Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Education reform has been at the forefront of policymakers’ plans since 1817 with the founding of the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for Deaf and Dumb Persons. Over the following 200 years, various social and economic shifts have increased policymakers' focus on the purpose of education and how institutions can develop contributing members to society. Globalization demands countries to have a well-educated workforce, and in the United States today, education reform has focused on expanding educational opportunities that lead to positive economic growth for individuals and nations as a whole through innovative practices. In short, access to quality education and experience in education is a means to an end that benefits multiple stakeholders. The 33 participants of this study graduated from a Career Academy. Throughout their four years in high school, they belonged to a cohort that allowed them to have the same counselor, administrator, and teachers, focus on their potential career path, and ideally, get hands-on work experience in their chosen field. The participants completed a questionnaire survey in which they offered insight on their experience in the career academy model and how their experience may have transferred into their postsecondary settings. The results from this study provided the researcher with new challenges the graduating class of 2020 faced while transitioning into a postsecondary setting as well as recommendations for future research.

Year manuscript completed

2021

Year degree awarded

2021

Author's Keywords

career academy, postsecondary preparation

Dissertation Committee Chair

Holly Rene Bernard-Bramblett

Committee Member

Dr. Randal Wilson

Committee Member

Dr. Susana Bloomdahl

Document Type

Dissertation

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