This report is a sequel to "Profile of the California Partnership Academies, 2009-2010." The "Profile" gave an overview of California Partnerships Academies (CPAs), and included some comparisons between CPA students and all high school students in California. This report provides, for the first time, comparisons between…

This article argues that one of the central paradoxes of neo-liberalism is currently being played out in the UK Coalition Government's education policy. Rhetoric that talks of freedoms to be enjoyed by schools and teachers is at variance with a centrally imposed, reductive view of the curriculum, continuing high-stakes scrutiny and the forcing of…

State legislation launched the California Partnership Academies (CPAs) in 1984. CPAs exemplify the career academy model for preparing high school students to succeed in both college and careers. Career academies are small learning communities within larger high schools, usually enrolling students in grades 10-12. Each year students take classes…

Interest in undergraduate student research has grown in response to initiatives from various professional societies and educational organizations. Participation in research changes student attitudes towards courses as they realize the utility and relevance of what they are learning. At the U.S. Naval Academy, the chemistry majors' curriculum was…

Embarking on a universitywide journal-hosting initiative can be a resource-intensive undertaking. Providing such a service, however, can be equally rewarding, as it positions the library as both partner and colleague in the publishing process. This paper discusses ideas and strategies for institutional journal hosting gleaned over two years by the…

This Issue Brief will explore the central role that career academies can play in school improvement efforts. Career academies engage a cohort group of students and staff in a smaller learning community built on a foundation of rigorous college-prep academics and career and technical education. These programs integrate relevant career themes across…

Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) at the secondary-school level has undergone transformation, especially in the last 25 to 30 years brought about by the implementation of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1984. Earlier, the VTE education focus was to prepare students for entry-level jobs that did not require a…

The study surveyed four career academies in Georgia that replicated the model of the Georgia Central Educational Center, which integrates technical instruction and academics at the high school level. The four replication sites adhered to the major tenets of the model. The model's flexibility helped the new sites meet community needs. [For the main…

The next phase of high school reform is ripe with possibilities. Over the last 3 decades, educational research has identified a number of promising and effective high school models. Research demonstrates the benefits of career academies and early college schools. Schools that offer small, personalized environments; comprehensive approaches to…

What role can specialized schools with focus on mathematics, science, and technology have in sparking innovation? Such specialized schools can be and in some cases currently are leaders in promoting high-level content knowledge, creative and critical thinking, and problem solving--the basic ingredients of innovation. In this article, the author…

At Desert Vista High School, near Phoenix, Arizona, Perkins Innovation Grant funding is being used to fund a program that is helping to prepare students for careers in engineering by giving them hands-on experience in areas like hydrogen generation and fuel cell utilization. As one enters Dan Zavaleta's automotive and engineering classroom and lab…

At first glance, Hunterdon County Polytech Career Academy (HCP) in Flemington, New Jersey, looks like a dream school. This shared-time career academy is an autonomous school district located in Hunterdon County--a county with one of the highest per-capita incomes in the United States--and is 60 miles from both New York City and Philadelphia. HCP…

The purpose of this study was to determine if educational technologies, including LCD projectors, interactive whiteboards, tablets, document cameras, and student response systems, modify instructional delivery and student learning. This case study was researched in four classrooms, including an English, math, science and social studies classroom…

Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 database was used to determine the effects of career academy participation in grades 9 or 10 on educational aspirations. Propensity score matching was used to obtain initially equivalent groups for analysis. No statistically significant differences in postsecondary educational aspirations were…

The purpose of this study was to describe participation patterns at the district level of students enrolled in career academies and determine whether participation in career academies is a function of demographic and/or prior learning experience and prior performance variables. Ex-post facto data was used to determine six-year enrollment trends.…