Whitfield County School System Mr. Jay Williams, Principal 2300 Maddox Chapel Road Dalton, GA 30721 Document Generated On September 27, 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? The Whitfield County Career Academy has operated since fall of 2005 as a LEA Start-up charter school, but, as part of the recently approved charter is considered a program. The newly named Northwest Georgia College & Career Academy (NWGCCA) is focused on helping high schools achieve success through an individualized program of study that includes rigorous and relevant instruction in academic and career/technical courses, planned and structured work-based learning opportunities and a seamless transition to postsecondary education and the workforce. The original vision of the Career Academy was to provide Whitfield County students in grades 10-12 a non-traditional high school setting that would be more career and skills oriented. From the outset, a lack of consistent central office administrative leadership and poor communication within the school system of a shared vision for the Career Academy created obstacles for success. Beginning with the planning until the actual opening of the facility, the school system went through four Superintendents, one of whom was interim. During that first year of operation, serious challenges were faced, and by the end of the year, the Board of Directors had been stripped of its decisionmaking role and relegated to an advisory board, and the CEO was removed and transferred to another school. Starting in Year Two, we were told we would be accepting freshman, a new principal was brought in and the overall philosophy of Whitfield County Schools moved in a different direction. Now, six years later, the need is greater than ever in northwest Georgia, and our focus is to re-create a true college and career academy that will provide students with the technical skills critical for success in the 21st century. Local business and government leaders report that our region has many unfilled positions that require job-specific skills lacking in current applicants. There is great need for our newly renamed (NWGCCA) to work in affiliation with local businesses and industry leaders to create innovative curricula which prepare our graduates for entry into the local workforce. " Over the past year, new partnerships have been forged with both technical and four-year institutions of higher education that have reinforced our mission " to develop a 21st century workforce through world-class Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE)." In an effort to focus on post-secondary transition, the Whitfield County Career Academy is changing its name to the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy (NWGCCA). As we now move forward, NWGCCA will work in partnership with Dalton State College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, neighboring school systems, the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commence, and local and regional business and industry. By blending the rigor of high school curricula, the relevance of real work experiences, and the relationships forged between all stakeholders, students will be able to transition successfully and more rapidly to attain their professional goals. The opportunities Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy will be able to provide students, beginning in middle school, continuing through high school and further into post-secondary, will assist them to pursue the knowledge and skills necessary for career readiness and success, and over time, provide a better quality of life for the people of Whitfield County, the northwest Georgia region and beyond. Page 2
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The mission of (NWGCCA) is "to develop a 21st century workforce through world-class Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE)". Changes are currently underway as the former Whitfield Career Academy takes on a new identity and a more regional focus. NWGCCA is pursuing educational partnerships with each middle and high school within the Whitfield County School System, neighboring school systems including Dalton City and Murray County, local private schools, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Dalton State College and local business and industry. NWGCCA will have an enhanced career tech focus with programs offered based on the needs and future trends in industry and the work force. Students will be able to simultaneously meet graduation requirements and complete their career pathway, with the possibility of attaining an Associate's Degree and/or Work Ready status. There will be an increased emphasis on students being placed in highly-supervised work-based learning environments which often transition students into full-time employment. Page 3
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. NWGCCA has been nationally recognized for its quality instructional program. The school was featured by Edutopia (www.edutopia.org),the George Lucas Educational Foundation, for its work in successfully replicating High Tech High's(www.hightechhigh.org) project based learning. It has partnered with the Buck Institute of Education (www.bie.org) and was recognized in August 2011 by The Whole Child (www.wholechildeducation.org) as one example of what works in public schools today. The CEO has been a guest speaker for the Collegial Learning Series offered by High Tech High in San Diego, California and was the keynote speaker at the State of Kentucky State School Superintendent's Conference. The school's ability to make the most of technology has also been featured in the March/April 2010 edition of Page One magazine, a publication of PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators). NWGCCA has been awarded the Platinum, Gold, and Bronze awards by the Georgia Department of Education. It has received the GACHA grant for three years in a row and participates annually in the Apply to College Week. Most recently, the school was awarded a $2.6 million grant through the Technical College System of Georgia to implement sweeping changes that will allow us to more fully embrace our mission "to develop a 21st century workforce through world-class Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE)". Page 4
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The NWGCCA has restructured this year under a new charter and has redefined the roles of administration and the school board. The Career Academy now has a Board of Directors that serves as the decision making authority over curriculum and instruction related to CTAE and will provide recommendations to Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Dalton State College regarding additional programs related to dual enrollment. The NWGCCA along county wide CTAE courses will be overseen by the CEO and daily operations will be carried out by the principal and assistant principal.. Page 5