September 5, 2010
September 5, 2010
This school profile was commissioned by Colorado Succeeds, a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving education for workforce development and economic growth. Colorado Succeeds is working for the improvement and expansion of high-quality Career and Technical Education programs in Colorado, and offers this school profile as a learning tool for Colorado’s educators and policymakers. For more information on our efforts and other resources, visit www.ColoradoSucceeds.org
The Northwest Career and Technical Academy (NWCTA) opened in August 2007 with approximately 900 ninth and tenth graders. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the Clark County School District (CCSD), NWCTA is the first of five new planned technical high schools in the area. During its second year of operation, the school population increased to approximately 1,300 and now includes eleventh graders. A twelfth grade class will be added in the 2009-2010 school year.
The school is in a new building located in the city of Las Vegas. The facility is completely networked, and offers generous computer labs, computers in classrooms, and mobile computing labs that teachers can check out when needed. The facility is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, so it meets challenging standards for low-energy usage and extensive use of natural lighting. There are 400 geothermal wells at the site that operate on a “closed loop system.” This system re-circulates water into the chiller and heat transfer system, saving over 8 million gallons of water each year. The building uses mostly composite materials, with 75 percent natural lighting, sensors that turn the lights on and off automatically, and polarized glass to improve energy efficiency.
Beyond the outstanding applications of technology and energy-saving features, the building is designed with a clear educational purpose – to support the work of six career academies that operate within four “smaller learning communities.”
With a variety of academic classroom spaces and simulated work environments, the facility supports the school’s organization into career academies. Students spend a good part of each day in academic and career-related classes shared by students in the same career academy or the larger cluster of career academies that make up the Smaller Learning Community.
The school has many collaborative work areas called “Fishbowls.” These are modeled after workspaces seen in colleges and in professional environments. Students are given the freedom to use these somewhat unstructured areas for group work. The areas allow the students a level of independence, but also require them to use them responsibly and wisely.
The facility includes spaces for “thinking and studying" areas as well as "doing." With transparent windows and natural light moving through classroom spaces, labs and work areas in the facility, security and supervision of students are at a maximum. Students have informal spaces and conference rooms for work groups, labs to apply their learning, and the latest technology (both information technology and industry equipment) available to enhance their studies. The school leaders hope that these unique student features will promote a sense of ownership, pride and seriousness to learning among the student body.
NWCTA received the prestigious 2008 James D. MacConnell Award for school facility excellence during the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) annual conference in San Diego, CA. This is an internationally recognized award created by the CEFPI to acknowledge the significant contributions made to both the profession of planning educational facilities and to CEFPI.
The stated mission of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy is "to boldly educate today’s learners for tomorrow’s challenges by developing advanced skills through unique hands-on experiences in a professional setting, utilizing community partnerships, innovative ideas, and contemporary technologies."
Design Element on Display. Success Factor 3.a. “District approach to themed options”
To fulfill this mission, NWCTA works to provide students with academic AND career choices in a setting where those choices are integrated, rather than isolated as in traditional educational settings. NWCTA offers a full range of honors and advanced placement coursework that prepare students for post-secondary education. Additionally, project-based, hands-on curriculum prepares the strongest possible preparation for applying their knowledge in careers in business and industry. The eco-friendly campus provides students with the cutting-edge technology and professional training to reach their potential and "soar to new career heights."
Upon enrollment, each student enrolls in a four-year sequence of courses for their program area. Programs include:
In 2001 and 2002, Kathleen Frosini, the Clark County School District’s previous director of career and technical education, began discussions about how to expand upon the growing success of CCSD’s only technical high school at the time, the Southeast Vocational Technical High School (now renamed Southwest Career and Technology High School). She and her district team began investigating models that delivered both academic and technical content in the same school building as a departure from the half-day vocational school model that emerged in the 1960s and still survives in many locales. The district leadership team also wanted to stress even more integration of content and collaboration between academic and CTE teachers, and began conceptualizing how a school’s layout and design could facilitate that vision.
