BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — What’s the best way to prepare high school students for college? For Birmingham City Schools officials, the answer is to make high school a lot like college.
That’s the premise behind the school system’s seven new career academies that are now in their second year at Birmingham high schools.
According to Parker High School junior Josey Chapman, who is enrolled in her second year in Parker’s urban education academy, it’s a little like choosing a high school major.
While she continues her regular classes, she spends part of each day learning about the teaching profession. She also gets practical time shadowing local elementary teachers.
“I would like to continue in the teaching field, and I would like to teach high school students,” she said. “They’re a bit more mature, but then you have to deal with their attitudes. I think I can handle it though.”
For Chapman, the career academy helped give her direction and investment in high school.
“My freshman year, I was kind of open minded, didn’t know what I wanted to do really, and by joining the career academy, it put education in my mind,” she said. “I was determined about it. I was going to stick with it.”
Birmingham City Schools expanded the program Thursday, inducting more than 500 additional students into the career academies, increasing the total enrollment to more than 1,000.
The academies are designed to better prepare students for college or career through a more rigorous academic curriculum and hands-on experience.
In each academy, an advisory board composed of business, community and higher education leaders works with students to ensure they receive meaningful, career-oriented experiences.
Students are exposed to their career interests through guest speakers, job shadowing, internships and other career-oriented activities.
According to the school system, students in the academies also have access to a broad network of industry professionals to mentor and support their career and college journeys.
Students also receive soft-skills training, including communications, resume writing, interview skills, professional dress attire and business etiquette.
BCS Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said plans are in motion to expand the program across all high schools over the next year or two, making every student participate in a career academy.
Beginning this fall, the school system will offer freshman academies that educate students on the various options so they can select the career academy that’s right for them.
Over time, the school system will add additional career academies based on the needs of the workforce and colleges, Witherspoon said.
“When you have a program that is as effective as Academies of Birmingham in terms of its ability to prepare students for college and career success, you have to do what you can to expand the program to as many students as possible,” he said.
Presently, the following academies are offered:
Parker High School — Academy of Urban Educators,
Huffman High School — Academy of Architecture and Construction Design,
G.W. Carver High School — Academy of Engineering and Academy of Health Sciences,
P.D. Jackson-Olin High School — Academy of Health Sciences,
Woodlawn High School — Academy of Business and Finance and Academy of Hospitality and Tourism.
While not all academies are offered at all high schools, Witherspoon said students are able to transfer to attend the academies of their choice.