Manchester High School

College and Career Academy School/Business Partnership Advisory Board

2019-2020

Collaboration with business and community partners is essential to ensure that all students are provided with authentic, real-world experiences that prepare them for college and career success.

Table of Contents

Role and Purpose2Advisory Board Member Participation2Advisory Board Meeting Dates and Events for 2017-182Sample Activities for Community and Business Partners3Benefits to Students4Benefits to our Business Partners and Community Members4Statistics and Research from EDUTOPIA on the Value of School/Business Partnerships5About Manchester High School7The Academy Model at Manchester High School7Career and Technical Education8

Role and Purpose

The Manchester High School College and Career-Academy Advisory Board is made up of educators and community members who are committed to ensuring that all Manchester High School students are provided with authentic, real-world experiences that prepare them for college and career success. We believe that, through collaboration with college, business and community partners, Manchester High School will ensure that learning is personalized, innovative, independent and connected to students’ personal interests and aspirations through the development of authentic experiences that enable them to engage in career exploration and immersion.

Advisory Board Member Participation

Members of our Advisory Board can expect to:

· Provide guidance and advocacy that supports authentic academic and experiential programming at MHS

· Actively exchange information to develop teacher skills, inform planning and arrange external opportunities for students beyond the walls of Manchester High School

· Meet at least three times a year to exchange ideas, plan experiences and provide input regarding programs that support college and career readiness for all students at Manchester High School

Advisory Board Meeting Dates and Events for 2017-18

· October 5, 2017: 8:00 - 9:15, Advisory Board Meeting, Manchester High School, Faculty Cafeteria (Sign in at Main Office)

· November 17, 2017, Mock Interview Day

· February 6, 2018, 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Advisory Board Meeting, Manchester High School, Room 293

· March 14, 2018, Career Fair, Manchester High School

· Business/Community Partner Recognition Breakfast (Date to be determined)

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Sample Activities for Community and Business Partners

· Acting as resources or helping to plan activities that enhance the instructional process, such as:

· Guest speaking opportunities

· Assemblies/presentations

· Hosting or co-teaching classes or workshops

· Sponsoring field trips or site visits

· Mentoring and/or tutoring a student or students

· Providing job shadowing, internship, job placement or service learning experiences to MHS students

· Participating in or hosting job exploration and/or networking events:

· Annual Mock Interview experience to prepare students for this experience

· Resume workshops/reviews

· Annual Career Fair experience for students to expose them to employers in careers of interest

· Making donations in the form of scholarships, money, supplies, equipment, incentives or technology

· Providing input to students as an authentic audience member or judge at student performance events (student organization competitions, meetings/events or classroom/capstone presentations, cook-offs, etc.)

· Providing professional expertise in the creation of new academies, course offerings, educational objectives, assessments, activities and curriculum

· Providing support or externship opportunities to educators

· Assisting with recommended standards for experience-based learning activities, work based learning experiences, projects and programs

· Assisting in promotional and public relations activities for high school academies

· Recommending industry validated credentials available within academy program occupations

· Assisting with obtaining tests and training materials for industry credentials, licenses and certifications

· Recommending and assisting in the evaluation of equipment, facilities, lab or safety programs as appropriate

· Assisting in placing graduates by informing MHS of opportunities to place students in full or part time jobs

· Providing relevant information to instructors concerning desirable aptitudes and workplace skills

· Advising on ways to recruit and retain students in programs leading to careers that are nontraditional for their gender

Benefits to Students

· Students will be provided with a myriad of opportunities to gain knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to be accepted into their colleges of choice and/or secure and retain employment (communication, teamwork, presentation skills)

· Exposure to responsible adult role models who exemplify the values, attitudes and performance required for success in in a career that is of interest to the student

· Learning experiences become relevant by providing students with real-life applications of how content will be applied outside of the school setting

Benefits to our Business Partners and Community Members

Our partners will:

· Help identify and prepare a skilled and motivated pool of future entry level workers (improved work ethic, soft skills, responsibility, productivity)

· Actively build a community of gainfully employable residents who will help sustain and grow our local economy

· Help retain local talent in the geographic area

· Gain the opportunity to obtain student perspectives of this important demographically relevant market segment

· Immediately benefit from Increased positive public relations news

· Names and pictures of our partners will appear on MPS website and other press releases

· Partners will be acknowledged and celebrated at various district and school events, including end-of year business/community partner celebration

· Be an agent of positive change in education

Statistics and Research from EDUTOPIA on the Value of School/Business Partnerships

Programs and Outcomes

· Drop-out prevention literature emphasizes the importance of making school relevant to students’ lives and ensuring that school is engaging and challenging. In a 2006 survey of students who dropped out of high school, 81% said that if schools provided opportunities for real-world learning, including internships and service learning, their chances of graduating from high school would have been greater (Bridgeland, Diluko, and Morison, 2006). The study also found that clarifying the links between finishing school and getting a job may convince more students to stay in school (Bridgeland et al., 2006)

· Graduates of career-themed high schools that emphasized the connection between school and getting a good job earned on average about 11 percent more per year eight years after graduating as compared to graduates of traditional high schools (Stern, Dayton, and Raby, 2010).

