ISSUES & ANSWERS REL 2011– No. 101

At SERVE Center UNC, Greensboro

Replication of a 

career academy 

model: the 

Georgia Central 

Educational 

Center and four 

replication sites
ISSUES&ANSWERS REL 2011– No. 101

At SERVE Center UNC, Greensboro

Replication of a career academy model: 

the Georgia Central Educational 

Center and four replication sites

January 2011

Prepared by

Amy Detgen

Academy for Educational Development

and

Corinne Alfeld 

Academy for Educational Development
WA

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OK AR

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VA WV

KY

TN

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IL IN

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At SERVE Center UNC, Greensboro

Issues & Answers is an ongoing series of reports from short-term Fast Response Projects conducted by the regional educational laboratories on current education issues of importance at local, state, and regional levels. Fast Response Project topics 

change to reflect new issues, as identified through lab outreach and requests for assistance from policymakers and educators at state and local levels and from communities, businesses, parents, families, and youth. All Issues & Answers reports 

meet Institute of Education Sciences standards for scientifically valid research. 

January 2011

This report was prepared for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) under Contract ED-06-CO-0028 by Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast administered by SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The content 

of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education nor does 

mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

This report is in the public domain. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, it should be cited as: 

Detgen, A., and Alfeld, C. Replication of a career academy model: the Georgia Central Educational Center and four replication sites. (2011). (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2011–No. 101). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute 

of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory 

Southeast. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.

This report is available on the regional educational laboratory website at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
Summary

Replication of a career academy model: 

the Georgia Central Educational 

Center and four replication sites

REL 2011–No. 101

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.

Integrating career and technical instruction at 

the high school level has gained prominence 

in recent years, with career academies springing up around the country. Policymakers, 

educators, and researchers have grown more 

interested in career academy models as they 

search for strategies to raise student performance, academic expectations, and graduation 

rates (Kemple and Willner 2008). An increasingly popular approach to high school reform, 

career academies strive to create more effective 

paths between high school and postsecondary 

education and the workplace. 

First appearing some 35 years ago, career 

academies have been implemented in an estimated 2,500 high schools across the country 

(MDRC 2010). Partnerships with local employers are a distinctive part of the schools’ planning and implementation. A major feature of 

career academies has often been the involvement of community partners, or stakeholders, 

seen as key to developing programs and 

curricula that train students for local career 

and employment opportunities. The most 

successful career academies have involved 

stakeholders from the beginning of program 

development. 

The Georgia Central Educational Center (CEC), 

opened in 2000, is a charter career academy 

developed through a partnership of local employers, high schools, and a technical college 

in Coweta County, Georgia. Since 2004, Georgia has provided funding to other communities to replicate the CEC model. While some 

studies describe the CEC model, this study 

examines how selected elements have been 

replicated in four charter schools in Georgia. 

The aim was not to examine the effectiveness 

of the model but to see how three selected elements have been replicated and to compare the 

five schools. The three focus areas are:

•	 CEC is needs-driven. CEC develops courses 

and curricula based on community and 

employer needs.

•	 CEC is a joint venture. To encourage 

community support, CEC invites major 

stakeholders from secondary and postsecondary education and local businesses 

to serve on its steering committee or 

board.
ii Summary

•	 CEC is seamless. CEC integrates academics 

with career and technical education (horizontal seamlessness) and secondary with 

postsecondary education (vertical seamlessness), emphasizing dual enrollment 

opportunities that lead to postsecondary 

credentials.

Information on each replication site was collected through web searches for background 

information and interviews with a leader from 

each site. Site leaders reported that the three 

focus areas characterized each site. Site leaders 

also emphasized the importance of the CEC 

model’s flexibility for enabling career academies 

to tailor their programs to community needs.

Site leaders reported the following common 

features:

•	 Operation as a shared-time facility—that 

is, students attend the school for part of 

the day, before or after attending their 

local high school.

•	 Curriculum development based on a needs 

assessment of area businesses. Health care 

was identified as an employment need in 

all five sites. 

•	 Advisory committees composed of local 

business members that assist in initial 

curriculum development and regularly 

review the relevance of programs.

•	 Key partnerships with the business community, local technical colleges, and other 

community stakeholders.

•	 Support from business and postsecondary 

partners in funding, equipment, space, 

and curriculum input.

•	 Emphasis on the link between academic 

and technical skills.

•	 Academic classes, but fewer than in home 

high schools.

•	 Opportunities to earn course credits at 

technical colleges through dual enrollment. Four site leaders indicated that 

sharing physical space or colocating with a 

technical college was critical in facilitating 

vertical seamlessness. 

•	 More challenges with horizontal seamlessness than with vertical seamlessness. 

Site leaders reported the following variations: 

•	 The program areas reflect differences in 

labor force needs in the community. (An 

exception was health care, a common 

employment need.) 

•	 The composition of partnerships varied. In 

addition to local businesses and technical 

colleges, some sites partnered with local 

nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other postsecondary institutions. 

•	 The sites took various approaches to 

maintaining partnerships—from joining 

community organizations to sponsoring 

events.

•	 Two sites provided formal onsite planning 

time for career academy academic and 

technical teachers to work together. 

•	 Two sites created opportunities for faculty to interact with students’ home high 

school faculty, to align course content and 

end-of-course testing requirements.
The Georgia Department of Education Charter 

School Division, in discussion with Regional 

Educational Laboratory Southeast, suggested 

that a study of the CEC replication sites would 

help educators understand how CEC features 

are implemented and help the Georgia Department of Education better understand and anticipate inevitable variations in CEC replication.

January 2011

 Summary
iv Table of conTenTS

TablE of ConTEnTs

Why this study? 1

What is the Georgia Central Educational Center? 2

Study findings 4

The replication process 5

Central Educational Center is needs-driven: how the sites compare in identifying needs and matching them 

with curricula 6

Central Educational Center is a joint venture: how the sites compare in key partnerships 9

Central Educational Center is seamless: how the sites compare in seamlessness 11

Considerations for future replications 14

Commonalities and differences 15

Study limitations 16

Appendix A Study methods 17

Appendix B Topics for preinterview web search data 20

Appendix C Preinterview web search results 21

Appendix D Key informant interview protocol 32

Notes 34

References 35

Boxes

1 Background information 4

2 Methodology 5

Tables

1 Reasons for adopting the Central Educational Center model, timeframe to open, and mission 

statements 6

2 Needs assessment process, by site 7

3 Reported contributions of postsecondary and business partners in relationships with Central Educational 

Center career academies 10

4 Horizontal seamlessness, by site 11

5 Vertical seamlessness, by site 13

A1 Background information on the five Georgia career academy sites included in the study, 2009 18

C1 Central Educational Center, Newnan 21

C2 Walton Career Academy, Monroe 23

C3 Rockdale Career Academy, Conyers 25
Table of conTenTS 

C4 Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy, Rome 27

C5 Golden Isles Career Academy, Brunswick 29

C6 Tech High School, Atlanta (not included in the study) 31
Why ThiS STudy?

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.

Why This sTudy?

This report describes aspects of a charter career 

academy model first developed and implemented 

as the Coweta County, Georgia, Central Educational Center (CEC) in 2000. Features of the model 

were replicated by new career academies across 

Georgia, with support from the Georgia Department of Education. Policymakers, educators, and 

researchers across the country have grown more 

interested in career academy models such as the 

CEC, as they search for strategies to raise student 

performance, academic expectations, and graduation rates (Kemple and Willner 2008). Gathering 

information on the CEC, and on the sites where its 

model has been replicated, is important as states 

and school districts across the country consider 

adopting some of its strategies as a way to engage 

students and improve school performance. 

A popular approach to high school reform, career 

academies have been implemented in an estimated 

2,500 high schools across the country (MDRC 

2010). Career academies emerged some 35 years 

ago as a way to align curriculum content and 

learning experiences more closely with potential 

careers. The schools reflect the goal of creating 

more effective paths between high school and 

postsecondary education and the workplace (Kemple and Willner 2008). Partnerships with local 

employers are a distinctive feature of the schools’ 

planning and implementation (Stern, Dayton, and 

Raby 2000). 

Through mandates, funding opportunities, and 

other methods, states have supported career 

academies as a high school improvement strategy. 

For example, Florida state legislation requires 

each school district to operate at least one career academy (Florida Office of Program Policy 

Analysis and Government Accountability 2008). 

In Georgia, the state offers grants to sites wishing 

to replicate charter school career academy models. For example, in a January 2010 presentation 

before the Georgia State Board of Education, the 

state superintendent noted the recent increase in 

the number of Georgia charter schools that are 
2 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

career academies (Cox 2010). And 

the lieutenant governor’s office 

featured career academies prominently in its March 2010 “Innovation in Education Conference.” 

Although the Georgia Department of Education describes the 

CEC as a career academy, the CEC 

model differs from many career 

academies in that it functions 

as a regional career technical 

education center, operating as a 

one-hub campus and offering technical courses to 

students from multiple area high schools. The CEC 

focuses on career and technical instruction and 

partnerships with local businesses, but it is not a 

school within a school, nor is it structured around 

cohorts of students who move together from grade 

to grade. Instead, students from local high schools 

attend the CEC part-time for career-technical 

instruction and some academic instruction but 

spend the rest of the school day at their home 

school sites. 

The CEC and the replication sites studied in this 

report are charter schools. School districts in 

Georgia and other states are following the CEC 

model, structured as both a regional center and 

a charter school, in developing their own career 

academies. CEC career academies are now operating or in development in nearly 20 Georgia counties (Abdul-Alim 2009). 

Although researchers have evaluated the effects of 

school within a school career academies (American Institutes for Research and SRI International 

2006; Bragg et al. 2002; Datnow et al. 2003; 

Dynarski et al. 1998; Karp et al. 2007; Kemple and 

Willner 2008; Warford, Beauman, and Kindell 

2008), there is little research on the regional 

career technical education center approach. There 

is also little research on career academy replication. Studies of education reforms have found 

substantial variation in replications of particular 

reforms (Bodilly et al. 1998; Elmore 1996). Since 

the CEC opened, several articles have outlined its 

philosophy, origins, and guidelines for replicating 

the model (Chow 2006; Lakes 2003; MacAllum 

and Johnson 2002; Yoder and James 2006). However, these articles focus on the original CEC site. 

