ED467000 - Career Academy Programs in California: Outcomes and Implementation. CPRC Report - ERIC-ED467000 | Content Details

ED467000 - Career Academy Programs in California: Outcomes and Implementation. CPRC Report

Source Institution: California Univ., Berkeley. California Policy Research Center

Sponsoring Agency: Upjohn (W.E.) Inst. for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI.; Department of Education, Washington, DC.; California State Univ. , Hayward

Subject: Academic Achievement, Black Students, Career Academies, Career Education, Case Studies, Cohort Analysis, Comparative Analysis, Educational Attainment, Educational Improvement, Educational Policy, Employment Patterns, Females, High School Graduates, Longitudinal Studies, Models, Multivariate Analysis, Outcomes of Education, Policy Formation, Postsecondary Education, Program Implementation, Program Improvement, Qualitative Research, School Districts, Statewide Planning, Student Characteristics

Abstract: The outcomes and implementation of career academy programs in California were examined in a study of one school district's efforts to implement a uniform career academy model in 1990-1996. A cohort of approximately 10,000 students who were sophomores in the district's comprehensive high schools between 1990 and 1993 were followed through high school and several years thereafter. Approximately 1 4 % of the cohort members were enrolled in career academies. The data on student outcomes were subjected to a multivariate analysis. The academy students were more likely to be female and African American. Relatively well developed career academies increased their students' academic knowledge and skills, increased the probability that students would attend postsecondary education, decreased the need for later remediation in English, and increasedlthe probability of university graduation for students who were otherwise not likely to even attend a university. The career academies were somewhat less successful in increasing students' workplace skills. The following characteristics of successful career academies were identified: a relatively complete curriculum; a school-within-a-school that sheltered students from hostile or indifferent school environments; large amounts of start-up resources; a committed program head; and school and community support. (A description of the research and data analysis methods is appended. The bibliography lists 15 references.).