Design Element on Display. Success Factor 2.d. “Teacher collaboration on curriculum”
In 2003, David McElwain, an educator who had previously established a career-themed high school in New York state, joined the district team and continued to work on the design of a new regional technical high school. The leadership team worked with the architect and decided to do away with the traditional “math wing” and “science wing” and instead to cluster a variety of academic teachers and CTE teachers into a section of the school, connected with their students. The design of the school also anticipates each classroom will be shared by two or more instructors, and that teachers will have shared workspace outside of the classroom. This will encourage more collaboration among the teachers.
In July 2007 the district launched a new computer software system for purchasing. As the new system was implemented, every item that had been purchased in the past had to be manually re-entered into the new purchasing system. This slowed down business processing dramatically for almost 18 months and posed a very serious challenge to the opening of NWCTA. Because of this problem, even though the NWCTA opened in August 2007, some of the equipment did not arrive until January of 2008 or even later because of the logistics challenges.
According to CCSD’s leadership, there was a five year planning cycle that led to the opening of a large new school like NWCTA. During the first and second years of the planning cycle, there was an emphasis on laying the groundwork with the school board and potential business partners. During the second year, designated school leaders are identified and begin selecting the career pathways for the school, particularly thinking through what roles businesses can play in partnership with the school programs. During the third year of planning, leaders make more specific decisions about the design of the building and how to use the new space to accomplish its educational objectives. During the fourth year of planning, the final design phase is carried out, and equipment is ordered, and staffing decisions are made.
During the final year of planning, around mid-October school leaders identify all the needed equipment and supplies, order the equipment, assign rooms for each program, and recruit teachers and business partners. In January of the final planning year, the administration hires each of the faculty department chairs, brings them over for a few days to build climate and vision for the school, and begins recruiting middle school students to come to the school.
Back to TopThe entire school is comprised of four Smaller Learning Communities which is comprised of academic courses and CTE courses, housed in a common facility within the large NWCTA campus. Within each Smaller Learning Community (SLC), academic and career technical education courses teach established learning standards, but also the entire SLC collaborates around a common theme or big project that links learning across all the career and academic classes within that SLC. One SLC in 2008 is coordinating activities around a partnership with NASA to track a satellite, and learn about extended space flight. Carpentry students will design and build a command center, horticulture students study growth of food in weightlessness, and science students study the effect of weightlessness on human physiology.
The curriculum co-mingles all core academic areas. There is not just one math class, but rather math, English and science are all learned jointly. Students take their academic classes in groups mixed with students from other career pathways in the school.
In preparation for opening NWCTA, several orientations and building tours were held over the course of the year, and in January and February, two community nights were held, at which over 3,000 individuals attended Students enroll in NWCTA through an application process by which they must demonstrate good grades at their 8th grade school. The school is prestigious and seen as a magnet for students with college aspirations. There were over 2,100 applications submitted for the freshman class in the 2008-2009 school year, of which the new school accepted 510. After only its first year in operation, there are 25 clubs and organizations that meet regularly on campus after school. This promotes student cohesiveness and team building.
NWCTA, in close coordination with district leadership, is making a serious to upgrade the content of the CTE courses that are offered in the school. One challenge involves changing the names of courses. During the first year, NWCTA referred to a course in automotive technology using the terminology of “transportation systems.” Students did not understanding that titling, and enrollment was weak. So during the second year, the program title was changed to “alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles.” This new program title was more obvious to students and enrollment was stronger in the second year. This rebranding requires an updating of the program to include focus on hybrid fuels, how various types of engines work based on their energy sources. The course even includes work on experimental braking systems that collect energy for battery recharging. With more of an emphasis on new sensor systems and hybrid controls, this course is far different than a traditional automotive repair course.
In “construction management,” students are learning far more than basic carpentry skills. The course is utilizing a series of learning modules, so that students gain a solid overview of all aspects of construction. The emphasis is more on the project management side of the equation, not just the trade skills, as in more traditional programs.