This study adds to the understanding of career 

academies by providing information on the approaches to replicating a specific career academy 

model in Georgia. 

For educators in other states, this study will 

contribute to an understanding of selected features 

of the CEC and four replication sites, focusing on 

three key areas: needs assessment, joint venture, 

and seamlessness. Specifically, this report answers 

the following three-part research question: 

•	 How do the CEC and the four replication sites 

compare with one another in:

•	 Processes for identifying community 

needs and addressing them through curricula and course offerings?

•	 Development and cultivation of key partnerships with stakeholders?

•	 Approaches to developing and implementing horizontal and vertical 

seamlessness? 

WhaT is ThE GEoRGia CEnTRal 

EduCaTional CEnTER?

Conceptually, the CEC is based on a model described by Harless (1998) in The Eden Conspiracy,

which outlines an education reform approach 

called “accomplishment-based curriculum.” Harless’s model stresses high expectations, advanced 

technical training combined with more rigorous 

academic instruction than typical vocational 

education, daily hands-on projects, flexibility 

for students to determine their post–high school 

paths, seamless integration of secondary and 

postsecondary instruction, and opportunities for 

work-based learning outside the classroom in local 

businesses. 
WhaT iS The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer?

A partnership of local employers, high schools, 

and a technical college in Coweta County, the CEC 

opened in 2000 as a charter school. The charter 

is critical to the model because it allows flexible 

design, structure, and operation outside state and 

local education regulations (CEC’s CEO, Mark 

Whitlock, personal communication, May 29, 2009). 

In partnership with the school district, employers, 

technical colleges, economic developers, county 

planners, and the community at large, CEC aims to 

benefit stakeholders by providing technical career 

and postsecondary training for opportunities in 

the local labor market. Specifically, CEC claims to 

offer “state-of-the-art technical and occupational 

courses to high school students with the opportunity for [receiving] . . . college credit while still in 

high school” (Yoder and James 2006, p. 1). 

CEC was quickly recognized as a potential model 

for other charter career academies in Georgia. 

The Georgia Department of Education awarded 

the school a Charter School Dissemination Grant 

in 2004 to fund three school districts’ (Whitfield, 

Walton, and Douglas) replication of the model. In 

2007, the state launched a $16 million initiative 

($1 million in grant funding and $15 million in 

bond funding) offering grants through the Technical College System of Georgia to develop high 

school career academies. That year, seven grants 

were awarded to new or existing schools, and 

another six were awarded in 2008 (http://www.

georgiacareeracademies.org/announcements.php). 

The funded career academies were required to 

have approved charters, and 5 of the 13 chose to 

replicate the CEC model.1

To guide replication at new sites, CEC set up a replication team and developed a replication manual 

(Yoder and James 2006) that defined the model as 

a process of systematically and continuously analyzing community needs, designing solutions, and 

evaluating goals. Thus, the purpose of this study 

is to describe variations in the CEC charter career 

academy model as adapted to meet the needs of 

five communities rather than to describe fidelity to 

the CEC model across sites. 

The process defined in the CEC replication manual 

incorporates nine core CEC elements (Yoder and 

James 2006): 

•	 CEC is a system. 

•	 CEC is needs-driven.

•	 CEC is a joint venture. 

•	 CEC is seamless. 

•	 CEC is experiential. 

•	 CEC has high expectations. 

•	 CEC is flexible. 

•	 CEC requires and fosters leadership. 

•	 CEC is results-driven. 

Three of these nine elements were selected for 

study. In selecting these elements, researchers 

considered the input of the CEC replication team, 

which has extensive experience in replicating the 

model. The study describes variations across five 

sites (the CEC in Coweta County and four statefunded replication sites) in the following three 

elements of the CEC model: 

•	 CEC is needs-driven. CEC develops courses 

and curricula based 

on community and 

employer needs.

•	 CEC is a joint venture. 

To encourage community support, 

CEC invites major 

stakeholders from 

secondary and postsecondary education 

and local businesses 

to serve on its steering 

committee or board.

To guide replication at 

new sites, CEC set up a 

replication team and 

developed a replication 

manual that defined 

the model as a process 

of systematically and 

continuously analyzing 

community needs, 

designing solutions, 

and evaluating goals
4 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

•	 CEC is seamless. CEC integrates academics 

with career and technical education (horizontal seamlessness) and secondary with postsecondary education (vertical seamlessness), 

emphasizing dual enrollment opportunities 

that lead to postsecondary credentials.

Five of the six sites operating at the time of the 

study agreed to participate. (Appendix A explains 

in more detail how the sites were selected.)

Box 1 defines some key terms for the study and 

provides background information on career 

academies, career academy model types, and charter schools; box 2 addresses the study methodology, described in greater detail in appendix A.

sTudy findinGs

The CEC model has been replicated in communities in rural and suburban Georgia, each with 

unique employment needs. The findings of this 

study indicate that each site adhered to the major 

tenets of the CEC model: conducting a needs 

assessment, developing partnerships with local 

credits through dual enrollment 

courses.

•	 Link high school to business, 

civic community, and higher 

education.

•	 Measure and show impact 

on student performance and 

achievement. 

•	 Reflect the local economy in their 

career themes.

Three career academy models in Georgia. The Georgia Career Academies 

Project specifies three types of career 

academy models: comprehensive 

career academies, which students 

attend all day and where they take 

both academic and career or technical courses; career academy centers 

(such as the CEC model), where 

students take primarily career or 

technical courses and return to their 

home high school for academics; 

and “school within a school” career 

academies, which have a well defined 

structure within a larger comprehensive high school. All sites in this 

study follow the career academy 

center model. Students attend home 

high schools and come to the career 

academy centers part-time for careertechnical instruction and for some 

academic instruction. 

Charter school. According to the 

Georgia Charter School Association 

(2009), charter schools are public 

schools of choice operated according to the provisions of a charter, a 

contract that gives the petitioner the 

authority and the public funding 

necessary to operate the school and 

states how it will be run. A school 

that applies for Georgia State Board 

of Education career academy funding 

must comply with all charter school 

regulations (Georgia Department of 

Education 2008). Although the CEC 

replication manual (Yoder and James 

2006) does not require CEC sites to 

be charter schools, all the replication 

sites in this study are public startup 

charter schools, so each collaborated 

with its local education agency to 

apply for the charter. One site not 

in the study, Tech High, is a startup 

charter school independent of its local 

education agency. The charter school 

format makes the schools eligible for 

state funding and allows them flexibility in design and structure. 
STudy findinGS

organized by research question. 

Researchers collected some additional items that provided context 

for the sites, such as grades served, 

number of students enrolled, opening date, and career academy history. 

Researchers used this information 

to create profiles for each site (see 

appendix C).

A list of site leaders, one at each 

replication site, was obtained from 

the CEO of the CEC. Each site leader 

had been working at the site since 

before it opened. The researchers 

jointly interviewed each site leader 

by phone, with one taking the lead 

and the other asking follow-up questions for clarification. In one case, 

researchers spoke to an additional 

key informant for information about 

the academy’s history and needs 

assessment. Key informants were 

contacted again for clarification 

when necessary.

Data analysis. The interview transcripts were organized into the 

three focus areas: needs assessment, 

joint ventures, and seamlessness. 

Researchers then independently 

reviewed the transcripts and labeled 

text segments that corresponded to 

the interview question topics. The 

analysis consisted of describing the 

responses of the five site leaders to 

each interview question in each focus 

area. For open-ended and general 

questions (regarding replication considerations, for example), researchers 

reported all responses. The order of 

the interview questions determined 

the organization of the findings section of this report.

Protection of confidentiality. Key 

informant names and position titles 

are not included in the report, except 

for the CEO of the original CEC, 

Mark Whitlock, from whom permission was obtained. Key informants 

were not guaranteed confidentiality, however. Researchers sent each 

CEO or principal the sections of the 

report that mention their site so that 

they could verify the accuracy of the 

information or identify any concerns 

about sensitive information.

businesses and at least one technical college, and 

working toward seamlessness (for example, offering dual enrollment opportunities for students). 

Within the CEC framework, site leaders said that 

the flexibility of the model was critical in adapting 

it to their local community. 

The replication process

A variety of reasons led to the decision to replicate 

the CEC model, according to leaders of the four 

replication sites (Floyd Country Schools College and Career Academy, Golden Isles Career 

Academy, Rockdale Career Academy, and Walton 

Career Academy). Site leaders at Floyd and Rockdale stressed the flexibility and adaptability of 

the model; site leaders at Golden Isles and Walton 

were strongly influenced by the vision of one or 

more members of a small group. 

Each site submitted a charter application to the 

state, which required community partnerships for 

economic and political support. The time from the 

initial idea to the opening of the CEC sites took 

two years or less at Floyd and Walton, three years 

at CEC and Rockdale, and almost five years at 

Golden Isles. 

Golden Isles and Walton share the same mission 

statement as CEC: “to ensure a viable workforce for 

the twenty-first century, based on targeted needs 

within our community” (table 1). The Floyd and 
6 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table 1 

Reasons for adopting the Central Educational Center model, timeframe to open, and mission statements

Why the central Timeframe from outset 

Site educational center model? date opened to opening doors mission

central •	 original site august 10, 2000 3 years “To ensure a viable workforce 

educational for the twenty-first century, 

center based on targeted needs 

within our community.”

Walton career •	 part of initial June 20, 2006 1.5–2 years “To ensure a viable workforce 

academy dissemination initiative. for the twenty-first century, 

•	 career-technical based on targeted needs for 

education coordinator Walton county.”

and small group saw 

opportunity in the 

model.

rockdale career •	 Tailored to local July 21, 2006 3 years “To ensure students achieve 

academy community. academic, social, and career 

•	 responsive to business 

needs.

success by providing a 

supportive environment 

•	 could adapt more 

readily than other 

that identifies, encourages, 

and develops each student’s 

interests and abilities to 

models. prepare tomorrow’s workforce 

today for a fulfilling, productive 

career.”

floyd county •	 flexibility of the model.

