. They have seen considerable success in many locations, especially for at risk students (see Manpower Development Research Corporation evaluation of 2002). They have inspired a series of rigorous evaluations that have confirmed their effectiveness, especially for at risk students and for obtaining employment among male students. Characteristics of these programs include:

• Small, safe, and supportive learning environments that are personalized and inclusive of all students.
• Challenging, rigorous, and relevant curriculum that prepares students for college, careers, and productive citizenship.
• Collaborative partnerships among educators, parents, businesses, and other community resources that broadens learning opportunities.

Many career academies are small learning communities within larger high schools and are organized around a career theme. The combined college-prep and career tech curriculum connects classrooms to the world beyond high school and creates a more personalized environment where students and teachers share common interests and receive support from local employers. Research shows that there is compelling evidence that career academies improve students' academic performance. Much research has been aimed at assessing gains in the engagement and retention of at risk youth. There is verifiable data that indicates the positive effect of Career Academies for those students who are at greatest risk of not completing high school.

Many current trends favor Career Academies. Today, an estimated 24% of U.S. high schools host career academies, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s web site. In some states, like California with a long-term commitment to career academies, the penetration is higher. Estimates of career academy growth show that by the year 2006, career academies will increase from 2,000 to 6,000 or 52% of the 11, 400 high schools. Participating students will increase from 450,000 to 2,000,000 or 20% of the country’s 10,000,000 high school students.

Recent academy trends show two new patterns: career academies being developed in junior high schools and career academies growing from a single academy in a high school to multiple academies. The percentage of high schools with multiple academies will increase from 25 to 50% with many existing academy schools expand to become “wall-to-wall” academies:

• Other factors that will promote academy growth are millennial parents’ concerns. Millennial parents are very concerned about their children’s safety. Right after the millennial generation started in 1982, a host of safety regulations and laws started to be implemented; these parents view small schools or schools-within-schools as a safe place where their child is valued.
• The push for standards and accountability within the educational system will be almost impossible to address with large and impersonal schools. Making schools smaller allows for personalized and individualized teaching for more students to pass tests and ensures that schools are held accountable.
• Career academies promote “school choice”. For example, in Bakersfield, California, a school system with 15 career academies, a student has the opportunity to attend any academy within that system – much like a magnet school. For this very reason, many school districts are mandating career academies at the high school level to allow school choice within the system.
• The continuing research, including two Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation studies, promotes the small school movement. Their findings state that students attending a career academy have improved attendance and grades, are more apt to participate in school activities and have better self-esteem, and have decreased school discipline referrals.
• Educational foundations are also focusing their giving by promoting small schools/schools-within-schools. The Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and Wal-Mart are all funding small school models.

Career academies are different from traditional career and technical education since they introduce all aspects of an industry and integrate dedicated core academic subjects to the workplace through contextual, project-based learning, business mentors, and opportunities to explore a variety of employment options. Common components of career academies include a rigorous team taught academic and career theme curriculum, industry internships, advanced placement and dual enrollment options through partnerships with employers, community, and higher education.

Career academies are:

• Addressing student’s need for relevancy beginning in ninth or tenth grade
• Recognized as a high school reform model
• Aligned with small schools principles
• Communities of teamed teachers with common students
• Combinations of high academic & technical skills curriculum
• A model emphasizing “keeping at-risk students in school through graduation”
• An avenue for implementing research based teaching and learning practices
• Opportunities to experience industry internships during high school
• Focused on college/technical school/career attainment
• Strong business/industry/community advisory committee and partnerships

Issues presented by SB1232

One of the challenges facing schools and districts when implementing this model is the fusing of high rigor academic coursework and solid career technical programs into a viable program of study. Ideally, the program of study should incorporate collaborative professional communities where administrations, educators, counselors, industry partners, parents and students create an environment of personalized support offering multiple transition options to accommodate all students with a strong interest in the occupational area. In an educational environment where academic and career technical domains are separated by lack of common purpose, different administrative structures and separated physical facilities, this marriage has been difficult.

Some academies, while incorporating a theme into the high school programs, lacks a strong career technical component that offers multiple pathways, industry certification and post secondary articulations. Yet the goal of the career academies was two fold: to use interest in the career area to engage learners in academically rigorous coursework in a context that is personally meaningful; and offers them seamless transitions into high wage occupational fields. Therefore, the intent was to create a melded common purpose among educators, combining teachers’ talents across learning disciplines with support staff to create an environment of support and community where all students benefit.

The challenge of offering quality career technical programs partnered with industry to provide state of the art instruction and work-based learning current with industry needs is not a new one. Serving the workforce development needs and goals of secondary education can be a daunting task but career academies pose a solid platform. But focusing only on the career technical aspects can diminish the focus on students in ninth and tenth grade who are unable to see personal worth in school work and are struggling to master the required content. Career Academies often begin in the ninth or tenth grade and can create a program with highly engaging curriculum with teachers teamed with them over time. This more inclusive vision for career academies is not served by the Career Academy model currently being established as the benchmark for approving Florida’s Career Academies in accordance with SB1232.

While the Career Center and Banner Center models are excellent CTE programs and should be implemented throughout the state, confusion about the title Career Academy is being created. The Oakaloosa model is a stellar one demonstrating well developed industry supported career technical education merged with secondary programs. It is an ideal approach to designing inclusive programs of study for high school students. In a perfect world programs like this would be closely aligned with secondary Career Academies representing the nationally accepted definition. These programs could closely team with high school based Career Academies programs within regions and broaden the option for more students. The reality is that we need both types of program because they serve different aspects of the same goal. This is a rare opportunity to communicate more effectively between the secondary and workforce development policymakers and practitioners.

But, it is confusing when interacting with the national organizations to have a model of Career Academies different from the accepted definition.

Further, we believe we are in jeopardy of losing the secondary reform impact career academies have generated within Florida. Many Florida districts and schools have been implementing career academies through the USDOE Smaller Learning Communities grants which require integrated teaching teams and curriculum. It is a difficult undertaking to create true smaller communities in large schools since it requires new approaching to staffing, scheduling and student placement practices. By defining Career Academies without reinforcing the school-within-a-school aspect encourages the return to fragmented of student programming and teacher assignment and loss of the personalized community structures.

Recommendation for Actions

Smaller learning communities, where student experience relevance and personalization, can provide a cohesive, closely monitored secondary program with coordinate access to the Career Center programs. Our discussion should be about the design and regional coordination of programs that open access to quality education and career option for all students. We need further discussion about program titles and terminology that encompasses the work currently underway in this state and provide common understanding for what is most certainly common purpose.

We propose:

            1. A broader participation with secondary school officials, administrators and teachers in defining programs and criteria for program approval. Most of the process for creating program parameter has occurred through workforce development structures and organizations. A poll of the Career Academies in three Florida districts found little participation in the process and minimal interaction with the local Banner Centers. This is an opportunity to forge new ground in partnering and remove old barriers.

2. Conversation with national organizations who have been involved with the design, implementation and evaluation of Career Academies nationally, some of whom are endorsing this proposal. A number of these associations and organizations are currently working with programs in Florida and their perspective could help bridge the gap we perceive in the approval process as designed

            3. Formation of a joint Career Academy task force to design a clear plan that demonstrates how high school programs, career center program and banner centers can form a cohesive system offering comprehensive programs of study allowing access to all Florida’s students.

WE have contributed to this paper and endorse this position:

Southeast Coalition of Essential Schools: Kathleen Harris, President of the Board, Sharon Tritschler, Executive Director