National Academy Foundation

What does the National Academy Foundation do?

Build partnerships between high schools and businesses to develop career-themed academies - small learning communities where students create relevant, experience-based connections from rigorous study and practical work experiences.

Help school districts create new and smaller learning environments for students. NAF focuses on small, career-themed learning communities supported by professional development and partnerships between schools and business.

Create a strong sense of community and motivated, high-achieving students through research-based teaching and learning methods, professional development, and real-world work experiences that link a teen's career development with academic studies.

Support a nationwide network of educators and Academies. NAF offers leadership, quality assurance, curricula, staff development, business partnerships, on-call assistance, and a community of colleagues working in "schools within schools" and individual small schools nationwide.

Forge new career academies and transform existing schools by emphasizing:  

• Personalization and social supports
• Teaching and learning in context
• High standards and elimination of programs that track students
• Professional learning communities
• Leadership development

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What is a NAF Academy?
NAF Academies prepare students for college and career success - offering challenging, context-rich curricula with carefully integrated classroom and workplace learning experiences that put students on the cutting-edge of industry exploration and opportunity.

Academic learning is combined with hands-on work in NAF Academies. Students gain teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills vital to postsecondary education and meaningful employment.  

NAF Academies help students make purposeful connections between learning and life. Career themes link classroom experiences, internships and life after graduation. Academies offer a personalized, supportive learning environment and actively engage students.

 

NAF develops and supports academies in four career themes: Finance, Information Technology, Hospitality & Tourism and Engineering.

 

NAF Academies operate as small learning communities in existing high schools or autonomous small schools across the country.  Students apply to participate in a cadre of 30 to 60 Academy students per school per year.  These students share two to three common Academy classes each semester.  The Academy can be a two-, three-, or four-year program to enrich the traditional curriculum.

 

NAF Academies are targeted to schools in the nation's urban centers, but thrive in many urban, suburban, and rural areas where businesses exist alongside the schools.

NAF Academy partnerships help communities invest in their economic future - creating opportunity for youth through work and learning experiences that lead to success in college and careers.  NAF provides a rigorous, standards-based curriculum developed through 20 years of partnerships with high schools and businesses throughout the country.

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How is a NAF Academy different from other career academies?
NAF Academies are two- to four-year academic and career-oriented programs operating within existing high schools or as autonomous schools. Specialized NAF courses, created by educators and industry specialists, provide context to enrich a rigorous academic curriculum.

The National Academy Foundation supports and advances four Academy themes: The Academy of Finance, the Academy of Information Technology, the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism and the Academy of Engineering. Two new themes are being developed in engineering and health sciences.

While each is unique, NAF Academies share a commitment to three essential components:

• A career-themed small learning community comprises the resources, leadership, and support needed to sustain the Academy and features NAF's curriculum - designed, reviewed, and updated regularly by a team of educators and industry experts.
• Community partnerships include collaboration between the school and larger business and civic community to develop local advisory boards and paid student internships - critical factors in connecting the "real world" to classroom study.
• Professional development to enhance Academy-sustaining leadership skills and education competencies through NAF conferences, technical assistance materials and other local activities that bridge the divide between knowledge gained in schools and the cutting-edge of industry.

These three components form the National Academy Frameworks, a system of quality assurance and guidelines to set expectations for new and developing Academies, while providing benchmarks to assess progress and encouraging innovation among all Academies.

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Who are NAF Academy students?
Accomplished, poised and prepared young women and men exit NAF Academies, a step ahead of peers without benefits and ongoing mentor relationships from closely linked work and learning experiences focused on college and career success. 

Four out of five NAF Academy graduates go on to college, and 52 percent complete bachelors degrees within five years.

NAF Academies are appropriate for all high school students performing at grade level, but they are particularly targeted toward students who are not achieving their potential. 

Low-achieving students excel in NAF academies. When given a chance to learn within the context of a theme that interests them, at-risk students excel in the Academy environment.

NAF students become more engaged in their studies, resulting in improved performance and higher expectations of what they can achieve for themselves.  Back to top...

How many NAF Academies are there?
NAF serves a diverse network of small learning communities across the nation.

• 510 Academies nationwide
• 253 Academies of Finance
• 98 Academies of Hospitality & Tourism
• 132 Academies of Information Technology  
  • Running in 385 public high schools nationwide
  • Serving 177 school districts
  • Operating in 41 states and the District of Columbia

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Where are NAF Academies?
NAF is the largest school-to-career program in the country. Our Academy Locator is expected to be online by November. For questions on where to find NAF Academies, please contact the Webmaster.  Back to top...

How is NAF supported?
Corporate leadership and contributions propel NAF and Academy operations with major support from board member companies, including:  Citigroup, American Express, Merrill Lynch, NASDAQ, Sallie Mae, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and United Technologies. Other significant national contributors are: Compaq, Marriott International, Lucent Technologies, Computer Associates, Verizon, Oracle, and AT&T. 