Schools college •	 adaptability to their and career region. academy

fall 2008 1–1.5 years “To provide the opportunity 

for all students to acquire 

technological skills necessary 

for successful present and 

future employment.”

Golden isles •	 local business owner august 1, 2009 almost 5 years “To ensure a viable twenty-first 

career academy interest in the model century workforce for Glynn 

based on state county, Georgia.”

superintendent’s 

recommendation.

Note: See appendix C for extended mission statements.

Source: Authors’ compilation based on key informant interviews and Internet searches.

Rockdale mission statements focus on students 

— in particular, ensuring that students receive the 

necessary preparation for career success— rather 

than on the workforce needs of the community. 

Central Educational Center is needs-driven: 

how the sites compare in identifying needs 

and matching them with curricula 

Because working to meet community needs is “essential to success,” according to the CEC replication 

manual, citizens, employers, and secondary and 

postsecondary educators are encouraged to develop, 

administer, and analyze local needs assessments 

(Yoder and James 2006, p. 31). As high schools face 

increasing pressure to prepare their students for 

the workforce (Kemple and Scott-Clayton 2004), 

needs assessments may help them develop relevant 

curricula with input from local businesses. Schools 

— charter schools in particular — are looking more 

to business to improve the quality of graduates and 

meet employer demands (Institute for a Competitive Workforce 2007). Needs assessments are thus 

an ongoing aspect of the CEC model and of the 

continuing effort to produce graduates skilled for 

the local workforce. 
STudy findinGS 7

Table 2 summarizes information on needs assessment for each site.

Initial needs assessment. As part of the initial 

needs assessment, CEC and the four replication 

sites surveyed local businesses. Working with the 

local chamber of commerce to obtain a business 

listing, the sites sent surveys to all area businesses 

that were chamber members. Four of the five 

mailed their surveys, while Floyd used an online 

questionnaire. Rockdale also surveyed students on 

their interests and found that students and businesses overlapped. Golden Isles hired a consultant 

to conduct the needs assessment. All sites asked 

businesses to identify their current economic 

needs, as well as the skill sets and any technical 

certificates they required of employees. Floyd also 

asked businesses to identify the types of jobs they 

will need to fill in the next five years. 

To determine the main areas of need, each site 

summarized its findings. CEC, Floyd, and Rockdale, identified 3 areas of need; Walton identified 

10–12 areas; and Golden Isles identified 18. According to the CEC site leader, the business community requested that a strong work ethic (now an 

integral part of the CEC model) be included in the 

desired student skill set.

Ongoing needs assessment. Beyond the initial 

needs assessments, researchers asked site leaders 

to describe whether and how they assess community needs over time. CEC and the four replication 

sites collect ongoing input from the community 

— some formally and others informally. The CEC, 

Rockdale, and Walton site leaders work with local 

technical colleges to determine business needs. 

The technical colleges regularly survey local 

businesses and the Georgia Department of Labor. 

Table 2 

needs assessment process, by site

number of 

initial needs areas of need 

Site assessment process identified

Top 3–5 employment 

areas of need ongoing assessment process

central mail survey of all 3

educational chamber of commerce 

center members

•	 health care

•	 Traditional trades (such 

as welding) 

Technical college surveys, 

advisory committee 

meetings

•	 information technology

Walton career mail survey of all 10–12

academy chamber of commerce 

members

•	 construction

•	 Veterinary science

•	 business/computing 

Technical college surveys, 

advisory committee 

meetings

•	 health care 

•	 automotive technology

rockdale career mail survey of all 3

academy chamber of commerce 

members and students

•	 auto services

•	 health care

•	 early childhood 

education

Technical college surveys, 

advisory committee 

meetings

floyd county online survey of all 3

Schools college businesses in region

and career 

academy

•	 health care

•	 manufacturing

•	 education

advisory committee 

meetings

Golden isles mail survey of all 18

career academy chamber of commerce 

members

•	 culinary arts

•	 cosmetology

•	 health care 

advisory committee 

meetings

•	 Welding

Source: Authors’ compilation based on key informant interviews.
8 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Since the technical colleges and 

the career academies serve the 

same communities, the academies can use that information 

rather than collect it themselves. 

All sites gather input on ongoing 

needs through their advisory 

committees—groups of industry

leaders representing each major program area, 

such as culinary arts and engineering. These committees meet two to four times a year to review the 

relevance of the career academy programs. Floyd’s 

site leader mentioned that its advisory committee 

also continually evaluates the site’s five-year plan:

After we open a program we invite key 

business leaders in that program area to 

become part of an advisory committee . . . to 

review the curriculum in that program and 

make sure that it’s still current and valid . . . 

[and to] review the training materials and 

equipment in the labs to be sure that we’re on 

target with what we’re doing. 

Needs assessment in curriculum development.

The CEC, Golden Isles, and Walton site leaders 

discussed adjusting their curricula based on their 

informal needs assessments. The Walton site 

leader explained: 

After we were in business a year or so, one of 

the things I kept hearing as I went to chamber 

of commerce meetings and other places, was a 

need for more service technicians in our heating and air conditioning industry. [I] finally 

went and talked to a number of [heating, 

ventilation, and air conditioning] industry 

folks and our technical college partner, and 

we realized that was a very valid need in our 

business community, and so we developed a 

program based on that need. 

All sites developed programs and curricula to 

meet the needs identified in the initial needs 

assessment. However, the replication site leaders 

described an approach to curriculum development 

that differed slightly from that of CEC. The CEC 

staff began curriculum development with the technical college curriculum because it was approved 

by business leaders. Teachers with industry experience then helped adjust for the high school level 

while considering the standards prescribed for the 

state’s high school–level technical career curriculum. For example, the CEC site leader explained 

that the registered nurses who teach at the high 

school “know how to tweak curriculum because 

they’re also working in hospitals part-time.”

The site leaders at Floyd, Rockdale, and Walton, 

however, reported starting the process with the 

state high school curriculum and asking the 

advisory committees to make recommendations 

and revisions. At Golden Isles, program subcommittees were asked specific questions about the 

curriculum and to write recommendations on how 

to meet curriculum needs and what skills to list on 

teachers’ job descriptions in the program area. 

Reflecting on the process. When site leaders were 

asked whether they would do anything differently 

now, leaders at three of the five sites (CEC, Floyd, 

and Rockdale) initially said that they did not think 

they would change anything in the needs assessment process. The CEC site leader later suggested 

that conducting focus groups with industry leaders might add more detail to the data. The Walton 

site leader mentioned the desire for more community input to clarify the goals for the academy. He 

suggested emphasizing the expected returns to the 

business community so that businesspeople would 

understand how their input would be used. 

The Golden Isles site leader was not involved in 

the initial needs assessment but believes that more 

engagement with the chamber of commerce and 

development authority2

 would have engaged more 

businesses up front. 

Summary. All site leaders described the needs 

assessment process as integral to curriculum 

development. All sites used a needs assessment 

as an initial step to establish their academies and 

then based their programs and curricula on the 

identified needs. All sites also reported working 

CEC and the four 

replication sites collect 

ongoing input from 

the community—

some formally and 

others informally
STudy findinGS

continually to meet community workforce needs 

over time. Site leaders’ recommendations for 

gathering more input and for earlier engagement 

with the business community suggest that needs 

assessment information is critical to developing 

programs along CEC model lines.

Central Educational Center is a joint venture: 

how the sites compare in key partnerships 

The CEC replication manual stresses the importance of securing the commitment of business 

and industry leaders, leaders in secondary and 

postsecondary education, parents, teachers, 

counselors, local governments, community-based 

organizations, and others (Yoder and James 2006). 

A successful career academy center will engage all 

stakeholders in everything from interactions with 

students and teachers to representation on the 

steering committee or board of directors (Smith 

2008). Sustaining the support and participation 

of such diverse stakeholders requires buy-in from 

all parties and a belief that the partnership will be 

mutually beneficial (Epstein et al. 2008; Wohlstetter and Smith 2006). 

Site leaders described partnerships between the 

career academy and its local business community 

and one or more technical colleges as the primary 

way of implementing sites as joint ventures. In 

applying for charters, the sites collaborated with 

their local education agency and worked with the 

local chamber of commerce as both partner and 

liaison to area businesses. Beyond these commonalities, there were variations in the number and 

type of partners, including parents and parentteacher associations, local government, nonprofit 

organizations, and retirees. The Golden Isles site 

leader reported that some partnerships developed 

through academy fundraising. 

Partner roles. To illustrate partner roles, site leaders discussed the governing group, the advisory 

committees, and the roles of individuals. At each 

site, a governing group or board of directors is 

made up of key community stakeholders who 

represent the programs of study, members of the 

chamber of commerce, technical college staff, high 

school staff, and parents. Golden Isles and Walton 

mentioned the need to have multiple stakeholders 

as members of the governing group to ensure a variety of perspectives representing the community.

The makeup of governing groups varied. CEC and 

Golden Isles had 9 members in their governing 

groups, while Walton had 13. CEC’s governing 

group consisted of chamber of commerce, school 

system, and technical college representatives. Walton’s consisted of school system, technical college, 

and business community representatives. And 

Golden Isles’ consisted of chamber of commerce, 

development authority, and board of education 

representatives. It also included parents and a local 

health care system representative. 

In all sites but Rockdale, the governing group is 

independent of the school district or technical college. The Golden Isles site leader emphasized that 

this independence allows the business community 

to build a relationship with the group without having ties to the local board of education or technical college. The Rockdale site, however, is housed 

in a facility sponsored by a school district, and 

the local school board is the academy’s governing board. The Rockdale site leader emphasized 

that the academy has other partnerships but that 

it does not have an independent group that can 

lobby the local school board on its behalf. 

All sites also have advisory committees of industry 

experts that provide input on each program area. 

The committees review curricula both during and 

after development, to ensure that programs reflect 

industry standards and 

needs.

