A survey measure was developed to assess high school students' experience, knowledge, and self-confidence related to health care careers. In the fall and spring of one school year, the measure was administered to a diverse sample of 2,309 students participating in career academies focused on the health care industry. Confirmatory factor analyses…

Profound demographic and technological changes are upon us, changes that pose new and evolving challenges requiring fresh approaches from virtually every sector and system. Education is no exception. As fiscal pressures grow, federal, state, and local governments are cutting back where they can, often in human service budgets. Ironically, these…

Modern career academies aim to prepare students for college and the labor market. This paper examines the profile of students entering such academies in one school district and estimates causal effects of participation in one of the district's well-regarded academies on a range of high school and college outcomes. Using rich administrative data…

School leadership matters when discussing teacher effectiveness and student performance, and preparation programs need to graduate principals with the skills necessary to lead schools for tomorrow. The traditional approach to preparing educational leaders is no longer getting the job done. In this article, Meija, Devin and Calvert, students who…

The purpose of this study was to examine the link between technical and soft skills which students develop through enrollment in high school engineering and engineering technology Florida career academies. Based on interviews from 69 high school academy participants and 27 industry leaders, we found four themes: technical skills, interpersonal…

The Atlantic Philanthropies funded the work of the Positive and Safe Schools Advancing Greater Equity (PASSAGE) initiative, which is a unique approach to ending discipline disparities focused on partnerships between districts and community organizations. Open Society Foundations is considering funding similar work. For this interview, "Voices…

Current approaches to secondary school are producing high numbers of dropouts and low numbers of students well prepared for college and careers. Given global demand for better education quality and relevance, a reform movement in the US that blends rigorous academic learning and applied technical study may be of interest to other countries. Yet…

This study explored personal agency and motivation of students enrolled in Linked Learning Pathways across low, mid-low, mid-high, and high poverty school settings. Specifically, the study examined student personal agency beliefs, goal setting practices, and student emotional connectedness. The researcher aimed to examine student perceptions of…

In 2014-15, the high school graduation rate reached a record high of 83 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2016). Despite the gains, over half a million students still drop out of high school each year (U.S. Department of Education 2015). High schools have adopted various strategies designed to keep students who are at risk of not graduating in…

Career academies are increasingly prominent in American secondary education. However, our understanding of these academies is limited by a paucity of research about the factors that make them viable and effective. This case study highlights, from the perspective of 52 academy coordinators and teachers and 41 students, distinctive features that…

Expectations around success in academia vary, and early career academics often receive conflicting messages about what they should concentrate on to achieve promotion or tenure. Taking a social constructionist approach, this paper considers the constructs of objective and subjective career success in academia and shares the perspectives of early…

The career readiness of high school students has been a longstanding issue that has received renewed attention in recent years. To document an approach to promoting career readiness in the United States, we conducted an exploratory case study of a distinguished information technology career academy. Using the premises of capital building as a…

From 2006 to 2012, Florida Statute §1003.4156 required middle school students to complete electronic personal education planners (ePEPs) before promotion to ninth grade. The ePEP helped them identify programs of study and required high school coursework to accomplish their postsecondary education and career goals. During the same period Florida…

In a 2006 report, MDRC comparatively analyzed its evaluations of three comprehensive interventions -- Career Academies, First Things First, and Talent Development -- to identify strategies that address five critical challenges to reform: (1) creating a personalized and orderly learning environment; (2) assisting students who enter high school with…

Nationwide, National Academy Foundation (NAF) schools that offer specialty courses in finance, engineering, health sciences, hospitality and tourism, information technology, and law enforcement are designed as school-within-a-school models. The mission of NAF campuses is to provide students from low socioeconomic and at-risk backgrounds equitable…