Who Participates in High School Career Academies?

Abstract

In response to increasing high school graduation requirements along with emerging skills in the workforce, the focus of career academies has evolved from one of keeping students enrolled in high school through graduation to a more robust preparation for college and careers for all students. This new focus may have resulted in a demographic shift in the students participating in career academies. To that end, the purpose of this study was to describe the demographics of students who participated in career academies in one Southeastern school district over a six-year period from 2007 – 2012. Findings indicate that a gender gap continues to exist among career academies. Additionally, when compared to the population across the district's high schools, while the career academies are becoming more diverse, participation of minority groups in career academies still lags behind that of their Caucasian counterparts. Implications for administrators and future research opportunities are also articulated.