The site leaders reported 

that partners make valuable contributions other 

than serving on boards 

and advisory committees. Postsecondary 

partners provide instructors, space, equipment, 

site leaders described 

partnerships between 

the career academy 

and its local business 

community and one or 

more technical colleges 

as the primary way of 

implementing sites 

as joint ventures
10 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

and course credits for students 

(through dual enrollment). Business partners contribute funding, 

equipment, space, and internship 

opportunities. The Walton site 

leader described a partnership 

with a local construction company 

that offers construction supplies, student internships, and job-placement opportunities. Table 3 

outlines partner contributions by postsecondary 

and business partners. 

Maintaining partnerships. All site leaders reported 

that involving stakeholders in decisionmaking is 

key to maintaining partnerships. The Floyd site 

leader stated: 

The people who are going to be most heavily 

impacted by the decision need to be made a 

significant part of the decisionmaking process 

and probably the driving force behind the 

decision. 

All sites involve stakeholders through periodic 

meetings of the governing group and advisory 

committees. According to the site leaders, meetings allow for regular communication and 

exchanges of ideas. The CEC and Floyd site leaders 

explained that partnership maintenance is also 

part of the CEO’s role, through both informal 

communication and formal memberships on community boards. 

Golden Isles, Rockdale, and Walton site leaders 

suggested that career academies need to demonstrate that their partnerships are mutually 

beneficial. By inviting partners to become involved 

in the career academy, the academies can formally 

recognize partner contributions and allow partners to see the academy’s accomplishments, thus 

reminding partners of the benefits of their investments. The Golden Isles site leader asserted:

Ultimately, it only works if . . . the students 

that we graduate have the skills that these 

businesses need and they’re able to employ 

them and grow their businesses and become 

profitable. . . . If we don’t generate the workforce or they don’t hire them, then we’re not 

closing the deal. 

Reflecting on the process. When the site leaders 

were asked what they might do differently in 

creating a joint venture, four of the five voiced no 

need for change. One leader stated that he would 

work to develop greater community support in 

the initial period of establishing a career academy, involving the community more in defining 

needs and curricula. Another leader would not 

change the site’s process but suggested formalizing 

advisory committee interaction through scheduled 

meetings instead of using the groups on an ad hoc 

basis. 

Summary. Each site followed the CEC replication 

manual recommendations of partnering with 

leaders of businesses, industry groups, secondary 

and postsecondary education, and other organizations. Site leaders reported making partnerships 

operational by inviting partners to review curricula 

as members of their governing group or advisory 

committees. While sites benefit from partner 

contributions such as funding, instructors, and facility space, the governing group and the advisory 

committees offer a structured way for stakeholders 

to benefit as well — by participating in the academy. 

Table 3 

Reported contributions of postsecondary and 

business partners in relationships with Central 

Educational Center career academies

postsecondary business 

contribution partner partner 

type contributions contributions

boards or committee 

member ✔ ✔

funding ✔

facility space ✔ ✔

instructors ✔

course credits ✔

equipment ✔ ✔

Student internships ✔

Source: Author’s compilation based on key informant interviews.
STudy findinGS

Three sites stressed the importance, as mentioned 

in the replication manual, of demonstrating the 

mutual benefits of partnerships. Also mentioned 

was the importance of involving community stakeholders from the outset and having key industry 

experts regularly review the curricula. 

Central Educational Center is seamless: how 

the sites compare in seamlessness 

According to the CEC replication manual, “seamlessness” refers to a “focus on (1) integrating 

academics with career and technical education 

and (2) integrating secondary and postsecondary 

education, with an emphasis on dual enrollment 

opportunities that lead to postsecondary credentials” (Yoder and James 2006, p. 30). Seamlessness can also be described as “erasing the lines” 

between academics and career and technical 

education (horizontal seamlessness, also known 

as curricular integration) and between secondary 

and postsecondary education (vertical seamlessness). CEC site leaders stressed the importance of 

cooperating with area high schools and technical colleges to provide students with a seamless 

education across institutions and learner levels. 

Each site worked with its local education agency 

to obtain its charter, offers primarily career and 

technical courses, and serves students from home 

high schools, where students take most of their 

academic courses.

Analyzing horizontal seamlessness. Despite the 

career academies’ career and technical focus, each 

site leader spoke of the need for students to understand the importance of academic skills as well. A 

site leader explained: 

What [students] learned [in CEC technical 

courses] was relevant. It [connected to] the 

science curriculum, and the kids remembered 

the formulas and the calculations and the 

underlying theory more because they could 

see it applied. 

All sites but Floyd offer some academic classes 

onsite to accommodate students’ schedules and 

allow them to be there 

for part of the school day 

without missing core 

courses (table 4). The CEC 

site leader explained that 

offering academic classes 

onsite also helps integrate 

academic and technical 

curricula.

However, no site provides the full range of academic courses offered 

at students’ home high schools; thus, onsite opportunities to create horizontal seamlessness are 

limited. Nevertheless, all site leaders reported 

efforts to infuse the technical curriculum with 

academic material, motivated by a recognition 

that career-technical courses need to be more 

rigorous to prepare students for today’s technical 

careers. 

Although Floyd does not offer academic classes, its 

site leader explained that academics are embedded 

throughout the technical curriculum and that all 

technical instructors are responsible for students’ 

academic learning:

We don’t teach science as a stand-alone subject. They take it at their home school, but all 

of our teachers are science teachers.

Table 4 

horizontal seamlessness, by site

Site

academic 

classes offered

common 

planning time

central educational 

center yes

yes, free 

period

Walton career 

academy yes no

rockdale career 

academy yes

yes, free 

period

floyd county Schools 

college and career 

academy no no

Golden isles career 

academy yes no

Source: Author’s compilation based on key informant interviews.

CEC site leaders stressed 

the importance of 

cooperating with 

area high schools and 

technical colleges to 

provide students with 

a seamless education 

across institutions 

and learner levels
12 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Two site leaders reported bolstering horizontal 

seamlessness by scheduling time for academic and 

technical instructors to collaborate (see table 4). 

CEC encourages common planning among instructors during a lunchtime period when no classes are 

scheduled. Such planning can involve collaboration 

between academic and technical instructors or 

between technical instructors in different areas focusing on how to teach a similar concept. Rockdale 

has campuswide professional development during 

first period for program planning.

Another strategy is to create opportunities for staff 

to plan with faculty from students’ home high 

schools. The Rockdale staff works with area high 

schools on academic and technical integration 

by aligning the content in academic classes with 

related career and technical classes such as biology 

and health. Walton creates opportunities for its staff 

to interact with local academic high school teachers 

to better understand the content of state tests. 

Although the site leaders find horizontal seamlessness important, they also acknowledge challenges, 

including the physical separation of instructors at 

the career academy and the local high schools. The 

Rockdale site leader commented: 

I can just tell you from prior experience if you 

were a stand-alone facility . . . like a comprehensive high school model, it would be a lot 

easier to build those schedules and make that 

very, very efficient. 

To achieve horizontal seamlessness, both academic and technical teachers need 

to value interdisciplinary collaboration. Collaboration can be 

challenging because these teachers 

sometimes have different perspectives on what and how students 

should be learning. 

Summarizing horizontal seamlessness. While each site leader spoke 

of the importance of integrating 

academic and technical learning 

(horizontal seamlessness), only two specific 

strategies were mentioned: common onsite faculty 

planning time and interactions with other faculty 

at home high schools. Even for the sites active in 

curriculum integration, horizontal seamlessness 

remains a challenge.

Analyzing vertical seamlessness. The link between 

secondary and postsecondary education (vertical 

seamlessness) has become central to many high 

school reform models (Bailey and Karp 2003). 

Aligning curricula— ensuring that course content 

is complementary rather than duplicative— is critical to vertical seamlessness. Decisions on which 

courses can be offered for dual enrollment are 

usually made after vertical curriculum alignment. 

One way to allow for more collaboration between 

secondary and postsecondary faculty is colocation 

—l ocating a career academy on or adjacent to a 

technical college campus. 

All four replication site leaders mentioned aligning 

academy and technical college curricula. At Floyd, 

the high school initiatives coordinator at the local 

technical college meets with the academy principal 

to develop matrices for all programs, showing a 

course sequence for each career pathway, including opportunities for dual enrollment. 

The replication site leaders also described how 

they had changed their curricula or started new 

programs to meet economic needs and supply 

a local labor force. The Golden Isles site leader 

described how working with the postsecondary 

partner on this planning could improve vertical 

seamlessness: 

If our business community said “here is 

something we recognize as valuable in the 

technical college arena,” then it made sense 

for us to try and make that a dual enrollment 

program. Automotive is a great example. We 

certainly could have had a high school–based 

automotive program, but when we talked to 

our business community, they all said that we 

recognize . . . an industry technical college’s 

certification and technical college courses 

While each site leader 

spoke of the importance 

of integrating academic 

and technical learning, 

only two strategies 

were mentioned: 

common onsite faculty 

planning time and 

interactions with faculty 

at home high schools
STudy findinGS

as being valuable to folks that work in our 

service departments. 

The CEC model gives students options. Both CEC 

and Golden Isles mentioned the benefit of obtaining a Technical College Certificate of Credit (TCC), 

given to students who complete a connected 

sequence of college courses through dual enrollment (also called “early college”) in their technical 

curriculum. The Golden Isles site leader explained:

Our kids can excel in high school, excel at 

early college, can get a TCC when they graduate from high school, and can roll on out into 

work or roll on into the upper division of . . . 

postsecondary coursework. So we are directly 

connecting high school kids to three opportunities: work, technical college, or college. 

Site leaders also described other student benefits 

of vertical seamlessness, including educational 

advancement, experiencing a college environment, 

gaining confidence, and becoming prepared for 

the workforce. One site leader explained: 

Some of these high school students, perhaps 

they’re first generation who’ve ever even sat 

in a college class. Maybe they’re that student 

that didn’t understand that he or she could 

be successful in a college environment, and 

yet here they are, while they’re in high school, 

sitting in the classroom with an adult taking 

the same class. And they immediately begin 

to see that they can be successful here. 

