Career Academy Support Network (CASN)
Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley

SLC/ Academy Development.  Fostering new and improved Small Learning Communities (SLCs)/ Career Academies in sites across the country, including: Alton, IL; Atlanta, GA; Bradenton, FL; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Jacksonville, FL; Ridgewood, NJ; Rochester, NY; St. Louis, MO; Seattle, WA; South Grand Prairie, TX; several cities in southern Idaho; throughout Hawaii; and in cities all across California.  CASN has helped to nurture the development of state support for career academies in Arkansas, Florida, and Illinois and worked closely with the California Department of Education supporting its network of ~300 academies.

Professional Development.  CASN has guided the teachers and other staff in scores of high schools in their development of SLCs / Academies.  Such workshops and coaching cover a broad span of topics, from developing teamwork and integrated curriculum to master scheduling and course articulation, involving employers and higher education representatives, and meeting standards and conducting program evaluation.

Guides and Handbooks.  Developing guides and handbooks for many aspects of SLCs/ Academies, including summaries of the research, planning and scheduling guides, mapping course sequences and related curriculum, establishing mentor and internship programs, implementing academies schoolwide, and assessing the quality of academies.  All are widely used throughout the country and available free on CASN's website (http://casn.berkeley.edu).

Website/ National Directory.  Maintaining a website with the most information related to career academies of any in the country (http://casn.berkeley.edu).  The site includes the above guides; a national directory of academies with over 1,600 listings; information about other support providers; listings of conferences and workshops; and an online inquiry service.  This URL is the first listing Google provides for "career academies".

National Collaborations.  CASN has worked closely with other organizations that support SLCs/ Academies, including the National Academy Foundation, the National Career Academy Coalition, the Southern Regional Education Board, the National Center on Education and the Economy, the National High School Alliance, and the American Youth Policy Forum.  CASN spearheaded the development of a set of national standards for career academies, supported the development of rubrics related to these standards, and hosts meetings of many such organizations biannually. 

Research and Evaluation.  CASN has conducted a number of studies of career academies and advised those of others.  It has also served as the third party evaluator for twelve Small Learning Communities grants from the US Department of Education involving 25 high schools in five states, most of which employ the career academy approach.

Organizational Stability.  CASN has operated for nine years, received eleven grants from six different foundations, one from the U.S. Department of Education, and many contracts from individual school districts, and has maintained a stable staff of seasoned professionals.  It is recognized by those working in the field as a national leader in SLCs and Career Academies."