Career Academies: Lessons for High School Redesign in Wisconsin
L. Allen Phelps
Prepared for the State Superintendent’s High School Task Force
January 26, 2006
Monona Terrace, Madison
1. First established in 1969 in Philadelphia as a dropout prevention program, career
academies are found in approximately 2,500 (about 24%) of the nation's high
schools 1 . Developed without Federal policies or significant benefactors, career
academies are implemented in multiple organizational forms to address different state
and local educational priorities for addressing diverse challenges and specific goals
ranging from: retaining at-risk populations to implementing school-to-work systems
to creating small learning communities to strengthening educational program
alignment with and pathways to particular industry sectors (e.g., Finance, Travel and
Tourism, and Information Technology). Recently six national organizations have
reached consensus on the three structural elements that define high school-based
career academies:
• A small learning community, comprising a group of students within the larger
high school who take classes together for at least two years, taught by a team of
teachers from different disciplines;
• A college preparatory curriculum with a career theme, enabling students to see
relationships among academic subjects and their application to a broad field of
work; and
• Partnerships with employers, the community, and local colleges, bringing
resources from outside the high school to improve student motivation and
achievement. 2
A review of the career academy directories maintained by two national organizations
(NAF and CASN) indicates that career academies in Wisconsin are limited to two
high schools in Milwaukee (Hamilton-Finance; Washington—Finance,
Law/Education/Public Service) and four in Green Bay (West-Computer and
Information Technology, East—Health Services; Preble-Integrated Manufacturing;
Southwest-International Business). Several Wisconsin school districts operate
academies that are not affiliated with national networks.
1
U.S. Department of Education. Downloaded: January 23, 2006 from http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/
ovae/pi/cte/academies.html
2
Career Academy Support Network. Downloaded: January 23, 2006 from http://casn.berkeley.edu/
definition.html
2. To strengthen the implementation of career academies based on the evolving
evaluation and research evidence, ten standards of practice have been recently
adopted by national organizations. A high quality career academy reflects the
following standards 3 :
• Defined mission and goals (simultaneously focus on college and career paths,
raise student aspirations and commitment, and increase student achievement)
• Academy structure (cross-grade articulation, cohort scheduling, etc.)
• Host district and high school (administrative support, adequate funding and
facilities, etc.)
• Faculty and staff (teacher leader, credentialed teachers, supportive counselors,
etc.)
• Professional development (common planning time, teacher professional
development, employee and parent orientation, etc.)
• Governance and leadership (advisory board, healthy partnership, student voice,
etc.)
• Curriculum and instruction (meets external standards, rigorous learning that meets
college entrance requirements, post graduate planning, dual credit options, etc.)
• Employer, Higher Education and Community Involvement (career theme fits local
economy, work and community based service learning, etc.)
• Student assessment (student data collected, multiple academic measures are
included, evidence of impact, etc.)
• Cycle of improvement (academic implementation is examined, refinements are
planned, etc.).
Each of the standards of practice is aligned with other evidence-based high school
reform and restructuring models, including SREB’s High Schools That Work, the
Johns Hopkins University Talent Development High Schools, NASSP’s Breaking
Ranks II, the National High School Alliance’s Call to Action: Transforming High
School for All Youth, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Small Learning
Communities program. Career academies can be implemented successfully as a
small school or school within a school strategy if the vision, goals, resources,
implementation plan, and stakeholder commitment all reflect the practices outlined
above.
3
Career Academy Standards of Practice. Downloaded: January 23, 2006 from http://casn.berkeley.edu/
resources/national_standards.html
3. There is limited but significant research evidence suggesting that career academies
are associated with important school and post high school outcomes 4 , including the
following:
• Higher student satisfaction, attendance, grade point averages, and course credits
earned (see studies 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the reference list)
• Lower absenteeism and dropout rates (studies 1, 4, 5 and 6)
• Postsecondary education outcomes that are at or above the national averages for
preparation, enrollment (particularly in 4-year colleges), and success (studies 6, 7,
and 8). However, most longitudinal studies do not reveal significant
effects/advantages for career academy and non-academy participants from similar
communities and backgrounds.