Dual enrollment. One approach to ensuring vertical seamlessness is establishing dual enrollment3

programs, which give students the opportunity to 

earn high school and college credits simultaneously. All the sites offer dual enrollment opportunities (table 5) in some career and technical 

courses. The purpose of dual enrollment is to “provide Georgia high school students with the opportunity to earn technical course credit in a diploma 

or certificate program while they simultaneously 

meet their high school graduation requirements” 

(Georgia Career Resource Network 2008). For 

example, CEC offers dual 

enrollment courses in 

several programs: patient 

care technician, computer 

gaming, dental assisting, 

and culinary arts.

One concern raised by 

three site leaders is how 

to determine which 

institutions should receive funding for students 

enrolled in dual enrollment courses. Through 

HOPE Grants4

 and the Quality Basic Education 

Act,5

 both the CEC site and the affiliated technical 

college receive funds for the same students when 

those students are dually enrolled. Key informants reported that some believe this constitutes 

“double dipping” and needs to be resolved. This 

issue is being addressed through discussions 

with a Georgia Department of Education working 

group. 

Colocation. Efforts to promote vertical seamlessness at some sites were facilitated by their colocation with technical colleges. Colocation occurs 

at all sites but Golden Isles. (Golden Isles brings 

technical college faculty to its campus to teach 

college-level courses, which they call “early college.”) The CEC site leader stated that replication 

sites with the closest fidelity to the CEC model are 

often colocated on a technical college campus.

Table 5 

Vertical seamlessness, by site

Site dual enrollment colocation

central education 

center yes, 8 programs yes

Walton career 

academy yes, 6 programs yes

rockdale career 

academy yes yes

floyd county 

Schools college and 

career academy yes, but limited yes

Golden isles career 

academy yes, 4 programs no

Source: Authors’ compilation based on key informant interviews.

one approach to 

ensuring vertical 

seamlessness is dual 

enrollment programs, 

which give students 

the opportunity to earn 

high school and college 

credits simultaneously
14 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Rockdale allows several area colleges to use its facilities at night. 

Courses taught to college students 

at the academy by college faculty 

are also taught to high school 

students for college credit. Walton 

doubles as a campus for a local technical college, 

with classrooms used by the academy and the college. The site leader explained: 

One of the ways we work on that vertical 

seamlessness is by making the building seamless, in and of itself, very transparent about 

what goes on here in our building. We have 

classrooms that end up being dual use. At 

some point in time, they’re high school classrooms, and then, you know, two hours later, 

they’re a college classroom. 

Table 5 outlines how CEC and each replication site 

facilitate vertical seamlessness.

Summarizing vertical seamlessness. Each site has 

achieved some degree of vertical seamlessness 

through dual enrollment. Site leaders emphasized 

the importance of working closely with local 

technical colleges; four sites are colocated with a 

technical college. 

Reflecting on the process. Two site leaders offered 

ideas when asked what they might do differently 

for horizontal and vertical seamlessness. The 

Rockdale site leader said that although he would 

not change anything in his academy’s approach, 

future goals include reaching down to middle 

schools. The Golden Isles site leader said that if 

he could do it over, he would identify a technical 

college partner earlier in the process so that they 

could better align standards and policies.

The CEC site leader had the broadest view of seamlessness. He described the relationships between the 

key stakeholders as seamless and spoke of breaking 

down silos not only between secondary and postsecondary education but also between education 

and business. He also pointed to hiring teachers 

directly from industry as a form of seamlessness. 

Considerations for future replications

At the end of the key informant interviews, after 

addressing the three research questions, site leaders were asked what they had learned that others 

considering replication should keep in mind. 

Needs assessment. The CEC site leader emphasized 

adapting the model to each community’s needs. 

Three replication site leaders asserted that flexibility is the model’s greatest strength. The Floyd site 

leader stated:

The CEC model is really driven by economic 

development, but it also provides you the 

flexibility to do what meets the needs of your 

own community. Our community needs are 

different than those that exist [in the CEC] in 

Coweta County. We have some similarities, 

but we also have some differences. 

The Golden Isles leader urged that the CEO be 

hired early in the process to become “part of that 

needs assessment, part of the formulation process, 

and not come in after all that is done and have to 

try to catch up.” 

Joint venture. The CEC site leader contended that 

the joint venture principle of the CEC model is 

most important, and the Walton leader explained 

that the strength of the partnership between 

stakeholders was in collaboration. One issue discussed by site leaders was the relationship between 

the career academy and its board of directors. 

Unlike the other career academy sites, where the 

CEO reports to an independent board, Rockdale’s 

CEO reports to the school superintendent. The site 

leader explained, “I don’t have a separate board 

that can lobby on [the academy’s] behalf to [the 

local] school board.” 

The CEO of CEC suggests that such separation is 

important:

I do not work for [a] technical college partner, 

and I do not work for our board of education. 

I work for an independent board of directors, 

Each site has achieved 

some degree of vertical 

seamlessness through 

dual enrollment
STudy findinGS

even though that independent entity relies 

on the partners for funding and staff and 

other support. So that’s kind of the first step 

in building that partnership, because that 

immediately gives our business community 

an entity that they can see is not directly tied 

into either one of those partner entities. It 

gives them an independent entity that they 

can look to build a relationship with. 

Golden Isles set up a 501(c)(3) organization for 

which the CEO works, but the site leader encouraged others considering replication to specify 

ahead of time such details as lines of reporting and 

responsibility for paying salaries. He noted that 

although there is a CEC replication manual and 

that replication involves adapting to each community, it would help to have guidelines or examples 

of how to deal with organizational issues.

Communities must also decide where to house the 

career academy and whether to share space with 

partners such as technical colleges. The CEC site 

leader discussed how facility sharing can be a form 

of partnership. Many charter schools have to lease 

space from the school system. However, neither the 

CEC nor its college partner pays the Coweta County 

School System for the use of facility space.

Partners may play a role in determining whether 

facilities can be shared and in choosing their 

locations. Site leaders pointed out various considerations in selecting a facility used to house 

the career academy. For example, renovating an 

old school building may offer the advantage of 

providing services in a familiar location, but doing 

so can confuse the community if the purpose of 

the new school is unclear. Building new structures 

requires funding and can be controversial if the 

community and partners are not strongly supportive of those expenditures, but a state-of-the-art facility in a prime location with key partners nearby 

(such as an industrial park) can be an exciting and 

stimulating addition to a community. 

Seamlessness. The CEC site leader stated that 

seamlessness is easier at sites that are colocated on 

the campus of a technical 

college or in a building 

not controlled or managed by a single high 

school. 

Three site leaders mentioned that funding for dual enrollment courses 

is a seamlessness issue. Because of the potential 

overlap in funding for dually enrolled students 

through the school system and a technical college, 

career academy sites may need to coordinate with 

the school system on a fair plan. For example, the 

Floyd site leader explained that Floyd’s plan involves cost studies by the technical college partner 

of classes for dually enrolled students; the local 

school system then pays the cost.

Commonalities and differences

Following the CEC replication manual, all sites 

conducted surveys with local businesses to assess 

employer needs. All sites created programs to 

address the top needs (health care was a common 

need across all five sites), and committees with 

business representatives provided regular advice 

on curricula.

Also in accordance with the CEC replication 

manual, the four replication sites partnered with 

various community stakeholders such as a technical college, a chamber of commerce, or labor force 

organizations. These partnerships developed 

early in the state charter application process to 

allow for financial and political support. Business 

partners provided funding, equipment, space, and 

internships for students. Postsecondary partners 

provided instructors, space, equipment, and 

course credits. In turn, the replication sites shared 

their facility, prepared students for college and the 

workforce, and helped attract new employers to 

the area. All partners marketed the career academy in their communities.

Horizontal seamlessness was reported to be more 

challenging for the sites than vertical seamlessness, primarily because instructors at the sites 

The CEC site leader and 

three replication site 

leaders asserted that 

flexibility is the model’s 

greatest strength
16 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

were physically separated from 

academic instructors at the 

students’ home high schools (an 

issue also mentioned by Johnson, 

Charner, and White 2003). Vertical seamlessness was explained 

as working with local technical 

colleges to align secondary and 

postsecondary curricula and facilitating students’ access to technical college credit via dual 

enrollment. 

In addition to these shared characteristics, some 

sites took different steps. Though all sites conducted a needs assessment of local businesses, 

one site also surveyed students about their needs. 

One site added a question about future needs to its 

business survey. The number of top needs identified ranged from 3 to 18. 

The number and types of joint venture partners 

varied across sites, from parents to local government to nonprofit organizations. A variety of 

approaches were described for involving stakeholders (such as sponsoring events and having 

site leaders serve as members of committees and 

boards for local organizations). 

While all sites aim for horizontal seamlessness, 

not all sites offer a common planning time for 

academic and technical teachers nor do all sites 

offer academic classes. And although all sites 

offer dual enrollment opportunities as part of 

their effort toward vertical seamlessness, several collaborate with high schools and technical 

colleges to facilitate scheduling dual enrollment 

courses.
notable differences in the characteristics studied. 

(Appendix B lists the information used in the web 

searches. Appendix C provides site profiles resulting from the web searches for the six operating 

career academy sites.) 

Table A1 lists background information on the five 

sites included in this study. All five are both charter schools and career academies, as defined by the 

Georgia Department of Education. All replication 

sites have received funding through a grant initiative available to charter career academies. Walton 

received funding through the CEC’s dissemination 

effort in addition to state funding. 

Data sources

Data were collected through Internet searches 

and key informant interviews. Websites provided 

background information on the sites. Information from web searches was used primarily for the 

site profiles (appendix C). Key informant interviews provided insights from site leaders on the 

study’s three focus areas. Researchers conducted 

the web searches in advance of the interviews to 

avoid asking key informants for publicly available 

information. When information was sought on a 

particular topic from both the websites and the 

respondents (for example, the date the academy 

opened), similar information was obtained. 

