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 ALBANY, N.Y. (April 9, 2008)
-- Albany High School has been chosen
to join a select handful of American high schools that each will form an
Academy of Engineering through the
National Academy Foundation and its
collaboration with Project Lead The Way and the
National Action Council
for Minorities in Engineering.
Announced last fall, this national
initiative is focused on exposing high school students to careers in
science, technology, engineering and math. The initiative will launch
this fall at 13 high schools nationwide. Albany High has been selected
among 20 additional high schools that will admit the first class of
students into academies in September 2009.
“We are at a critical time in our country
where we are faced with an acute need to revitalize and redesign the way
we teach science, technology, engineering and math,” said City School
District of Albany Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D. “We no longer can
teach them as separate components because that’s not the way the real
world is interacting in today’s competitive global economy.
“This is an exciting opportunity to provide
all of our students with the skills that will prepare them to become
leaders in this evolving workplace, whether they choose to pursue
rewarding careers immediately after high school graduation or continue
on to college.”
The
Academy of Engineering will enroll
75-100 freshmen each year, beginning with members of Albany High’s Class
of 2013. The academy will have a total enrollment of 300-400 students
when it is fully phased in across the four grade levels at the start of
the 2012-13 school year.
The National Academy Foundation selected
Albany High for the program following a site visit April 2. A local team
of more than 30 representatives from the district and the community now
begin 15 months of planning for a successful debut in September 2009.
The planning component enables a school to
engage in the start-up process with assistance from the National Academy
Foundation. Albany High’s team will participate in a year-long
Self-Assessment and Planning process aimed at developing an
implementation plan for the academy. That process will include National
Academy Foundation technical assistance, staff development activities
and other benefits associated with membership in the foundation’s
network.
The program also includes ongoing support
and technical assistance annually as the program grows to full
implementation.
“Accreditation through the NAF will make
sure that we’re not only doing a true engineering academy, but that year
in and year out we’re on the cutting edge of instruction that is
parallel with what is going on in the real world of science and
engineering,” said Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education
Joseph P. Dragone, Ph.D.
Pillars of the National Academy Foundation
include accessibility and success for all students, 100 percent
graduation rate of students in the academy and work or internship
experience during their academy careers.
Among the factors in Albany High’s favor was
its current leadership in science, technology, engineering and math.
Already a Project Lead the Way school, the district also has launched
the first public-school-based nanosciences curriculum this year in
partnership with the University at Albany’s
College of Nanoscale Science
and Engineering.
The district also has been awarded two
grants in excess of $200,000 to launch science- and engineering-based
summer programs beginning this year.
The Academy of Engineering provides business
leaders the opportunity to partner with schools by securing internships,
volunteering in classrooms, acting as mentors and serving on local
advisory boards.
National partnerships with the National
Academy Foundation position many of these engineering companies to
engage their employees in academies, assisting students to prepare for
college and careers, and providing their companies with an important
workforce for the future.
The Capital Region’s emergence as an
international leader in the burgeoning field of nanoscience has been an
essential element in the school district’s efforts to develop
cutting-edge science and technology programs for all of its students.
The Academy of Engineering is a significant advance in that critical
initiative.
“The industry potential is limitless,” said
Jackie Carrese, the district’s instructional supervisor for science.
“The Capital Region is on the verge of an economic boom, where
advancements in science and engineering at the nano level are happening
so fast that the workforce needs cannot keep up.
“Our graduates will be fluent in the
real-world work that needs to be done, and in the team approach to
seeing a concept through each phase of production to the product that’s
used in real life to benefit society.”
A major emphasis of the Academy of
Engineering at Albany High will be exposing all students to career
pathways they can follow with a high school diploma or with advanced
levels of education. Starting salaries in many emerging technology
fields range from up to $70,000 with a minimum requirement of a high
school diploma to $90,000 with a bachelor’s degree and more than
$100,000 with a Ph.D.
The Academy of
Engineering will be based on the National Academy Foundation’s “schools
within high schools” model using world-class engineering curriculum
developed by Project Lead the Way. Its essential concept is based on
expertise from engineering and manufacturing industry leaders and
experts.
The City School
District of Albany serves approximately 8,600 students in 18
elementary, middle and high schools. The district includes several
magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic
opportunities for students in addition to neighborhood schools. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary
and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is
to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students
succeed in the 21st century. |
