Combining Academic and Vocational Courses in an Integrated Program to Reduce High School Dropout Rates

This paper reports results from the first two years of an effort in 10 high schools to replicate the California Peninsula Academies. The Academy model combines the core academic curriculum with technical instruction in a particular occupational field. Local employers representing that field participate in various ways. The program is intended to improve the school performance of students who would otherwise be likely to drop out. Evidence presented here indicates that Academy students generally have compiled better grades and more course credits than students in comparison groups at the same high schools. At three sites in particular, Academy students have consistently out-performed comparison groups in the first two years.

This article was originally published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis by the American Educational Research Association and SAGE Publications.