Internet searches. Information on the original and 

replication career academy sites was collected 

through web searches of the Georgia Department 

of Education, the original CEC site, and the replication sites. Appendix B describes the web search 

data, and appendix C describes the preinterview 

web search results for each site. One researcher 

reviewed the website for each career academy site 

and searched for each item on the website search 

data list. If the website had a search function, 

the researcher used it to locate each type of data 

on the protocol. If there was no search function, 

the researcher clicked on the links that seemed 

most related to the topics of interest. In addition 

to the career academy websites, Google searches 

were conducted using each site name as a search 
18 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table a1 

background information on the five Georgia career academy sites included in the stu dy, 2009

number of percentage of students 

date year received community students in in district eligible for free 

Site openeda state fundingb typec districtd or reduced- price lunche

central education 

center, newnan august 10, 

(original site) 2000 2000 rural: fringe 21,790 33.7

Walton career 2004 through cec; 

academy, monroe 2007 through Georgia 

department of 

June 20, 2006 education rural 12,759 38.8

rockdale career 

academy, conyers July 21, 2006 2009 Suburb 15,614 50.9

floyd county Schools 

college and career 

academy, rome fall 2008 2007 rural 10,647 46.5

Golden isles career 

academy, brunswick august 1, 2009 2007 city: small 12,630 47.9

a. Obtained from web search. 

b. Obtained from key informant interviews. 

c. U.S. Department of Education 2008a.

d. U.S. Department of Education 2008b.

e. U.S. Department of Education 2008c.

term. The information was cut and pasted into an 

Excel worksheet and the data were organized by 

research question. 

For needs assessment, researchers collected 

information on mission statements, career tracks 

or pathways, and location. For joint ventures, 

researchers collected key academic or business 

partners. For seamlessness, researchers collected 

information on work-based learning opportunities, dual enrollment opportunities, and the types 

of certificates available on graduation. In addition, 

researchers collected some items that provided 

context for the sites, such as grades served, 

number of students enrolled, opening date, and 

career academy history. Researchers used this 

information to create profiles for each site (see 

appendix C).

Key informant interviews. A list of site leaders was 

obtained from the CEO of CEC. Each site leader 

began working at the site before it opened, and 

all but the Golden Isles site leader were involved 

before the needs assessment. At one site, researchers spoke to a second key informant to obtain information about the academy’s history and needs 

assessment. The Golden Isles site leader, hired 

after the needs assessment, suggested a consultant 

who would be better qualified to answer questions 

on that topic. The researchers jointly interviewed 

each site leader by phone, with one taking the lead 

and the other asking follow-up questions. Interview questions were derived from the three-part 

research question. The key informant interview 

protocol is included in appendix D. Interviews 

took approximately 60 minutes, were recorded 

with the permission of the study participants, and 

transcribed to maintain accuracy, provide details, 

and include quotations in the report. Key informants were contacted with follow-up questions for 

clarification when necessary.

Data analysis 

The interview transcripts were organized by 

the three main focus areas. Researchers then 
researchers organized the data. The researchers 

then compiled a matrix of focus area labels to 

facilitate viewing the responses across sites. Each 

labeled text segment was entered in the appropriate cell. The analysis consisted of describing the 

responses of the five site leaders to each interview 

question in each focus area. The matrix was used 

to identify similarities and differences across the 

five sites, which the researchers summarized for 

the report. For open-ended and general questions (regarding replication considerations, for 

example), researchers included all responses in the 

report. 

During analysis, the two researchers identified 

text segments or quotations for inclusion in the 

report to explain the descriptive results. The findings section of the report follows the same order 

as the interview questions, and the subheadings 

under the focus areas correspond to the interview 

question labels.

Protection of confidentiality

Key informant names and position titles are not 

included in the report, except for the CEO of the 

original CEC site, Mark Whitlock, from whom 

permission was obtained. Key informants were 

not guaranteed confidentiality, however. Sites are 

named, and respondents are referred to as “site 

leaders.” The study reveals identifying information about sites and schools that is not technically 

publicly available, since information was gathered from interviews. The information describes 

implementation practices and site experiences. 

The study purpose was explained to respondents, 

who were asked to sign a consent form that clearly 

stated the possibility that they could be identified. 

Researchers sent CEOs the sections of the report 

that mention their site so that they could verify the 

accuracy of the reported information or to identify 

any concerns about sensitive information.
20 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Three elements of the CEC career academy model

CEC is needs-driven

•	 Mission statement

•	 Program areas and curriculum

•	 Physical location of academy: high school, 

college/university, etc.

CEC is a joint venture

•	 Key academic and business partners

CEC is seamless

•	 Dual enrollment opportunities and articulation agreements

•	 Graduation certificates or credentials

•	 Work-based learning opportunities
Table c1 

Central Educational Center, newnan

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history “The cec was designed to be an educational joint venture among local high schools, the 

regional technical college, and businesses to create new opportunities for students. in 2004, 

cec was named a national model high School by a consortium of professional educational 

organizations including the international center for leadership in education (icle), the 

council of chief State School officers (ccSSo), high Schools that Work, and many others.”

“The development of the cec was sparked by the demands of an expanding local economy 

driven by globalization and technology advancements. The cec was also developed as a 

result of the need for all employees to have the basic skills necessary to be successful in 

this rapidly changing workplace. other factors such as the need to attract new businesses 

while helping grow established businesses were impacting the community. The problems 

facing coweta county were a combination of education and workforce development 

challenges and the cec was created to address these problems. a primary goal of the cec 

was to provide high school graduates with the opportunity to continue on to college and 

to the workforce with the skills necessary to be successful in today’s rapidly expanding 

technological job market.”

date opened august 10, 2000

Grades served 9–12

number of students 1,440

number of faculty and staff 41

leadership ceo, director of high school programs, director of operations, business/community director, 

16-member board of directors.

Technical assistance a received from Georgia department of education.

cec is needs-driven

mission statement Mission: “To ensure a viable workforce for the twenty-first century, based on targeted needs 

within our community.”

Purpose: “To develop, implement, and offer innovative learning opportunities for residents 

of coweta and surrounding counties to achieve economic and personal goals.”

Goal: “To create synergy among the educational, business, industrial and governmental 

entities that will favorably impact and enhance economic development and the quality of 

life in this region.”

program areas automotive; aviation; business; business of the arts; communications Technology; 

construction Technology; cosmetology; criminal Justice; culinary; drafting; education and 

Teaching; economics; Graphic communications; health Sciences; horticulture and biology; 

heating, Ventilation, and air conditioning; information Technology; performance learning 

center; pre-engineering/robotics; Welding.

academic courses offered Junior and Senior english, u.S. and World history, economics, variety of math courses (also 

college-level academic courses in biology and psychology).

(conTinued)
22 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table c1 (conTinued) 

Central Educational Center, newnan

location “The cec building serves as the coweta county campus for West central Technical college, 

and houses the county’s evening high school and a performance learning center (plc). 

The building was reconditioned and repurposed from an old high school located in the 

geographic center of the county.”

cec is a joint venture

Key academic and business east coweta high School, newnan high School, northgate high School, West central 

partners Technical college, and local businesses.

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities West central Technical college and in rare cases with brewton-parker college or the 

and articulation agreementsb university of West Georgia.

additional certificates or advanced placement (ap) courses, Governor’s honors program (Ghp), Technical certification 

credentials available upon in advanced dental assisting, automotive electrical and electronic Systems Technician 

graduation (pending approval), automotive Service Technician, automotive heating & air conditioning 

Technician, basic dental assisting, pc and network repair Technician, help desk Specialist 

(pending approval), Game development Specialist (pending approval), residential electrical 

apprentice, food production Worker 1, law enforcement Technician, patient care assistant, 

patient care Technician, health care Science degree certificate, prep cook, cosmetology/

barbering, internet Specialist/Website designer assistant, Welding: (1. flat Shielded metal 

arc, 2. Gas metal arc, 3. overhead Shielded metal arc, 4. Gas Tungsten arc).

Work-based learning “Work-based learning (Wbl) and Teacher pipeline programs at central educational center 

opportunities are courses that link job placement with career-related course work.”

“hundreds of local business partners have provided work-based learning opportunities for 

more than 1,000 [students, aka] team members.”

“Students may participate in work-based learning in the following ways:

•	 Job shadowing: students report to a job site to explore opportunities in that field of 

study. 

•	 internship: students work either paid or unpaid at a job site that is in their field of study. 

•	 cooperative education: students are enrolled in a cooperative class and work one or two 

class periods. 

•	 youth apprenticeship: students may work as many as three blocks in their field of 

study. They also commit to work 2,000 hours on the job and to attend postsecondary 

education. 

•	 cec work-based learning directors manage the program and have students with 

credentials in the program areas: computer-assisted design, Welding, pre-engineering, 

construction, culinary arts, broadcasting/Video production, machine Tool Technology, 

Teacher apprentice, Graphic arts, horticulture, health care Science Technology, health 

care Science Shadowing, patient care assistant, patient care Technology, dental 

assisting, computer repair, accounting, financial Services, office and Support Systems, 

business administration, marketing, information Technology.”

a. Obtained from site leader interview.

b. Articulation agreements are officially approved agreements between colleges, or between colleges and school districts, that specify which and how many 

courses will be accepted for credit if students transfer between institutions.

Source: www.coweta.k12.ga.us/gacec/about.htm; www.gacec.com. 
Table c2 

Walton Career academy, monroe

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history Walton county took part in central educational center’s (cec) original dissemination 

initiative, funded by the state of Georgia. a small group within the school system saw the 

request for proposal, and the career and technical education program coordinator applied. 

after Walton was accepted, the team expanded. The site leader first joined the team as a 

business community volunteer and then worked with the team for 18 months to open their 

facility. a former high school building in the community was empty, so Walton renovated 

it. While this was a well established high school location, it took several years for the a community to change its thinking about the purpose of the facility.

“The Walton county School System was one of three communities in Georgia selected to 

receive technical assistance and create a national model high school and charter school 

based on the central educational center (cec) model.”

date opened June 20, 2006 

Grades served 10–12

number of students 275b

number of faculty and staff 15

leadership ceo, 12-member board of directors.

Technical assistance a received from original cec, Georgia department of education.

cec is needs-driven

mission statement Mission: “To ensure a viable workforce for the twenty-first century based on targeted needs 

within our community.”