• Significant long term earnings benefits (≈18% greater over 4 years, $10K
differential) for male participants (studies: 9)
• Significantly better outcomes, particularly for at-risk students and for females
attending 2-year institutions, than for general education or vocational students
(studies: 6, 9, 10)
• Follow-up studies suggest that between 40-50% of career academy graduates
pursue college majors and employment in the career field (studies: 10)
Successful implementation of career academies in a local context is highly dependent
on a clear commitment to and a shared understanding of: (a) the students to be
served and their academic needs, (b) economic and workforce development priorities
and goals, and (c) the outcome indicators to be used to measure progress in meeting
student and economic development needs.
4. Most comprehensive schools with mature career academies have extensive and
multifaceted relationships with national, state, and/or industry and professional
associations. The National Academy Foundation has prepared curriculum and
instructional resources (including resources for professional development and work-
based learning programs for students) for implementation across different grades in
three career fields: business/ finance; hospitality and tourism; and information
technology. Other national organizations interested in pursuing the development of
career academy resources and programs include: the States’ Career Cluster Initiative,
the National Partnership for Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security;
the Association of General Contractors; and the Public Relations Society of America.
Currently, the National Career Academy Coalition is developing projects and
4
Expanded from Wonacott, M.E. (2002). Career Academies as Smaller Learning Communities in Brief:
Fast Facts for Policy and Practice No. 20. National Centers for Career and Technical Education.
Downloaded January 23, 2006 from http://www.nccte.org/publications/infosynthesis/in-brief/in-
brief20/index.asp
materials to support career academies in health, business and construction. In some
industry sectors (e.g., health and information technology), close alignment of the
academy curriculum with postsecondary education degrees and credentials creates
multiple pathways for further career preparation and initial certification.
A successful career academy initiative in WI will require widespread support by
business and industry networks with commitments to career development pathways
and partnerships that include appropriately aligned and articulated higher and
postsecondary education programs at 2-year and 4-year institutions. Frameworks
for career academies should also incorporate non-traditional, emerging industry and
economic needs such as: entrepreneurship and small business development, virtual
enterprises, and global marketing.
Implementation and Impact Studies
1. Copa, G. Impact of New Designs for the Comprehensive High School: Evidence from Two Early
Adapters. MDS-1316. Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of
California at Berkeley, 2000. (ED 438 419)
http://www.nccte.org/publications/ncrve/mds-13xx/mds-1316.html>
2. Elliott, M. N.; Hanser, L. M.; and Gilroy, C. L. Evidence of Positive Student Outcomes in JROTC
Career Academies. Santa Monica, CA: National Defense Research Institute, RAND, 2001. (ED 455 433)
3. Hanser, L., and Stasz, C. “The Effects of Enrollment in the Transportation Career Academy
Programs on Student Outcomes.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, Montreal, Quebec, April 19-23, 1999. (ED 431 160)
4. Kemple, J. J., and Snipes, J. C. Career Academies: Impacts on Students’ Engagement and
Performance in High School. New York: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, 2000. (ED 441
075)
5. Linnehan, F. “Measuring the Effectiveness of a Career Academy Program from an Employer’s
Perspective.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 18, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 73-89. (EJ 525 424)
6. Stern, D.; Dayton, C.; and Raby, M. Career Academies and High School Reform. Berkeley:
University of California at Berkeley, 1998.
7. Maxwell, N. L. Step to College: Moving from the Career Academy through the Four-Year
University. MDS-1313. Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of
California at Berkeley, 1999. (ED 436 645)
8. Maxwell, N. L., and Rubin, V. The Relative Impact of a Career Academy on Postsecondary Work
and Education Skills in Urban, Public High Schools. HIRE Discussion Paper Number 97-2. Hayward, CA:
Human Investment Research and Education Center, California State University, 1997. (ED 436 652)
9. Kemple, J. J. (2004). Career Academies: Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes and Educational
Attainment. New York: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, 2004.
10. Orr, M.T., Bailey, T., Hughes, K.L., Karp, M.M. & Kienzl, G.S. (2004, February). The National
Academy Foundation’s Career Academies: Shaping postsecondary transitions. Working Paper No. 17.
New York: Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University.
11. Weyers, L. (2004). Do high school academies matter? The graduates’ perspective. Unpublished
PhD Dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison.