Career Academy Toolkit

A Think It Through, Get It Going, Make It Happen Planning Guide for Career Academies and Other Types of High School Small Learning Communities that dispense Career Advice

Small learning communities is a big idea springing up in high schools all over the country. And they are turning to the Career Academy Toolkit as the definitive guide to help them succeed and provide career advice. The comprehensive how-to book is jam-packed with ideas, information, and proven strategies for getting off to a great start and growing truly effective small learning community programs.

The Career Academy Toolkit is a how-to book used by Educators and Teachers to set up a Career Academy to assist students in Career Exploration and to develop 21st Century learning skills. The ToolKit is an excellent tool to help Career Academy administrators design project based learning and integrated learning programs. It also provides career advice using Career Clusters and Career Pathways structure.

Written by career academy expert Sandy Mittelsteadt and Bright Futures Press publisher Diane Lindsey Reeves, the Toolkit walks you through every imaginable detail with a step-by-step planning tools that help you:

Choose the best type of program for your school to dispense career advice in your Academy.
Build a team that’s ready to break out of the status quo
Develop an action plan to get the job done
Link learning with the “real" world
Design effective classroom environments where students want to learn, teachers want to teach, and the community wants to help
Learn from successful best practices of schools all over the country how to dispense career advice.
Take the Ford PAS (Partnership for Advanced Studies) challenge for building a sustainable small learning community

“This is a particularly well-framed guide for anyone interested in implementing a career academy, from an experiences, knowledgeable, authoritative source. I highly recommend it.”

Charlie Dayton,

Coordinator, Career Academy Support Network, University of California – Berkeley

“Because career academies incorporate career cluster and pathway concepts, the States Career Clusters Initiative is pleased that there is an easy-to-follow guide to help states and locals make the transition to modern, durable programs that will help keep America competitive.”

Kimberly A. Green,

Executive Director, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education

“Career academies are an effective structure for delivering career and technical education that both meets the education needs of students and the needs of the workplace. This Career Academy Toolkit is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating career academies and small learning communities. It is a valuable asset to CTE programs and will help educators save time and resources as they develop academies/STCs.”

Jan Bray,

Executive Director Association for Career and Technical Education

“Magnet Schools of America welcomes this new edition of the Career Academy Toolkit for high schools as a valuable resource to assist teachers in implementing new career magnet programs or revising exisiting programs.

Dr. Robert G. Brooks,

Executive Director, Magnet Schools of America

“Two years ago, the career academies in the School District of Manatee County were the first career academies to be evaluated using the National Standards of Practice. The Career Academy Toolkit was a valuable asset in helping us become the first nationally certified career academies in the nation.”

Angie Grasberger,

SLC/Academy Project Coordinator, School District of Manatee County

“Career academies are recognized as a leading high school reform strategy. This book is an outstanding resource for communities that are interested in developing strong, sustainable career academies in their high schools.”

Cheryl Carrier,

Program Director Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, Ford Motor Company Fund

“Educators and business partners need to ensure that their career academies and other small learning communities incorporate what we know works best. This book utilizes best practices and will definitely set you on the right path.”