Replication of a Career Academy Model: the Georgia Central Educational Center and Four Replication Sites

This paper examines how four Georgia career academies compare with a Central Education Center (CEC) exemplar in Georgia. This study focuses on three elements of the CEC model; courses and curricula development based on need, stakeholder engagement, and seamless integration of career and technical education with academics and alignment between secondary and postsecondary education. Internet searches and key informant interviews from each site were conducted to assess the results. The study found that the four career academies adhered to the major elements of the exemplar CEC, and that the sites were pleased with the flexibility the model provided for adopting it to their communities.