Career Academies aim to make the high school experience more rigorous and relevant by creating supportive learning communities, integrating academic and career-focused curricula, and working with local employers to offer students exposure to jobs in demand.
Career Academies
Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1996 - 2012.
Synthesis Reports
Synthesis reports look at the research evidence across studies within a topic area. They also highlight gaps in the literature, and suggest areas in which further research is needed.
215
Findings:
Career Academies produced strong and sustained increases in students’ post-high school earnings. These impacts were concentrated among young men.
Career Academies did not increase educational attainment.
Implementing all three program components proved somewhat challenging.
View full synthesis report: Evidence on the Effectiveness of Career Academies for High School Students
Recently Added
CLEAR searches the existing literature for research relevant to this topic area's focus. Browse the most recently reviewed research below.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 13
Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the effects of enrolling in a Transportation Career Academy Program (TCAP) on students’ academic outcomes. The authors used school district administrative…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study examines the effect of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Career Academies (JROTCCA) on student attendance, grade point average (GPA), and high school graduation. Using school…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study aimed to examine the academic and labor market outcomes of students who were enrolled in a Career Academy track in a large, West Coast, urban high school district, compared with peers…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The report’s objective was to evaluate the impact of Career Academies on students’ engagement and performance in high school three to four years after enrollment in a Career Academy. Later reports…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study aimed to examine the effect of attending a Career Academy on students’ secondary and post-secondary academic outcomes. The authors compared the outcomes of students who had attended a…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The report’s objective was to evaluate the impact of Career Academies on labor market and educational outcomes 14 months after participants’ scheduled high school graduation. Subsequent reports…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The report’s objective was to evaluate the impact of Career Academies on labor market and educational outcomes four years after participants’ scheduled high school graduation. Earlier reports…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The report’s objective was to evaluate the impact of Career Academies on labor market participation and educational attainment over the eight years following scheduled high school graduation.…Study Type: Implementation Analysis
The study examined an urban school district's attempt to develop and implement a uniform education-centric Career Academy model between 1990 and 1997. The study also included an impact evaluation of…Study Type: Implementation Analysis
The study’s objective was to determine the implementation of Career Academies, specifically how they work and how they shape students’ education and career preparation. The study was part of a…
CLEAR Icon Key
Below is a key for icons used to indicate important details about a study, such as its type, evidence rating, and outcome findings.
High Causal Evidence
Strong evidence the effects are caused by the examined intervention.
Moderate Causal Evidence
Evidence that the effects are caused to some degree by the examined intervention.
Low Causal Evidence
Little evidence that the effects are caused by the examined intervention.
Causal Impact Analysis
Uses quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of a program, policy, or intervention.
Descriptive Analysis
Describes a program, policy, or intervention using qualitative or quantitative methods.
Implementation Analysis
Examines the implementation of a program, policy, or intervention.
Favorable
The study found at least one favorable impact in the outcome domain, and no unfavorable impacts.
Mixed
The study found some favorable and some unfavorable impacts in the outcome domain.
None
The study found no statistically significant impacts in the outcome domain.
Unfavorable
The study found at least one unfavorable impact in the outcome domain, and no favorable impacts.
Not applicable
Not applicable because no outcomes were examined in the outcome domain.
Favorable - low evidence
The study found at least one favorable impact in the outcome domain, and no unfavorable impacts. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Mixed - low evidence
The study found some favorable and some unfavorable impacts in the outcome domain. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
None - low evidence
The study found no statistically significant impacts in the outcome domain. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Unfavorable - low evidence
The study found at least one unfavorable impact in the outcome domain, and no favorable impacts. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.