ACADEMY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPLORATION
Project: ACADEMY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPLORATION
Sponsor: Baltimore City Public Schools
IPS Staff: Marion Pines and Karen Garrido
Purpose and Approach
The Sar Levitan Center at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development partnered in developing the proposal to create and operate an Innovation High School, the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE), whose mission is to help Bal-timore high school students develop a love of learning, a constructive direction for their lives, and con-fidence in their own abilities to succeed. The school’s educational philosophy, grounded in the blending of high-quality, standards-based curricula with “real-world” applications and experiences, promotes the delivery of instruction that is individualized, competency-based, and focused on helping students plan for and achieve successful roles in society.
Students have the opportunity to participate in many college and career-focused activities, including internships, career training labs, and a menu of activities on the ACCE campus and at partner locations across the city. The program is year-round, offering summer activities (employment and remediation), and runs on a 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. schedule. This schedule enables students to participate in a rich variety of the arts in the “Careers in the Arts” course, as well as a variety of remediation and SAT Prep activities.
Results and Publications
ACCE opened in September 2004 with 150 students and added an additional 100 students in the fall of 2005. In 2006 the school relocated to the Robert Poole School Building in Hampden and currently has an enrollment of 325 students. The Johns Hopkins University Office of Social Concern and IPS Master’s in Public Policy program have been active partners of the school, with undergraduate and graduate students coaching SAT preparation classes, planning advanced math classes, and assisting students with their college applications. Other partners include the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board and the city government. The first class graduated in May 2008 and 88 percent were admitted to college, including a full scholarship to JHU for one of the students. The second class graduated in June 2009 and over 85 percent have been admitted to college. The Levitan Center is working on compiling the story of the school from inception to the first class graduation in a monograph titled “The Story of ACCE.” An initial draft will be completed by August 2009.
