Ten Reasons Why You Should Start a Career Academy in Your High School

Reason number one is that your school has over a student population of one thousand students. Students tend to be safer and more engaged if they are in a smaller group within a big high school.

Your school wants to connect the rigor of college-prep courses with the relevancy of the "real" world is the second reason. If the "real" world context is embedded in the classroom, students are motivated to learn.

Reason three includes that your school wants to consider high school reform efforts that are inclusive of all students including high achievers and those at-risk for failure. Schools should not be tracking students. All students are smart in some way, so teachers need to help students figure out how they are smart and can succeed with the "smarts" they have.

The fourth reason is that your school wants to find proven methods of increasing attendance and graduation rates. Academies support students and make them feel welcome and valued. Of course, students who feel wanted stay in school.

Your school wants to build partnerships among educators, employers, parents, and community leaders is number five. Most business leaders don't know to "get their arms around" a high school, but, these same leaders know how to connect with a health academy or an engineering academy.

Sixth is that your school wants to implement strategies that increase teacher job satisfaction and effectiveness. Teaching can be a lonely profession when a teacher closes the classroom door. Most teachers love being part of a team and sharing ideas and strategies with other teachers.

Reason number seven is that your school wants to build a sense of belonging and well-being among its students. Think of the career academy as a gang - except this is a positive gang. Why do students join a gang? The answer is to belong and be accepted.

Your school wants to find proactive ways to decrease discipline problems and prevent violence is number eight. Again, students who feel welcome and accepted don't need to cause discipline problems to be noticed.

Nine is that your school wants to challenge students to perform at their full potential. Because career academies are a school within a school, teachers know each individual student and can challenge students to a higher level of achievement.

Number ten and lastly is that you want to do all that you can to prepare your students to succeed in the workplace and to assume roles of responsible citizenship. Teachers in a career academy generally have more autonomy and can accomplish more than the regular high school teacher or counselor or administrator.