Research and evaluation confirms the effectiveness of NAF academies and the career-academy model:
- 90% of NAF students graduate high school- compared to 50% in urban areas where most NAF Academies are located.
- 4 out of 5 NAF students go on to college or other post-secondary education.
- 52% of NAF graduates earn bachelor’s degrees in four years—compared with 32% nationally.
- Of those who go on to post-secondary education, more than 50% are the first in their families to go to college.
- 90% of students report that the Academies helped them to develop career plans.
- 85% of 5 and 10 year alumni are working in a professional field.
- Career-academy graduates sustained $16,704 more in total earnings over the 8 years following high school than non-Academy group members who were also studied—11% more per year.
- Young men from career-academies experienced increased earnings over 8 years totaling $30,000 – 17% more per year than non-academy group members studied – thanks to a combination of increased wages, hours worked, and employment stability.
- An increased percentage of career-academy graduates live independently with children and a spouse or partner eight years following high school—young men, specifically, reported positive effects on marriage and parenting.
References:
Margaret Terry Orr, Thomas Bailey, Katherine L. Hughes, Melinda Mechur Karp, and Gregory S. Kienzl. 2004. The National Academy Foundation’s Career Academie’s: Shaping Postsecondary Transitions. Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University.
James J. Kemple with Cynthia Willner. 2008. Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood. MDRC.
View the MDRC news release regarding the study: http://www.mdrc.org/press_releases/19/press_release_19.html