PHOTOS
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(ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press)
Jasmine Cannady, 15, left, Korey McCullough, 16, and Alicia Harrison, 16, all sophomores, study how preindustrial people balanced family and work during a class at the Advanced Technology Academy in Dearborn.
Ford Education Program: Driving into the real world
Tech curriculum prepares students
Robert Garcia, a senior at the Advanced Technology Academy in Dearborn, is getting an early taste of work in the real world thanks to Ford Motor Co.
As part of a project through the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies program, Garcia and his class researched whether it would benefit a company to invest in facilities in a developing country.
"I learned about the business setting, working in a group, delegating tasks and the daily routine of working in business," said Garcia, 18, of Detroit, whose school uses a Ford-created curriculum that focuses on math, science and business.
Ford's advanced studies initiative was honored last weekend at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C. Gov. Jennifer Granholm nominated the program.
"A good number of governors submitted nominations that highlighted the link between competitiveness and innovation," Granholm said in a telephone interview. "This award went to the PAS program because of Ford's tremendous willingness to extend themselves into the classroom."
The 4-year-old program is part of the automaker's charitable arm, the Ford Motor Company Fund, which invests about $70 million a year in the community, art and education.
The $10-million program offers schools a curriculum that includes science, math and business, and partners them with businesses and colleges around the country.
The fund tapped the Education Development Center, an international nonprofit education and health research organization, to write a curriculum that matches federal and state educational guidelines while focusing on the practical uses of technology, science and engineering.
Schools can use the curriculum for free if they download it from the Internet or for a small fee if they prefer printed materials.
Dan Hogan, senior vice president and account director at the ad agency Young & Rubicam Team Detroit, is one of several business partners working with the Advanced Technology Academy.
"They learn about marketing and advertising and what it takes to pursue a career in those fields," Hogan said. "They experience professionals in real life."
Cynthia Andersen, a teacher who taught the advanced study curriculum before becoming principal at the Advanced Technology Academy, said Ford is just starting to compile hard data on the effectiveness of the program.
As a teacher, she can see its benefits.
"They learn so many skills and qualities relating to what businesses are looking for," Andersen said of the students. "They learn to work together, particularly when they don't want to."
Jim Vella, director of the fund, says it's critical that Ford invest in programs like PAS.
"We're really happy and proud that even in a difficult time, we are able to contribute," Vella said. "I always get asked how the company can afford to do this at this time. We believe it makes good business sense."
Education, he added, is where Ford believes it must make its biggest investment.
"We believe that the earlier we get to students, the better the results will be," Vella said.
Contact MARGARITA BAUZA at 313-222-6823 or mbauza@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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