This article, written by Melinda Anderson, explores the benefits and the disadvantages of career academies. The article asserts that while these schools-within-schools blend traditional and technical courses to smooth the transition from high school to working life, they may be inadvertently propagating inequality. Career academies embrace many positive approaches such as strong personalized-learning environments, a commitment to helping students complete high school, and opportunities to participate in meaningful work-related learning experiences. However, this article explores the idea that by themselves career academies are not a guarantee for educational equity. Disparate educational and academic offerings based on the enrollment patterns by race, language, and class, do not give all students equal opportunities to learn with a varied selection in courses and academic rigor.
This article may be helpful to teachers, school leaders, and policy makers thinking about how best to approach curriculum and offerings to ensure equity in career academies.
Source Organization: The Atlantic