Six conditions for successful career academies

Abstract

Career academies — small learning communities within high schools that introduce students to specific industry sectors — have become a popular way to expand career education. Yet certain institutional, economic, and social factors can inhibit their viability and scalability. Michael Lanford and Tattiya Maruco conducted a yearlong qualitative study of career academies in Southern California to identify six conditions that are necessary for establishing and maintaining a career academy that has a positive influence on students and the community.

Vocational Education and Training in the Age of Digitization

“…On the other hand, we also discovered that support from local employers may be difficult to establish and maintain without coherent alignment of an operational vision and curricular theme (Badgett, 2016;Hernandez-Gantes et al, 2017). We also realized that, to be successful promoting external supports, the role of staff specifically dedicated to promote related bonds and bridges is critical for establishing and sustaining local partnerships (Lanford & Maruco, 2019;Hernandez-Gantes et al, 2017. This is where another issue comes about, as the resources in career academies are too limited by virtue of their small size.…”

“…The small size of career academies provides an opportunity for school staff to emphasize individual attention to students, which we observed across school sites. At the same time, it enhances the awareness of student needs and the obligation to help them succeed in school (Fletcher, Hernandez-Gantes, & Smith, 2019;Lanford & Maruco, 2019). In this case, Cascade Academy operates in a middle-income suburban community with a thriving economy.…”

“…To address this issue, there have been efforts to inform related implementation with the development of standards of practice by national organizations (Stern, Dayton, & Raby, 2010). Nevertheless, implementation issues continued to linger, pointing to the role of varying local conditions and supports (Conchas & Clark, 2002;Lanford & Maruco, 2019).…”

“…To increase participation in technology-based programs such as IT, educators have explored alternative strategies to boost interest and preparation in related pathways in high school (Warner et al, 2016). Featuring smaller learning communities and occupational career themes, the career academy model has resulted in promising outcomes over the past two decades (Kemple, 2008;Lanford & Maruco, 2019). Career academies are small schools within a larger comprehensive school and work in partnership with employers to integrate academic and technical content and provide work-based learning experiences to students (Stern, Dayton, & Raby, 2010).…”

“…However, as the popularity of the career academy model has grown over the years, the quality of implementation and student technological preparation have been taken for granted. Given the positive outcomes of participation, the general assumption is that the career academy model should work anywhere if standards of practice are followed (Conchas & Clark, 2002;Lanford & Maruco, 2019).…”