A wall-to-wall approach: one of the strategies cited by Gene Bottoms of the Southern Regional Education Board in his article, "A Vision of the 21st Century," in this month's issue is the high school with wall-to-wall career academies, such as Seneca Valley High School in Maryland.(Reinventing America's High Schools)

In Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), there are approximately 42,000 students who attend 24 high schools, and according to Newsweek magazine, all of the county's high schools rank in the top three percent for the nation. In 2001, the MCPS Division of Career and Technology Education (CTE) began its focus on small learning communities developed around career clusters in strategic locations throughout the school district. Through these clusters, students can develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed decisions concerning their secondary and post-secondary education, careers and a path of lifelong learning.

With a series of "Rigor, Relevancy and Relationship" symposiums and numerous other efforts, CTE was instrumental in educating MCPS teachers and administrators about small learning communities and how this could help improve the high school experience for all students. During this same period, there was a dramatic increase in the number of students who enrolled in an approved career development completer program in their home schools. This represented a blending of the academic and career models to ensure that all students would have a sense of what they wanted to do and/or what interests they wished to pursue after high school.

CTE programs in MCPS are developed in conjunction with all relevant stakeholder groups. Among these groups are parents, students, educators, postsecondary partners and representatives of business and industry. An integral component of successful career programs is the development of strong, active partnerships with postsecondary institutions and business and industry in the local community.

The MCPS division of CTE has partnered with Montgomery College and representatives from numerous businesses and industry. Together, they have developed Cluster Advisory Boards (CABS) to advise and support the efforts of each of the 11 career clusters. In addition, articulation agreements with Montgomery College have provided the…