Vision: “To develop, implement and offer innovative learning opportunities for residents of 

Walton and surrounding counties to achieve economic and personal goals.”

Goal: “To create synergy among the educational, business, industrial and governmental 

entities that will favorably impact and enhance economic development and the quality of 

life in this region. Why? more than 40 percent of Walton business and industry responded 

to a needs assessment survey which covered 80 percent of the manufacturing and technical 

jobs in the county. critical employee concerns included life skills, work ethic, and basic math 

and reading skills. Walton will strive to develop those attributes in our students and will 

serve as a life-long learning center for the entire community.”

program areas construction, information Technology, public Safety, engineering drawing and design, 

precision machining/manufacturing Science Technology, electronics Technology, health 

care Science Technology, Veterinary assistant, automotive Technology, cosmetology.

Walton has also “received state funding to develop a life science wing that will house a fulltime health care education program and a life science/biotechnology program, beginning 

in fall 2009.”c

academic courses offered english, language lab.

location Walton career academy is housed in a well established location in a renovated high school 

building.

cec is a joint venture

Key academic and business athens Technical college, Walton county School System, Walton county chamber of 

partners commerce, and local businesses.

(conTinued)
24 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table c2 (conTinued) 

Walton Career academy, monroe

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities dual enrollment college certifications are offered through athens Technical college, and 

some dual enrollment opportunities with Georgia perimeter college.

additional certificates or Technical certification from athens Technical college certificate program in front end 

credentials available upon alignment brake Specialist, automotive heating and air conditioning Specialist, digital 

graduation publishing, industrial mechanical Technician, mechanical Trouble Shooting, customer 

Service Specialist, Web design fundamentals, patient care assistant, drafting aide; and 

technical college diploma from athens Technical college in cosmetology, paralegal Studies, 

medical assisting. Students may also enroll in associate degree courses at athens Technical 

college.

Work-based learning information not available. 

opportunities

a. Obtained from site leader interview. 

b. Obtained from http://www.trulia.com/schools/GA-Monroe/Walton_Career_Academy. 

c. Obtained from http://www.bio.org/local/battelle2009/GA_bio_09.pdf.

Source: www.waltoncareeracademy.org.
Table c3 

Rockdale Career academy, Conyers

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history approximately 10 years ago, the local chamber of commerce became concerned that high 

school graduates going directly into the workforce did not have the requisite soft skills. 

in addition, the board of education determined that there was a decrease in the overall 

number of local students graduating from high school and in the number of students 

graduating and going directly to college. The local board began exploring options to 

address these concerns. Together with the chamber of commerce, the local superintendent 

pulled together a study group, which traveled around the Southeast region looking for 

reform models to address those issues. They were impressed with the central educational 

center (cec) and decided to replicate the model because it was flexible and was a Georgia 

model, which could be adapted more readily within their community than other models 

found throughout the country. on selecting the cec model, the career academy took 

approximately three years to open. The facility is located in an industrial park and was 

designed to look like a business center. it was funded through an education Special purpose 

local option Sales Tax, which yielded $25 million. in the second-smallest county in the a state, the building is the largest career academy facility in the state.

“in august 2002, the board of education approved the framework for the development of 

a fourth high school in rockdale county, which incorporated the planning committee’s 

recommendations. although more components could come out of committee work, 

specific components currently include:

•	 Share facilities/equipment/materials (including maintaining and updating) with business 

and industry, as well as colleges and technical colleges. 

•	 dual/joint enrollment/postsecondary credit can be earned. 

•	 Students can earn a high school diploma, a technical college degree/diploma/certificate, 

and a college degree. 

•	 include teaching staff from industry and technical colleges, as well as from traditional 

certified teacher pool. 

•	 available to full-time and part-time students in grades 9–12 (attendance zone would be 

entire county) with full-time status initially limited to juniors and seniors. 

•	 Grant diplomas. 

•	 develop an application process that includes an interview. 

•	 publicize program and begin recruitment in middle school. 

•	 offer all courses needed for career/technology seal on the diploma. 

•	 provide on-line learning opportunities for both secondary and postsecondary courses. 

•	 offer advanced placement courses. 

•	 include a School-to-Work component (internships, job shadowing, apprenticeships, etc.).

•	 include strong counseling/advisement/career support components.”

date opened July 21, 2006

Grades served 9–12b

number of students 1,250

number of faculty and staff 56

leadership ceo, 13-member board of directors

Technical assistance a none received.

(conTinued)
26 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table c3 (conTinued) 

Rockdale Career academy, Conyers

cec is needs-driven

mission statement “To ensure students achieve academic, social, and career success by providing a supportive 

environment that identifies, encourages, and develops each student’s interests and abilities 

to prepare tomorrow’s workforce today for a fulfilling, productive career by:

•	 offering programs of study designed by experts in business, industry, and education. 

•	 providing customized work-based learning experiences. 

•	 involving family and community stakeholders. 

•	 offering industry certification in appropriate programs. 

•	 Teaching a rigorous and relevant academic and career curricula. 

•	 cultivating a clear awareness of their rights, responsibilities, and obligations to be 

ethical, community-oriented citizens and productive members of the workforce and the 

global community. 

•	 fostering a sense of responsibility and ability to plan their own personal and 

professional growth beyond high school. 

•	 building a community of hope.”

program areas basic agriculture, marketing principles, fashion marketing, accounting, health care Science, 

first responder, operating Systems and management (cisco i), networking (cisco ii), 

digital media design and production, fundamentals of design and illustration, broadcast/

Video production, introduction to auto Service Technology, collision repair, production 

Technology, introduction to manufacturing and engineering, introduction to engineering 

drawing, early childhood education, human Growth development, fundamentals of 

construction Technology, culinary arts, fundamentals of public Safety and criminal Justice, 

introduction to law enforcement and patrol, floral design/landscape design, General 

horticulture/floriculture, Turf production and management, equine Science. 

academic courses offered World history, u.S. history, ap Government and politics: u.S., advanced u.S. history, 

english, advanced english, biology, ap biology, anatomy and physiology, physical Science, 

advanced physical Science, environmental Science. 

location “The rockdale career academy is the largest career academy in the state at 165,000 square 

feet. it is located in an industrial park near the center of the county. The $25 million cost for 

the facility and 49-acre site was paid for by a local tax.”

cec is a joint venture

Key academic and business deKalb Technical college, Georgia perimeter college, Gwinnett Technical college.

partners

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities articulation agreements for certain courses with deKalb Technical colleged and Gwinnett e and articulation agreementsc Technical college. a partnership with Georgia perimeter college enables students to enroll 

in “a full complement of courses from learning Support classes through sophomore level 

classes in most programs of study.”f

additional certificates or information not available.

credentials available upon 

graduation

Work-based learning information not available.

opportunities

a. Obtained from site leader interview. 

b. Obtained from www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ga/3819/. 

c. Articulation agreements are officially approved agreements between colleges, or between colleges and school districts, that specify which and how many 

courses will be accepted for credit if students transfer between institutions.

d. Obtained from http://techprep.langineer.net/misc/english.pdf/. 

e. Obtained from http://techprep.langineer.net/misc/Horticulture.pdf/.

f. Obtained from http://www.gpc.edu/newton/rca.htm.

Source: www.rockdale.k12.ga.us/schools/rca. 
Table c4 

floyd County schools College and Career academy, Rome

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history floyd county Schools college and career academy originated as a technical high school in 

1975. When enrollment started to wane, administrators began to look for ways to update 

the school to a “twenty-first century” career technical program. a steering committee 

was developed, of which russ moore, a member of the central educational center (cec) 

replication team, was a part. The committee traveled around to look at different types 

of career academies. The cec model was chosen largely because of the flexibility of the 

model and the committee’s belief that the model would be most adaptable to the needs 

of their region. upon deciding to replicate the cec model, the process took approximately 

18 months. The career academy is located in floyd county’s former technical high school, a across the street from the technical college.

“The school was created with the challenge of reaching four goals: (1) design a school 

that will develop and sustain a highly skilled work-force for the community. (2) develop a 

program that will provide a seamless transition between high school and postsecondary 

training. (3) meet the needs of business and industry and improve the community’s ability 

to attract new business and industry to the community. (4) impact the system’s high school 

completion rate.”

date opened fall 2008

Grades served 9–12

number of students 576

number of faculty and staff 24

leadership ceo, principal, assistant principal, six-member board of directors.

Technical assistance received from original cec, Georgia department of education, Technical college System of a Georgia, office of the lieutenant Governor.

cec is needs-driven

mission statement To “provide the opportunity for all students to acquire technological skills necessary for 

successful present and future employment. Qualified instructors will be responsible for 

recognizing the individual needs of students and providing a safe, secure environment 

for learning. The instructors will provide a technological curriculum to include training in 

problem solving, decisionmaking, teamwork and communication for entry into the world of 

work or additional training in postsecondary institutions.”

program areas automotive Service Technology, cisco networking academy, construction Technology, 

education, Graphic arts Technology, health care Science Technology, horticulture, industry 

academy (robotics and engineering), metal Working Technology.

Grant and local funds have been obtained and will be used to add automated 

manufacturing and industrial Systems programs.b

academic courses offered not applicable.

location The floyd county Schools college and career academy is located on the campus of the 

floyd county’s former technical high school located across the street from coosa Valley 

Technical college. 

cec is a joint venture

Key academic and business coosa Valley Technical college, floyd county Schools, and the Greater rome chamber of 

partners commerce.

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities dual enrollment opportunities with coosa Valley Technical college.

(conTinued)
28 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table c4 (conTinued) 

floyd County schools College and Career academy, Rome

additional certificates or Technical certification.

credentials available upon 

graduation

Work-based learning apprenticeship opportunities: “over 160 businesses provide apprenticeships in 

opportunities automotives, banking, child development, construction, culinary arts, drafting, 

electronics, Journalism, Graphic arts, health and medicine, horticulture, legal Services, 

manufacturing, metal Working, office management, radio and Television production, and 

more.”c

a. Obtained from site leader interview. 

b. Obtained from http://www.georgiacareeracademies.org/ga_career_academy_project.php. 

c. Obtained from http://cca.floyd boe.net/images/CCAbrochure.pdf.

