How to Begin

One of the first and most important decisions in starting a new academy is the choice of career field. Academies draw on the inherent interest students have in learning about some feature of the world of work to motivate them to take seriously their core academic subjects as well. Thus, the field needs to be one that holds interest for students. It also needs to be one with interested employers in the community who will provide the support needed for an academy: advisory board members, speakers, field trip hosts, mentors and internships. And, it needs to be an industry that is healthy and growing, so there will be jobs when academy graduates are ready for them.

A program considering starting an academy may not know which theme to implement. The Year of Planning program is the ideal course for schools to take in order to receive technical assistance in developing consensus among all academy partners, including students, as to which theme to implement.

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