The National Academy Foundation has selected NWCTA, along with twelve other schools, to pilot their Academy of Engineering program starting beginning in 2009-2010. The Academy of Engineering at NWCTA will follow the national curriculum developed by Project-Lead-The-Way.
In redesigning pieces of individual curricula, teachers and district consultants are also considering a capstone experience, such as responding to a major bio-terrorist attack that could be used as a scenario where several academies could be involved in a coordinated fashion.
Design Element on Display. Success Factor 4.b. “Career awareness and exploration activities”
During the freshman year, most of the schedule is taken up with core academic requirements, but each student can select one class that falls within their academy and one elective. Students also take freshman studies, an interdisciplinary study skills and academic support course that is mandated by the state to help forestall ninth grade dropping out. In designing the introductory career academy courses, the goal is to provide more transferable career knowledge at the 9th grade level, so if students want to switch academies, they will still benefit from what they learned in the 9th grade academy setting.
The school has created a Community Partnership to link students and the Las Vegas Community. This partnership is responsible for maintaining the Job Bank, counsel and also for referring students for employment. The partnership also monitors and evaluates students’ work experiences, helps conduct school-wide vocational assessment (i.e. ASVAB), conduct employability workshops for vocational areas on an as-needed basis, and communicate current events and the development of new partnerships to the administration. Parental Involvement
Parental involvement is an important component in the success of students at NWCTA. Information is provided to parents in several ways. In winter of NWCTA’s first year, the school began communicating with parents through the ”Parent Link,” a website that posts information and provides a mechanism for students, parents, and the community to communicate directly with the staff.
There is also a Parent Advocacy Committee (PAC) which meets monthly to exchange and share ideas. During these meetings Program Area Leaders and Department Chairs discuss their areas of study. Six times a year, a parent newsletter is mailed home. It includes important information such as dates for open houses, community nights and freshmen orientation.
Design Element on Display. Success Factor 1.b. “Personalization strategies”
The school had only one main goal and objectives for the 2007-2008 school year. It was: To implement a school-wide Advocacy Program for all students. The objective of this goal was to have students attend a weekly advocacy session designed to improve achievement and accountability though personal support provided by teachers. The goal and objective were achieved.
On a daily basis, from 1:30 to 3:45 pm, students are able to obtain daily academic assistance from teachers in math, English and science. In addition, several of the teachers maintain websites for their classes which provides valuable information to the students and their parents.
Back to TopCCCD is well on its way to opening five regional career and technical high schools over time, to serve a geographic representation of the entire district. With over 40 high schools in the district, the career and technical high schools represent a relatively small portion of the overall high school population. The career and technical academies are perceived as very good schools and more motivated and college-focused students are applying to attend these schools of choice. The challenge is to share lessons learning and best practices from NWCTA with other high schools so more students can benefit from the small learning communities, teacher collaboration, student supports, and rigorous and relevant instruction that students at NWCTA receive. It is not clear, however, how the CCCS intends to support this transfer of learning among the high schools in the district. Business Engagement
In a large region like Clark County/Las Vegas, business involvement and program support is very diffused and difficult to manage. Schools, district leadership, and the Nevada ACTE organization are all grappling with how to strengthen business engagement and connection to the district’s career academies.
| School | District | |
| Enrollment | 911 | 308,554 |
| Transienecy Rate | 6.1% | 34.7% |
| Habitual Truency | 0 | 2,117 |
| Discipline - # of Incidents Resulting in Suspension/Expulsion | 9 | 7,711 |
| Average Class Size | 24 | 27 |
| Total Cost per Student | N / A * | $6,913.14 |
| Graduation Rate | N / A * | 63.0% |
| Dropout Rate | N / A * | 6.0% |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 20% |
Data not available because the school opened in 2007
Frank Pesce – Principal
8200 W. Tropical Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89149
702.799.4640
Fax: 702.799.4644
Website - Link
Last Updated June 2009
This case study was prepared by the Meeder Consulting Group, LLC, a consulting firm providing research, analysis and strategic advisement on promising education practices. Hans Meeder, President of the firm, was formerly Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, visit the website: www.meederconsulting.com.
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