National Academy Foundation
Encyclopedia
National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an educational non profit organization. The mission of the National Academy Foundation (NAF) is to sustain a national network of career academies to support the development of youth toward personal and professional success in high school, in higher education, and throughout their careers. NAF Academies represent business/school partnerships that prepare young people for future careers through a combination of school-based curricula and work-based experiences. (source www.naf.org)
Sanford I. Weill. His proposal was accepted by the New York City Board of Education resulted in the opening of the first Academy of Finance in a Brooklyn public high school in 1982. The program was designed specifically to address the lack of opportunity for young people in New York City.
As Weill explained in his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee:
In 1987, NAF's Hospitality and Tourism theme was launched with the opening of two pilot Academies, one in Miami, Florida
and another in Richmond Hill, New York, with support from the American Express Foundation.
In 2000 NAF piloted a third theme, opening Academies of Information Technology in 12 high schools across the country with support from Lucent, AT&T
, United Technologies, GTE
/Verizon, Oracle
, Computer Associates and Compaq
.
In 2002, the first set of Career Academies outside the US were set up in the United Kingdom by Career Academies UK, affiliated to NAF
Today there are 130 Academies of Hospitality and Tourism, 159 Academies of Information Technology, and 318 Academies of Finance located in 40 states and the District of Columbia supported locally by over 2,000 businesses and corporations.
Recently, the NAF has created a fourth academy soon to grow in numbers like the other three major academies. This new academy is known as the Academy of Engineering.
NAF academies can be characterized as ‘schools within schools’ and serving a small community of students for two or more years. Normally these academies are run and taught by the same teachers for a number of semesters. During that time a number of different components come together to prepare students for both a potential career and going onto college. The teachers of the academies generally are skilled in both academic and the technical knowledge of the field in which the academy is focused. They meet often to coordinate the curriculum, take care of administrative details and are involved outside the classroom with local businesses and sponsors.
Summer internships of about six to eight weeks are centerpieces of the academy programs and usually pay the students for their work. During the internship the students spend some time training and often report to a school staff supervisor and sometimes have a workplace mentor. Seniors in the program combine work-based learning with corresponding curricular activities to learn more about the industry, job, “explore careers, plan for college, and develop their social and interpersonal skills.”
There have been significant reports and statistics on the outcome of students from these Career Academies. Milton Chen, author of Education Nation and former executive director for the George Lucas Educational Foundation, sums up the most recent reports:
- In comparison with non-academy students, graduates of NAF institutes earn on average of 11% more per year in the eight years after graduation.
- While most academies are located in urban areas where the average high school graduation rate is 50%, over 90% of NAF students graduate high school
- Over half of these graduates earn bachelor’s degrees in four years while the national average is only 32%.
Currently the National Academy Foundation focuses on four career themes: Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Information Technology, or Engineering. These themes are carried out by teachers supported by NAF professional development, training, technical support and curriculum. NAF academies usually run the last two years of high school but some are looking to expand the length of the programs so as to better prepare students for college and/or a career.
History
NAF was created by philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Sanford I. Weill. His proposal was accepted by the New York City Board of Education resulted in the opening of the first Academy of Finance in a Brooklyn public high school in 1982. The program was designed specifically to address the lack of opportunity for young people in New York City.
As Weill explained in his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee:
In 1987, NAF's Hospitality and Tourism theme was launched with the opening of two pilot Academies, one in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and another in Richmond Hill, New York, with support from the American Express Foundation.
In 2000 NAF piloted a third theme, opening Academies of Information Technology in 12 high schools across the country with support from Lucent, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, United Technologies, GTE
GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System....
/Verizon, Oracle
Oracle (disambiguation)
An oracle In Greek and Roman polytheism was an agency or medium, usually a priest or a priestess, through which the gods were supposed to speak or prophesy.In generalized usage, an oracle can also be:*divine revelation in Christianity...
, Computer Associates and Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
.
In 2002, the first set of Career Academies outside the US were set up in the United Kingdom by Career Academies UK, affiliated to NAF
Today there are 130 Academies of Hospitality and Tourism, 159 Academies of Information Technology, and 318 Academies of Finance located in 40 states and the District of Columbia supported locally by over 2,000 businesses and corporations.
Recently, the NAF has created a fourth academy soon to grow in numbers like the other three major academies. This new academy is known as the Academy of Engineering.
Purposes and Components
'College prep plus' aptly describes the career academies of the NAF. The National Academy Foundation sponsors these differing institutions of learning to encourage and facilitate both preparation for college and technical training in a career path.NAF academies can be characterized as ‘schools within schools’ and serving a small community of students for two or more years. Normally these academies are run and taught by the same teachers for a number of semesters. During that time a number of different components come together to prepare students for both a potential career and going onto college. The teachers of the academies generally are skilled in both academic and the technical knowledge of the field in which the academy is focused. They meet often to coordinate the curriculum, take care of administrative details and are involved outside the classroom with local businesses and sponsors.
Summer internships of about six to eight weeks are centerpieces of the academy programs and usually pay the students for their work. During the internship the students spend some time training and often report to a school staff supervisor and sometimes have a workplace mentor. Seniors in the program combine work-based learning with corresponding curricular activities to learn more about the industry, job, “explore careers, plan for college, and develop their social and interpersonal skills.”
There have been significant reports and statistics on the outcome of students from these Career Academies. Milton Chen, author of Education Nation and former executive director for the George Lucas Educational Foundation, sums up the most recent reports:
- In comparison with non-academy students, graduates of NAF institutes earn on average of 11% more per year in the eight years after graduation.
- While most academies are located in urban areas where the average high school graduation rate is 50%, over 90% of NAF students graduate high school
- Over half of these graduates earn bachelor’s degrees in four years while the national average is only 32%.
Currently the National Academy Foundation focuses on four career themes: Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Information Technology, or Engineering. These themes are carried out by teachers supported by NAF professional development, training, technical support and curriculum. NAF academies usually run the last two years of high school but some are looking to expand the length of the programs so as to better prepare students for college and/or a career.
List of Governing Academies
- Academy of EngineeringAcademy of EngineeringThe Academy of Engineering or AOE is the latest addition to the academies governed by the National Academy Foundation in partnership with Project Lead the Way and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering in the United States of America. The AOE partnership brought in the first...
- Academy of FinanceAcademy of FinanceThe Academy of Finance was first established in 1982 by the National Academy Foundation. The Academy of Finance is one of the four member programs sponsored by the National Academy Foundation...
- Academy of Hospitality and TourismAcademy of Hospitality and TourismThe Academy of Hospitality and Tourism is one of the three major programs sponsored by the National Academy Foundation which provides students with skills and knowledge necessary for travel. The program teaches students in the art of geography, economics and tourism business as well as hospitality...
- Academy of Information TechnologyAcademy of Information TechnologyThe Academy of Information Technology is one of the three major programs sponsored by the National Academy Foundation which provides students with knowledge of technology and its ever expanding universe. It was formed in 2000, with the first graduating class being the class of 2004, and was the...
- Academy of LawAcademy of LawThe Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
See also
- National Academy Foundation SchoolNational Academy Foundation School (Baltimore, Maryland)National Academy Foundation School is a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland. It's based on the models of schools by the National Academy Foundation to have "small learning communities."...
- A high school in Baltimore, Maryland based on NAF's school model.