· Students participating in workplace mentoring and internships have improved grades, comparable or better attendance, and higher graduation rates than students in comparison groups, as well as increased motivation, self-confidence, and career-planning skills (Hughes, Bailey, and Karp, 2002).

· Nearly 70 studies on service learning indicate that service-learning programs have a positive impact on students' academic, civic, personal, social, ethical, and vocational development (Furco and Root, 2010).

· Students participating in service learning show increased academic performance, attendance, motivation, and self-esteem and reduced disciplinary problems and likeliness to drop out (Billig, 2010; Furco, 2010; Furco and Root, 2010).

· Students participating in civic-learning opportunities such as learning about current events or participating in service-learning projects showed increased commitment to volunteering and willingness to learn about state and local issues (Kahne and Sporte, 2008).

· Service learning engages students in local community issues, provides students with autonomy and opportunities for self-expression, encourages teamwork, teaches time management, and rewards students for goal attainment (Billig, 2010).

· Service learning increases student motivation by focusing on problem-solving skills, active learning, and student choices in instructional settings (Billig, 2010).

Edutopia Case Studies

· Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School, in Los Angeles, California, has medical internships at local organizations. Some students volunteer at the University of Southern California's University Hospital, some intern at local dentists' offices, while others collaborate side by side with researchers at USC's Keck School of Medicine, working on research projects like developing new cancer drugs and prosthetic retinas.

· Fowler Unified School District, in California's Central Valley, raised trout to protect local habitats, grew fruits and vegetables in an outdoor garden, collected sunscreen and lip balm to protect field workers from overexposure to the sun, and built construction projects to benefit the district and town. In each case, teachers connected service learning to academics, giving students an opportunity to apply math, science, English language arts, and social studies to their service-learning projects.

· Montpelier High School, in Montpelier, Vermont, focuses on student interest by creating internship opportunities that are designed to connect academic learning to the real world. Students work with local organizations, businesses, and individuals to craft an internship that allows them to explore their interests, learn skills, and work collaboratively with the organization.

· High Tech High School, in North Bergen, New Jersey, offers students several vocational majors including architecture, engineering, culinary arts, graphic design, film/video, science research, theater, and dance. For any project within a vocational major, teachers and students include relevant content from other subject areas to enhance real-world connections.

About Manchester High School

Manchester, Connecticut is a urban/suburban town of approximately 58,000, situated within the Greater Hartford area, providing access to a wide range of potential business, industry and educational partners within and around Manchester.   There are 1,600 students enrolled at Manchester High School, and we have a faculty of 185.  Our diversity makes us strong, and is often cited by students and staff as one of the primary attributes that make us special.

Our diverse student population includes 23% black, 25% Hispanic, and 39% White students, with growing populations of Central American, Indian, Bengali, African, West Indian, Middle Eastern and other immigrant populations.  Five percent of MHS students currently receive English Learner services, and this increases each school year.  There are seventeen languages spoken within our English Learner program, and many more spoken as a school.  Besides race and ethnicity, we have diversity in socioeconomic status among students and families, with 53% of students receiving free/reduced lunch.  We have diversity in religion, particularly with a large Muslim population.  We also have a growing number of students who identify as LGBTQ, and we are able to provide support and resources through a strong Gay Straight Alliance for Equality.

We believe it is essential to meet the needs of all students as we work to prepare them for their lives beyond high school, whether at an elite university or immediate gainful employment post high school graduation.  

The Academy Model at Manchester High School

Current program offerings at Manchester High School include extensive academic and elective course offerings, college credit courses, support services, extra-curricular activities and athletic programs as part of a large, diverse public high school.    We offer an Academy Model for students in grades ten through twelve that is designed to engage students in their individual

areas of interests and goals.   Career exploration and immersion is rooted in our academy model.  Students are able to engage in career exploration and enroll in innovative courses connected to their personal interests and career aspirations in an effort to provide them with a deeper, more meaningful learning experiences.  Academies offer centralized administrative and support teams, unique field trips, guest speaker and assembly experiences, academy based seminars that allow students to explore areas of interest including potential careers, inter-disciplinary courses and units geared toward areas of interested.  

Currently, at the end of 9th grade, students choose from among five academies:

· Medical Careers (MCA)

· Performing Arts and Communications (PAC)

· Education and Public Service (EPSA)

· STEM and Design (STEMD)

· Global Studies

Career and Technical Education

Manchester High School has a thriving Career and Technical Education program in the areas of Business Education, Family and Consumer Science and Technology Education that offer students dozens of elective opportunities that prepare them with skills that prepare them for college and career success.  Many of the Career and Technical Education Areas of Concentration are covered within a Career Academy, and include:

Business and Finance Technology

· Accounting

· Business Management

Computer Information Systems

· Personal Finance

· A school based branch of Northeast Family Federal Credit union is located in our cafeteria and employs two student interns

Family and Consumer Sciences

· Early Childhood Education and Services

· Nutrition and Food Production

· Culinary and Food Production

· Textiles and Design

Marketing Education

· Marketing Careers Education

· A school based store is located in our cafeteria and student interns operate all aspects of this school based enterprise

Medical Careers Education

· Medical Careers Education

Technology Education

· Automotive Technology

· Computer Aided Drafting and Design

· Engineering TEchnology

· Digital Video Production Systems

· Wood Technology

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