Kris Adcock of Moreland was an "A" student at Newnan High School, uncertain about a career. He didn't think playing French horn in the marching band was the answer, either.
Attending two schools simultaneously, Adcock dropped out of Newnan's marching band to take electives in pre-engineering and robotics at Georgia's first charter school career academy, the Central Education Center of Coweta County. This is where hundreds of charter students, bound for college or the workforce, are groomed for jobs in everything from cosmetology to aviation.
At the Central Education Center, Adcock learned the high school math he had mastered held a practical job use.
""Math was my best subject; it is pretty much what electrical engineering is all about," said Adcock, 20, and a college student who interns for Yokogawa Corp., an industrial instrument manufacturer.
Adcock uses high school algebra to calculate the value of resistance needed for the operation of circuit boards. "CEC let me explore careers so I could see what I like to do," he said. "The exposure I got influenced my decision to become an engineer."
Interest in opening more schools such as the Central Education Center has grown in Georgia, if not globally, as conventional school educators have struggled to make core courses in math, science and language arts relevant to a student's pursuit of college or the job market.
Last Thursday, the Georgia Board of Education responded to the demand for more academic-focused vocational schools, approving charters for Liberty County College and Career Academy. It also made it possible for a technical school in Gwinnett County to join the network; Maxwell High School of Technology, which already offers courses in automotive repair and construction, eventually could become the state's first existing technical campus to go career charter.
Gwinnett Schools officials want to accommodate 1,200 students in the program and expand its offerings to reflect more input from local industry and colleges, a necessity for career academy consideration. Students in career academies also are enrolled in technical college courses that allow them to graduate with a diploma and a work specialty certificate.
"We are looking at all of the possibilities," said Steven Flynt, Gwinnett Schools chief academic officer. "To be a career academy, the first thing you have to do is be a charter school. This keeps us moving in that direction."
Recently, the Hapeville Charter Career Academy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 70,000-square-foot building. The school, which received a $3.1 million state grant for construction, is expanding its program to serve ninth- and 10th-graders in the fall. Its governing board is composed of parents, medical professionals, Atlanta Technical College educators and a BMW executive.
"We make learning as hands-on as possible," said Gary Martin, Georgia Magnet/Charter Schools Foundation board president. "I would like to see 100 percent of my students go to the college of their choice."
Georgia has 21 charter career academies, nine of which have been built and are in operation. Others are in various stages of construction and planning. The schools have received the support of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who has steered $45 million in grants their way in three years.
In 2009, $15 million in grant funding was allocated to several schools, including Newton College & Career Academy, Carroll County College & Career Academy and Decatur Career Academy. Another $9 million will be offered to career academies this year. The state has applied for millions more in federal funds to support existing career academies.
"The biggest difference between charter schools and career academies is the post secondary connection," said Mark Whitlock, Central Education Center chief executive officer. "They reach beyond high school to that next step for a career field."
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