MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ CAREER ACADEMIES OUTPERFORM ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED PROGRAMS

Miami, FL - Miami-Dade County Public Schools will be adding four new Distinguished Academies to its existing three Distinguished National Academy Foundation (NAF) career academies.

Alonzo & Tracy Mourning Senior High School Academy of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT), Coral Reef Senior High School Academy of Finance (AOF), Mater Academy East Charter (AOF) and Miami Central Senior High School Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) join Miami Beach Senior High School AOHT, Miami Norland Senior High School AOHT and Southwest Miami Senior High School AOF that are already Distinguished Academies.  Miami-Dade County Public Schools now has seven of the 22 nationally recognized high-quality academies demonstrating that their programs perform at the highest level in preparing their students for college and careers. This national distinction is the most of any school district.

In addition, Miami has 23 Model Academies (the most of any school district) meeting the highest proportion of academic standards.  Earning the score for recognition as a Model Academy shows the highest level of fidelity to the NAF career academy model that provides students access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals.  These career academies are aligned with the One Community One Goal initiative targeting major industries that impact Miami’s economy.

Miami-Dade County's award-winning NAF Academies for 2014 are as follows:

M-DCPS’ Department of Career and Technical Education provides students with high quality, relevant, career technical education,  giving students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and careers for the new economy. For more information, go to: http://dcte.dadeschools.net.

About NAF:
The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that open doors for underserved high school students to viable careers.  NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. Nearly 5,000 business professionals volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships, and serve on local advisory boards. In 2013, NAF academies reported 96 percent of seniors graduated. For more information, go to http://naf.org

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14-JJS/058/VVL

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