Monday, February 27, 2012

Funding for Clean Energy Academies - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Funding for Clean Energy Academies - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Student Job Prospects Enhanced Through
Funding for Clean Energy Academies

Collaborative Effort to Keep Students in School and on Path
to Careers in Renewable Energy and Clean Technology

SACRAMENTO—California State Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, and the California Energy Commission today launched a new $3.2 million program to help prepare California's high school students for jobs in clean technology and renewable energy.

Legislation by Steinberg (SBx1 1) approved last year called for creating and investing in Clean Energy and Technology Academies, modeled after the state's nearly 500 California Partnership Academies. The academies function as schools within schools, blending academic and career technical education to help students apply their knowledge in work-based settings and prepare for careers and college.

"About 48,000 California students are already a part of these remarkable academies that give them the opportunity to benefit not only from rigorous academics, but also to link these classroom lessons with technical training and real world work experiences," Torlakson said. "Students get to see why what they learn in school matters in the real world—and why they should care. That holds particularly true in clean tech and renewable energy fields, important—and growing—parts of California's economy."

Torlakson recently directed the California Department of Education to release the first installment of Green California Partnership Academy Program planning funds for campuses to begin development or refinement of the green academies. The list is attached.

The programs will provide students with opportunities in such industries as agricultural and natural resources, engineering and design, energy and utilities, building trades and construction, and manufacturing and product development. They all participated in a recent solar energy educator workshop, provided through a grant from the Department of Energy and coordinated by the Community College of San Francisco.

"According to the Brookings Report, 'Sizing the Clean Economy,' California has the most skilled clean technology and energy jobs in the country, with more than 315,000 employed in these sectors," said Energy Commission Chair Dr. Robert Weisenmiller. "The partnership academies are preparing high school students to enter this high-wage workforce."

The new funding comes at a critical time, as funding for the initial California Partnership Academies is set to end June 30, 2012. Torlakson and Steinberg will push for renewed funding later this year to continue supporting the programs.

"The reality is that too many of our students drop out of high school because they're bored and unmotivated. It's not because they're less intelligent than their peers, they simply don't see traditional curriculum leading to a real job," said Steinberg. "When these students are taught the core subjects of English, math, and science in ways that apply to real-world technical skills, they're inspired to get engaged in their studies and become more successful than ever before."

Academies will receive funding in installments, as they first launch their new programs and then demonstrate that they have created curriculum and activities designed to meet stringent academic and industry-specific requirements.

California Partnership Academies have proven successful in keeping at-risk students engaged in their work, and on the path to graduation. In fact, statistics show that academy students fare better than the general high school population, with lower drop-out rates, higher test scores among students of color, and greater enrollment in postsecondary institutions.

Of the 21 funded Green Academies, 12 are continuing programs that will augment their curriculum to ensure they continue to meet the objectives of the clean technology and renewable energy legislation. The full group of academies will also be the first in the state to open their doors to ninth grade students, thereby providing participants with a full four-year participation in this successful model.

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Attachment

Green California Partnership Academies Program
Implementation Grants

CountyDistrict Name School Academy NameCity/ZipPrimary CTE Industry Sector Grant Amount 2012-13
AlamedaOakland UnifiedCastlemont High School, East Oakland School of the ArtsSustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)Oakland 94605Agriculture & Natural Resources &/or Engineering & Design$72,443
AlamedaFreemont USDJohn F. Kennedy High SchoolBuilding Green -- Building SmartFremont 94538Building Trades and Construction$72,443
AlamedaLivermore Valley Joint USDLivermore High SchoolGreen Energy AcademyLivermore Engineering & Design$135,831
AlamedaOakland USDSkyline High SchoolRenewable Energy AcademyOakland 94619Energy and Utilities$135,831
LakeUpper Lake Union High School DistrictUpper Lake High SchoolAESAUpper Lake 95485Agriculture & Natural Resources$72,443
Los AngelesAntelope Valley High School DistrictAntelope Valley High SchoolBusiness Entrepreneurs for Alternative Resources (BEAR)Lancaster 93535Energy & Utilities$72,443
Los AngelesLos Angeles USD Local District 1James Monroe High SchoolEngineering and Design Clean Tech AcademyNorth Hills 91343Engineering & Design$135,831
Los AngelesLos Angeles USD, Local District 4Los Angeles River SchoolRenewable Energy & Resource Management AcademyLos Angeles 90065Energy & Utilities$72,443
Los AngelesAntelope Valley High School DistrictWilliam "Pete" Knight High SchoolDigital Design and Engineering (DD & E) AcademyPalmdale 93552Engineering and Design$135,831
RiversidePalm Springs Unified School DistrictDesert Hot Springs High SchoolRenewable Energy Academy of Learning (REAL)Desert Hot Springs 92240Energy & Utilities$135,831
RiversideAlvord USDNorte Vista High SchoolGreen Construction AcademyRiverside 92503Building Trades and Construction$72,443
SacramentoElk Grove USDElk Grove High SchoolAgricultural Sustainability AcademyElk Grove 95624Agriculture and Natural Resources$135,831
SacramentoElk Grove USDLaguna Creek High SchoolGreen Energy Technology AcademyElk Grove 95758Energy and Utilities and Design$135,831
SacramentoElk Grove USDPleasant Grove High SchoolGreen CADDA AcademyElk Grove 95624Engineering and Design$135,831
San BernardinoSan Bernardino City USDArroyo Valley High SchoolCORE Culinar Organic RecyclableSan Bernardino 92411Agriculture & Natural Resources$135,831
San DiegoSan Diego USDHoover High SchoolSustainable Academy of Building and EngineeringSan Diego 92115Building Trades and Construction$72,443
San DiegoSan Diego USDSan Diego Education Complex-School of Science and TechnologyGreen EngineeringSan Diego 92101Engineering & Design$72,443
San DiegoSweetwater Union HSDSouthwest High SchoolEco-EngineeringSan Diego 92154Engineering & Design$135,831
San FranciscoSan Francisco USDAbraham Lincoln High SchoolALHS Green AcademySan Francisco 94116Energy & Utilities$135,831
San JoaquinSan Joaquin County Office of EducationVenture AcademyClean Transportation Technology AcademyStockton 95213Engineering and Design$72,443
StanislausCeres USDCeres High SchoolCeres High School Manufacturing AcademyCeres 95307Manufacturing and Product Development$135,831
Related Content
  • California Partnership Academies (CPA) - The CPA model is a three-year program (grades ten-twelve) structured as a school-within-a-school. Academies incorporate integrated academic and career technical education, business partnerships, mentoring, and internships.
  • California Partnership Academies Green Initiative - Funding results for California Partnership Academy (CPA) Program Grants fiscal year 2010-11 funded thru Assembly Bill (AB) 519.

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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction


Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100