Source: http://cca.floydboe.net/ and www.floydboe.net/information/CharterSchool/introCharter.cfm.
Table c5 

Golden isles Career academy, brunswick

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history planning for Golden isles started in february 2005 with a local businessman (electrical 

contractor) who needed employees with the right skills sets and ethics. he was referred 

to the state school superintendent to talk about the local schools’ career training, and 

she suggested the central educational center (cec) model. The businessman took some 

others from Glynn county with him to visit the cec, and they contributed funds to hire a 

consultant, russ moore, from the original cec site. The consultant helped the community 

do a needs assessment and prepared a report that was presented to the board of education. 

many business people were excited about the idea of a charter school, and the board 

agreed to support it. The local development authority donated land for the school, and an 

intergovernmental panel with representatives from the county commission, development 

authority, and board of education was established to manage the building project. When it 

was complete, the title was transferred to the board of education, with part ownership by a the county commission.

“Golden isles career academy (Gica) is a new public charter school located in brunswick, 

Georgia. Gica was created to build a growing partnership between the Glynn county 

School System and the regional business and industrial communities of southeast coastal 

Georgia. Gica graduates provide a viable skilled workforce to businesses in a variety of 

occupational disciplines.”

date opened august 1, 2009 

Grades served 9–12

number of students 745+

number of faculty and staff 63

leadership ceo, nine-member board of directors.

Technical assistance received from original cec, Georgia department of education, office of the lieutenant a Governor.

cec is needs-driven

mission statement Mission: “To ensure a viable 21st century workforce for Glynn county, Georgia.

The Golden isles career academy (Gica) is a new public charter school whose time has 

come — to effectively meet the educational needs of the citizens of Glynn county, as well as 

the employment requirements of businesses throughout southeast coastal Georgia.

Gica graduates deliver a skilled, well-trained workforce to the community. offering a broad 

spectrum of career learning programs, Gica’s eighteen educational curriculums provide 

Glynn county’s diverse business and industrial sector with the qualified job applicants 

needed to fulfill their ongoing employment requirements.”

Goals: “help Glynn county high Schools increase the number of students graduating 

annually who meet the requirements of the new State Graduation rule.

cause the percentage of Glynn county students dual-enrolled in career and technical 

postsecondary programs to increase by 2.5 percent per year.

increase the number of Glynn county students in work-based learning programs by 2.5 

percent per year.”

program areas agriculture/horticulture and Veterinary Science; automotive Service; broadcast/Video; 

business education; collision repair; computer-aided design; construction; cosmetology; 

criminal Justice/law enforcement and public Safety; culinary arts; dental assisting; Graphic 

communications and design; health care Science; heating/Ventilation, air conditioning, 

and refrigeration; hospitality/marketing; manufacturing/engineering; precision machining; 

Welding.

(conTinued)
30 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Table c5 (conTinued) 

Golden isles Career academy, brunswick

academic courses offered Senior english, senior math, senior social studies.

location built a new building.

cec is a joint venture

Key academic and business 

partners

altamaha Technical college, college of coastal Georgia, embry riddle aeronautical 

university.

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities dual enrollment opportunities at altamaha Technical college.

Types of certificates or 

credentials available upon 

graduation

Technical certification in cosmetology, culinary arts, criminal Justice/law enforcement/

public Safety, dental assisting (offered in fall 2010), and heating/Ventilation/air 

conditioning and refrigeration.

Work-based learning 

opportunities

Work-based learning (Wbl) “program of study that integrates school-based and workbased learning coordinated with business, industry, and labor and provides the students 

the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, postsecondary credential/diploma, and 

a certificate of occupational skills. Wbl opportunities are available in most of the career 

pathway areas.”

a. Obtained from site leader interview. 

Source: http://www.gica.us/.
Table c6 

Tech high school, atlanta (not included in the study)

background: statistics on career academy and student body

background/history “Tech high School was created and designed as an innovative charter school, approved by 

the board of atlanta public Schools (apS) in July 2003 and established by the State board 

of education in august 2003. Tech high was born out of the determination of respected, 

successful business, community, and educational leaders in the metropolitan atlanta area 

to deal with the student performance needs of atlanta and the shortage of highly skilled 

workers in Georgia.

The idea and original concept for Tech high was conceived by the Georgia public policy 

foundation based upon their research of successful schools. The Technology association 

of Georgia, representing many of the leading employers in the state, quickly adopted the 

idea and offered their support. don chapman, a Georgia Tech graduate, atlanta native, and 

entrepreneur, took the early leadership of the Tech high foundation, and noted educator 

dr. barbara christmas took the helm as Tech high’s first chief executive officer.”

date opened 2004a

Grades served 9–12

ages enrolled information not available.

number of students 233b

number of faculty and staff 26

leadership ceo, dean of student services, executive assistant to the principal, interim student data 

manager and college advisor, media specialist, business manager, special programs 

coordinator, student support services, staff director, student support services.

cec is needs-driven

mission statement Mission: “Tech high School maximizes the learning of every student. it delivers a 

comprehensive, integrated curriculum with a focus on math, science, technology, and 

communication. project-based activities and real world applications make learning relevant.”

Vision: “all graduates are prepared to succeed in college or in a technical career.”

program areas medical Science, engineering, information Technology, entrepreneurship. 

location “Tech high is housed in a historic school building, locally known as the hubert building.”

cec is a joint venture

list of academic and business information not available.

partners

other committees Tech high parents Teachers Students association (“parent involvement is encouraged 

and expected by Tech high School. parents are required to volunteer at least 20 hours 

per school year. Volunteer hours may be completed by helping during school hours or at 

school-sponsored events.”)

cec is seamless

dual enrollment opportunities dual enrollment partnership with atlanta Technical college.

additional certificates or dual seal diploma through dual enrollment partnership with atlanta Technical college.

credentials available upon 

graduation

Work-based learning internships, scholarships, youth programs, and summer programs with earthwatch 

opportunities expeditions, inc., cornell university, the central intelligence agency, u.S. Senate, 

alfred p. Sloan foundation, national association of black Journalists, and u.S. house of 

representatives page program.

Note: Tech High School is a comprehensive career academy. Students attend all day and take both academic and career or technical courses. The schools 

included in the study follow the career academy center model (Mark Whitlock, personal communication; see box 1 in main report).

a. Obtained from http://www.aecf.org/~/media/PublicationFiles/2Charters_r10.pdf 

b. Obtained from http://www.trulia.com/schools/GA-Atlanta/Tech_High_School/. 

Source: www.techhighschool.org.
32 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

assess the needs of the community, and how 

ongoing is the process? Analysis label: Initial 

needs assessment process; Ongoing needs 

assessment process

6. What have you discovered in the needs assessment? Analysis label: Needs assessment findings

7. How does your school use this information 

to develop and adjust its curriculum (career 

clusters, course offerings, etc.)? [Probe: Who 

was/is involved in the process, and how were/

are they involved?] Analysis label: Curriculum 

development

8. When thinking about the whole needs assessment process, is there anything you would do 

differently? Analysis label: Looking back at the 

needs assessment process

Joint venture

9. We would like to know the ways in which you 

consider your site to be a “joint venture.” How 

have you established critical partnerships? 

[Probes: with local businesses, other institutions, parent groups, community organizations, 

government?] Analysis label: Joint venture

10. Why were these particular partnerships 

established, and what are the partners’ roles? 

Analysis label: Partner roles

11. How do you work to maintain these partnerships? Analysis label: Maintaining partnerships

12. When thinking about the process of creating a 

joint venture, is there anything you would do 

differently? Analysis label: Looking back at the 

joint venture process

Seamlessness 

13. How does your site approach horizontal seamlessness (curricular integration)? [Probes: 

This protocol was used as a basis for interviewing all informants, the site leaders who provided the bulk of the information for 

this study. Questions were asked by researchers working in pairs. Follow-up questions are provided as probes.
How are academic skills integrated with 

career technical content? What are the reasons for using this approach?] Analysis label: 

Horizontal seamlessness

14. [If horizontal seamlessness exists] What are 

the key ways faculty are supported in this area? 

(For example, how do academic instructors 

collaborate with technical education peers? 

Are there opportunities for common planning 

time?) Analysis label: Horizontal seamlessness

15. How does your site approach vertical seamlessness (colocation, articulated courses, dual 

enrollment, schedule changes)? How did you 

decide on which approaches to use? Analysis label: Vertical seamlessness; Curriculum 

alignment; Dual enrollment and/or articulated 

courses; Colocation

16. When thinking about establishing horizontal 

and vertical seamlessness, is there anything 

you would do differently? Analysis label: Looking back at the seamlessness process

General

17. What kinds of technical assistance have you 

received? [Probes: from the Georgia Department of Education? from the CEC replication 

team?] Analysis label: Technical assistance

18. In general, what have you learned that you 

think others who are considering replication 

of the original CEC model should know in 

terms of variations in implementation? Analysis label: Replication considerations

Note: May we contact you again should clarifying 

questions arise? Also, if other people at your site 

were consulted prior to this interview for further 

information, would you please provide us with 

their contact information should we need to follow 

up with them? 
34 replicaTion of a career academy model: The GeorGia cenTral educaTional cenTer & four replicaTion SiTeS

Outstanding Pupils Educationally) “reward 

students who have earned good grades by 

helping with the expense of continuing their 

education after they graduate from high 

school” (http://www.dtae.org/hope.html). 

Georgia residents attending a Georgia public 

technical college to earn a certificate or 

diploma are eligible for a HOPE Grant regardless of high school graduation date or grade 

average.

5. The 1985 Quality Basic Education Act “increased the total amount of money appropriated for K–12 education” and “introduced 

the ‘student full-time equivalent’ standard 

in funding . . . allocating state funding to 

local school districts not on the basis of the 

total number of pupils enrolled in the system 

but depending on how many hours students 

were in class during a school day” (http://

www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.

jsp?id=h-860).

6. The fourth team member was contacted but 

not available to participate.
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