dc.contributor.author	LaBrecque, Bryan
dc.coverage.spatial	Central and North America -- United States -- Georgia -- Fayette	en_US
dc.coverage.temporal	1980-2015	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2015-08-10T16:24:48Z
dc.date.available	2015-08-10T16:24:48Z
dc.date.issued	2015-08-08
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10428/2017
dc.description.abstract	Since the 1980s, the concept of charter schools has emerged as an alternative to traditional public education. In 2000, President Bush breathed new life into this concept by advocating charter schools as part of his long-term strategy to improve education nation-wide. Simultaneously, state policy agendas began emerging with similar strategies. Georgia, striving to improve its standing among state educational agencies, has utilized the charter school concept to augment its current educational policies. Recently, Georgia voters have had the opportunity to express their interest in expanding this program throughout the state. While several different forms of charter schools have been developed over time, one specific version has witnessed a recent upswing in the state of Georgia: career/technical education schools at the secondary level, often referred to as College and Career Academies. Currently, nearly thirty such schools are either operating in Georgia or have been recently chartered. Among them, one specific school –the Georgia Central Education Center in Coweta County (CEC) – claims to be highly successful and as a result, is being touted as a model for other academies to replicate. The basis for the CEC’s claim of success is represented by two significant criteria: 1) improving student academic achievement, and 2) preparing students for entry into the workforce. While each of these criteria provides a strong measure of success, differing demographics, community needs and employer needs could dictate that current CEC accomplishment, and thus its model may not be entirely appropriate at every location or transferable from school to school. Amid this landscape, a “grass roots” campaign has begun in Fayette County, Georgia to introduce a Central Education Center-type College and Career Academy within the county’s borders. The objective of this research is to assess the potential impact of, and barriers to, implementing a College and Career Academy – similar to the CEC - in Fayette County, GA, within the next several years.	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Chapter I: INTRODUCTION......1 \| Introduction......1 \| Charter Schools: Defined.........2 \| Trends and Background of Charter Schools in America.4 \| Trends and Background of Charter Schools in the State of Georgia...5 \| College and Career Academies............7 \| Alternate Approaches: Apprenticeships and CTAE in Georgia......8 \| College and Career Academy Model: Central Education Center?........10 \| Fayette County: A CCA Opportunity?.........13 \| Project Contents.15 \| Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW...18 \| Evolution of School Reform in America...18 \| Early History of Reform ...........18 \| Modern Reform.........20 \| Key Reform Programs and Initiatives22 \| Charter School Origins..25 \| Charter School Foundations..26 \| National Career Academy Movement...30 \| High School Education in America and Post-secondary Labor Skills..35 \| Genesis of Vocational Education..35 \| Labor Market Realities..37 \| Charter and Career Academies as a Workforce Catalyst..39 \| Charter Schools in Georgia ....40 \| Career Technical Education......41 \| Georgia’s College and Career Academy Movement....44 \| Summary of Scholarly Work....46 \| Policy Proposal/Dissertation Objective.....47 \| Chapter III: METHODOLOGY...50 \| Method Overview.50 \| Data Description..... 51 \| Data Limitations54 \| Data Analysis .. 55 \| Chapter IV: RESULTS....62 \| Introduction..62 \| Findings: Hypothesis #1...63 \| Findings: Hypothesis #2...74 \| Findings: Hypothesis #3...81 \| Findings: Hypothesis #4...86 \| Chapter V: DISCUSSION...95 \| Overview of Significant Findings96 \| Discussion Summary...103 \| Policy Implications..108 \| Limitations of the Study..111 \| Recommendations for Further Research.112 \| Conclusion and Recommendation...113 \| REFERENCES............................................................................................................116 \| APPENDIX A: Fayette Visioning Initiative Survey Demographics...125 \| APPENDIX B: Institutional Review Board Exemption..127 \| \| LIST OF FIGURES \| Figure 1: Nationwide Expansion of Charter Schools...25 \| Figure 2: Charter School Growth in Georgia...41 \| Figure 3: Future Employment Needs in Fayette County – by Sector.......64 \| Figure 4: Minimum Educational Needs....65 \| Figure 5: Educational Attainment in Fayette County...67 \| Figure 6: Parental Desire for Educational Expansion Opportunities....78 \| Figure 7: Per Student Cost Trends....85 \| Figure 8: SAT Score Trends.89 \| Figure 9: Graduation Rate Trends....92 \| \|	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	college and career academy	en_US
dc.subject	Fayette County	en_US
dc.subject	Public Administration	en_US
dc.title	College and Career Academies in Georgia: A pathway to Improved Educational Success in Fayette County?
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Political Science	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Merwin, Gerwald
dc.description.committee	Wright, Diane Collins
dc.description.committee	Banerjee, Neena
dc.description.committee	Bates, Rodger
dc.description.committee	Richards, Connie L.
dc.description.degree	D.P.A.	en_US
dc.description.major	Public Administration	en_US