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About the Henry Ford Academy Model

What is a Henry Ford Academy? First and foremost, it’s an exemplary school that prepares all of its students for college and career success. Each of the Academies in HFLI’s Network of Schools customize and localize the Henry Ford Academy Model -- and in doing so blend the Henry Ford Academy Design Framework, educational best practices, and high expectations for teachers and students alike, with an exemplary range of local resources.

The Academic Design Framework is a keystone to creating successful new Academies. It includes four core elements that are integrated in collaboration with teachers and community partners:

Teaching and Learning for Authentic Achievement – a structured approach to developing deep knowledge that emerges from thoughtful, discipline-based inquiry, adopts creativity and innovation, and addresses the value of that knowledge beyond the classroom.

The Work Place as the Learning Space – a model that provides students with opportunities daily to observe how adults live and work to meet responsibilities associated with their careers.

Public Schools in Public Spaces – a real-world environment approach that deeply embeds learning within a content-rich public setting.

Partners in Learning – a demonstration of strategies that bring business and community partners into the school environment for the purpose of supporting student learning.

Passionate and highly skilled teachers are clearly one of the keys to student success. Students are required to master science, math, language arts, and social studies; art, foreign language, technology and health will be core requirements. All students are expected to demonstrate maturity and personal responsibility, both within the context of the school and wider community.

In each city where a Henry Ford Academy is developed, local community leaders, community organizations, businesses, and cultural institutions have already committed to provide resources -- such as time, materials, financial support, services, mentors or internships -- to provide teachers with the elements to implement and support powerful learning experiences for Academy students.

Academy graduates will be prepared to succeed in whatever challenge they might pursue after high school. By engaging all aspects of the community, untapped and underutilized local resources, and removing artificial boundaries between learning and the real world, Henry Ford Academies will provide students with opportunities and experiences not found in most other public schools. We think that’s something bigger.