Falcon School District 49 kicked off its Career Academy Program this week with an open house, which was attended by 200 students, parents, administrators and faculty. D 49 is the fastest growing school district in the state with an annual average growth each year of 12 percent.The Career Academy Program was developed in response to the growth and the need to find viable educational options for students to enhance their educational and career opportunities, increase attendance, reduce tardiness and help raise standardized test scores. This event marked the culmination of a two-year process that included administration, counselors and teachers, to find successful school models that address these key issues.The small, focused learning community model, implemented and tested by numerous schools across the country, hit the mark in student engagement and academic rigor coupled with a focus on post-secondary education and career options.FalCAP (Falcon Career Academy Program) is designed to create a small learning community within the confines of the large high school environment. Academy students are scheduled together in the same classes, alongside a cohort of teachers who are assigned to these students. The teachers meet during a common planning period to integrate their curriculum to enhance the student’s knowledge of their particular field of interest.The 2004-05 school year has FalCAP starting four academy programs: hospitality, travel and tourism and engineering technology, all located at Sand Creek High School, and information technology and health care, located at Falcon High School. Plans are also in the works next year for an automotive technology academy in partnership with neighboring Peyton School District to launch.”This flagship program is the only one of its type in Southern Colorado,” said Tom Junk, director of the program. “We can no longer stay entrenched in an education system that does not meet the needs of an information-rich society. By adopting this rigorous and relevant educational option for students, which combines the fostering of relationships with instructors and focuses on areas of interest, students have a stronger opportunity to be successful in and outside of the classroom.”The program is supported through grants totaling $155,000 from entities like Intel, the Daniels Fund, Colorado Small Schools Initiative and Boeing.
