Business Leaders Representing Each Prioritized Career Cluster Constitute an Ongoing Business Advisory Board to Align Business Support for Academies
What to do
Organize career academies for maximum effectiveness. Essential organizational elements at the high school level include:
• Common teacher planning time (teams of teachers meet regularly)
• Release time for academy leader (time to plan academy activities)
• Prioritized academy student scheduling (keeping the teams of teachers with same sets of students)
• Professional development integrating contextual content into academic courses)
Estimated costs for providing these activities are $300 per student per year plus the price of district support for career cluster entrepreneurs and data gathering.
Why it’s important
A funding-efficient organization is essential.
Grants from federal and private funders, usually provided for three to five years, pay for these essentials during the grant period. Planning for the post-grant “diseconomies of scale” is often limited to seeking new grants to cover the same activities.
Here is where businesses can really work together with their districts to insure these essentials are provided. For instance, the business community might agree to fund career cluster entrepreneurs while the district reallocates funds for release time and common planning time.
Signs that you’re on the right track
• Recommended best practices:
o Common planning time—two periods per week
o Release time for academy leaders—two to three periods per day
o Prioritized academy-student scheduling—at least 70 percent of academy students enrolled in academy classes taught by identified academy teachers
o Academic teachers receive professional development to support contextual integration
• Business leadership understands the diseconomies of scale and commits to assist the district in meeting these needs.
• District leadership likewise understands the importance of internal reallocation of funds to ensure the essential ingredients are provided.
• Administration/board of education support academy with adequate funding, facilities, equipment, and learning materials.
Related Resources
Northwest Florida NGL Senior Advisory Retreat - June 2009