Partnerships with over 2,000 national and local enterprises - from Fortune 100 companies and Federal agencies to local chambers of commerce and small businesses - support local Academies by providing internships, service on Advisory Boards, teacher externships, curriculum guidance, industry expertise, advocacy for Academies, and other local services unique to each community.

NAF business partners are active in school reform, enjoying rewards of good corporate citizenship earned by supporting theme-based academies and customized work experiences where students can develop the skills necessary for academic and professional success.

Building on a solid foundation, NAF is expanding its corporate funding base to encompass new industries with the introduction of academies in engineering and health sciences. Also, the NAF Center for School Design will garner resources with consultation services available to schools outside NAF's network.

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What is the history of the National Academy Foundation?
Over the past two decades NAF has been a pioneer and innovative force in the school-to-career movement and a leader among efforts to create smaller, theme-based learning environments for teens. 

1982  Led by Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of Citigroup, the first Academy of Finance is opened at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York with 35 students.

1987  With stewardship from American Express, the academy approach is applied to create an Academy of Travel & Tourism in Miami, Florida and New York City.

1989  The National Academy Foundation is established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to oversee quality of operations and support expansion of career Academies nationwide. 2000: NAF ventured into a new industry, creating the Academy of Information Technology.

2002 NAF marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the first Academy. 

2007 NAF Launched the Academy of Engineering in cooperation with Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).

Today, NAF is the largest and oldest career academy support network, serving communities of 50,000 students in over 500 Academies nationwide.  Back to top...

What is NAF's strategic plan for the next five years?
NAF will continue to be a champion of high quality education and school transformation,

Emphasizing the demonstrated success of teaching and learning that link a student's rigorous studies in core subjects with career exploration and mentored work experiences guided by industry experts.

Helping schools, businesses and communities come together to better prepare thousands of young people for their futures.

 

Providing direct service and support to those who work with NAF Academy students in their daily lives: teachers, mentors, community members and business partners.

These commitments are reflected in a structural reorganization of NAF staff and services - and in a formal statement of goals and priorities outlined in NAF's five-year strategic plan.

Click to view NAF's Five-Year Strategic Plan: 2001 - 2005 Back to top...

What is the NAF Network?
NAF encircles students with a network of support. The NAF Network links the interests and assets of people with direct impact on career-based learning opportunities.

• Students: Over 32,000 students are served each year-some who are already focused on their futures, others who are seeking direction and guidance toward a career.
• Board of Directors: NAF's success linking business, education and government leaders is largely due to efforts of an active, dedicated Board of Directors.  NAF's board provides major financial support, guidance on strategic development and program expansion.
• Academy program directors and teachers: Responsible for the day-to-day management of Academies.
• School administrators: District superintendents, high school principals and guidance counselors play a critical part in institutionalizing the program within the community.
• Business and government partners: Provide financial contributions and paid student internships, while mentoring students and teachers and sharing industry expertise.
• Alumni: NAF graduates remain actively involved with alumni associations, and serve as mentors, internship supervisors and guest speakers for current Academy students.
• National staff: Provides ongoing support for program quality nationwide. Regional Consultants supplement NAF's core leadership by assisting local Academies.

Annual conferences, regional meetings and online resources from the NAF Network support teacher professionalism and help educators become proficient in the NAF curriculum.

NAF bridges the worlds of business and academia, providing learning opportunities for teachers in the workplace and for business people in the classroom, while forging a national network of supportive peers.

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What are the benefits of Academies and NAF Network membership?
By providing a new context for learning, the Academy helps build motivation, confidence and sense of personal worth that will lead students from all backgrounds to success. The Academy serves students of all abilities, but is of particular interest to those who are not achieving their full potential.  Beyond building self-esteem, the Academy offers students quantifiable benefits:

• Nearly 100 percent of Academy students graduate from high school   
• More than four out of five go on to two- or four-year colleges   
• Students enjoy special graduation ceremonies, and receive access to awards and scholarships    
• Graduates acquire the problem-solving and teamwork skills necessary to succeed in higher education and beyond   
• Graduates are more prepared for employment and have more positive career outcomes.

The NAF Alumni Network provides graduates with professional and social networking experiences, access to scholarships, job opportunities, and mentoring and service opportunities. Many alumni continue to work in industry during college, and a significant number return to industry after graduation.

Academy help schools by offering:

• Strong partnerships with local business, community leaders and Academy parents 
• Motivated students who know that the Academy prepares them for college and for their careers
• Industry training for teachers and students 
• Involvement in the NAF National Network, and access to a national network of committed education and community leaders 
• Ongoing support for each NAF course, as well as help with advisory board and internship development 
• A vehicle for whole-school reform: many district leaders have restructured their schools around career themes, using the NAF Academy as a model.

Business partners benefit through:

• Enhanced community leadership  
• Nurturing the workforce of tomorrow  
• Building employee engagement  
• Increased workforce diversity 
• Membership in a national network

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