Central Educational Center
Executive Summary
The world is changing our local economies. Business and education must work together so that local communities and local citizens have high-quality 21st century opportunities to benefit from those changes. Leaders in government, in education and in business are in agreement on this implication of the data about economic change. Responses to economic change, in business and education, have been sprouting up nationwide. Local leaders worked for three years in planning to develop a significant model-- Newnan, Georgia's Central Educational Center (CEC).
CEC is a unique partnership, a “joint venture” among and business and industry, the Coweta County School System, and West Georgia Technical College. These partners formed a public steering committee in the late 1990’s that worked for three years. The result is a charter school designed to meet the needs of a 21st century economy by seamlessly blending secondary and postsecondary education and training with business and industry. At CEC, business and education work together to develop the best educated and most productive workforce in U.S. history. CEC's mission is to "ensure a viable 21st century workforce."
Since opening as a public charter high school on August 10, 2000, thousands of "team members" (students) and their parents, and hundreds of national and international visitors have affirmed that CEC is a model for seamless education and workforce development. CEC visitors have traveled to the Center from across the U.S. and from 16 other nations.
CEC's results are impressive. The school has hundreds of local business partners who have provided work-based learning opportunities for more than 1000 team members. Hundreds of high school students have earned significant portions of Technical College Diplomas and Associate Degrees while still in high school. A single industrial prospect generated $75 million of initial local economic impact by expanding and creating 300 new jobs. The key reason for their decision was, “… because CEC exists.”
Coweta County's dropout rate has fallen dramatically since CEC opened. The University of Georgia has documented an on-time graduation rate in our dual enrollment programs of 98%. In recent years, CEC students exceeded the state's average graduation test (GHSGT) first-time pass rates. In a recent snapshot, GHSGT results were even more impressive among CEC's economically disadvantaged students.
As a result of this good news, CEC was named a national “replicable” Model High School by a consortium of professional educational organizations including the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), High Schools That Work and others. CEC has presented at USDE High School Summits, has presented to educational policy leaders through the American Youth Policy Forum, has testified before Congress about the effectiveness of career and technical education, and has presented to multiple sessions of the European and American University Forum. Leaders who have visited CEC point out these four “lessons learned.”
- CEC uses Technical College resources to teach high school students “high-wage, high-skill, work-ready” components of Associate Degrees.
- CEC seamlessly connects secondary and post-secondary education. High school can now “ensure” that students succeed in college while still in high school.
- CEC involves business leaders in planning and governance and change. CEC responds to the “needs” of the high-wage, high-skill world economy in which students must succeed.
- CEC uses proper law and regulation to guarantee capacity to innovate. Charter school law is a means to the end.
CEC has received federal and state grant funds to replicate this model in other Georgia communities. Replication efforts have been successful in nearly 20 Georgia counties. Significant CEC-type workforce development efforts are also underway in communities outside Georgia.
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