The Future Is
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NAF ANNUAL REPORT // 2015—2016 THE FUTURE IS NOW As NAF students throughout the country settle in As we look into NAF’s future, we must also look at to a new school year, we are proud to reflect on our nation’s future and recognize that we are at a where we have come as an organization. More than pivotal point. There are significant issues plaguing 90,000 students attend 716 NAF academies in 36 the US economy and education, including vast states, including DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands. income inequality, a growing skills gap, and the lack NAF academies graduate 98% of seniors and 92% of of access underserved students have to education them go on to college. that provides successful futures. In the U.S. today, there are 6 million open jobs and 8 million people Leading companies have partnered with NAF are unemployed. NAF is uniquely positioned to for more than 34 years, aligning their industry bring together leading corporate and community expertise, community leadership, and workforce partners, philanthropists, and educators to solve development needs to NAF’s college and career these issues. We will kick off a new strategic plan pathway design. The result has led to greater during the 2016-17 school year that includes impact, increased reach, and new designs for strategies to: significantly increase corporate 02 // DEAR FRIENDS successful corporate engagement, as well as “gold partners and paid internships; increase traction of standard” tools that collectively define and drive NAFTrack across the network; administer better high quality work-based learning and internship DEAR FRIENDS quality control over local education programs; and experiences for both employers and educators. increase evaluation and oversight of Advisory Board NAF partners are stepping up to our challenge. quality and outcomes. This will ensure that both There are now 15 companies signed on to NAFTrack NAF and our nation will Be Future Ready. Certified Hiring. By offering hiring benefits to the When you travel through the NAF network in the young people in our network, these organizations stories ahead, you’ll see a few examples of how NAF are making a statement about how NAF prepares students prove they are truly Future Ready. Thank students for their open positions. Additionally, the you for providing life-changing experiences for the innovative myNAFTrack online and mobile platform young people that need them most. will provide a lifelong connection for students and alumni to employers and job opportunities. JD HOYE SANFORD I. WEILL PRESIDENT, NAF FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, NAF LET’S START HERE DC STUDENTS HAVE TENACITY NAF academies in Washington, DC Phelps Architecture, Construction and take internship readiness seriously. Engineering High School spent their Students learn how to seamlessly apply summer interning for Turner Construction, WASHINGTON DC // 04 // DC WASHINGTON the industry knowledge gained through where a redevelopment project took them their academies to a real-world setting on a tour of Ronald Reagan National by utilizing the Tenacity 1.0 Employability Airport. Cardozo Academy of Information Skills Curriculum. Developed around the Technology student, Ashleigh Thorne, three character traits of poise, initiative, revamped social media for HR’s college and tenacity, this curriculum teaches recruitment efforts in her internship NAF ROAD TRIP // 03 // TRIP NAF ROAD concepts like dressing professionally, at Accenture. Kai Curtis from McKinley utilizing code switching, writing resumes Technology High School Academy of and cover letters, and using social Engineering took the metro every day to networks like LinkedIn. his internship at the World Bank. DC students took these character Curtis told The Washington Post, “Not “ There are adults that are strengths and hit the ground running. everyone gets to say they worked in a struggling to find a job, With NAF academies open for just two government building at my age. There years, students have completed nearly are adults that are struggling to find a but I have one.” 200 internships. Students from the job, but I have one.” — Kai Curtis WASHINGTON DC THE MIAMI NAF Miami-Dade County Public NETWORK Schools (M-DCPS): Working to ensure all students have the opportunity to participate in a high quality 4th largest school district in US educational experience, Miami hosts unique events that involve the entire network of 57 NAF ROAD TRIP // 06 // TRIP NAF ROAD NAF academies, including the Mega Industry 56 languages Student Conference. This event brings together more than 1,400 students and industry representatives for an event that includes 160 countries represented MIAMI // 05 // MIAMI presentations, demonstrations, college displays, and networking opportunities that 1/9 of all students attend NAF span NAF’s five themes. Students participate in the conference as professionals, attending academies sessions and networking with peers. Miami has matched thousands of students 10 Distinguished academies with compensated internships and continues to grow these opportunities through innovative practices including getmyinterns.org, an online portal that matches companies with prospective interns. MIAMI BIRMINGHAM ACADEMY OF HEALTH SCIENCES GRADUATE GIVES BACK As graduates from NAF’s first Academies looking to give back, she launched her of Health Sciences begin college, they own business and uses the proceeds 08 // TRIP NAF ROAD bring their success stories back to where to fund a scholarship for young women it all started, encouraging all students to interested in pursuing a career in STEM or be confident, work hard, take advantage of health sciences. opportunities, and always give back. At the 2016 NAF Next conference, Kalyn BIRMINGHAM // 07 // BIRMINGHAM Birmingham City Schools is home Kalyn McMillan is a 2015 graduate of said of her experience: “I am beyond Jackson-Olin High School’s Academy grateful to be a graduate from a NAF to 11 NAF academies, whose of Health Sciences in Birmingham and academy. Without my instructors and current student at the University of mentors, I do not believe I would have student body is 93% Black/African Southern Alabama. She became statewide surmounted the many hurdles I was faced American. President of HOSA Future Health with growing up in a low-socioeconomic Professionals, traveled to Ghana with the area. My academy helped me realize my US Ambassador to discuss educational potential and discover who I really am. 100% of academy students qualify gaps between cities, and most recently NAF helped re-kindle my fire to become attended a summer medical and dental a doctor, and now I won’t let anyone for free or reduced-price lunch. program at Duke University. Always extinguish it!” BIRMINGHAM PARTNERSHIP IS KEY IN DALLAS NAF Board member and Capital One based learning experiences and internships, President of Financial Services, Sajniv Yajnik, not only with Capital One, but also with knows how important it is for students in his American Airlines, Fidelity, and Verizon. home city of Dallas to see the connection between what they are learning in the This year, Capital One brought the education classroom and what it takes to succeed and business communities together for a 10 // DALLAS in college and in the professional world. Future Ready Partnership Celebration, which According to Yajnik, “The continued growth kicked off the 2016 internship season. NAF and prosperity of our region depends academy students from North Texas attended largely on an educated, skilled, and inspired alongside partners from top companies, NAF ROAD TRIP // 09 // TRIP NAF ROAD workforce. Capital One’s support of NAF’s including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, internship program is one of the ways we Microsoft, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Texas help to mentor and retain the very best talent Instruments, and Wells Fargo. in the Dallas area.” “ The continued growth and prosperity of Public-private partnerships between companies in the Dallas area and NAF our region depends largely on an educated, academies have yielded countless work- skilled, and inspired workforce.” — Sanjiv Yajnik DALLAS The Porterville Unified School District saw THINKING CREATIVELY its graduation rate increase from 78.1% to 84.3% between 2010–2011 and 2014–2015. IN PORTERVILLE, CA Graduation rate for NAF students: 99%. Porterville, CA is home to 13 NAF audition for a role portraying various academies across NAF’s five career careers. Career Kids visit 6th grade themes and additional themes that serve classrooms across the district, portraying the needs of its community. Its creative working adults in occupations related to implementation of the NAF curriculum the academies. Each selected student 12 // PORTERVILLE exemplifies NAF’s flexibility. One of four meets a “peer mentor” student from newly Distinguished NAF academies, each academy in PUSD, researches an Harmony Magnet Academy of Performing occupation related to that academy, and Arts, combines curricula from multiple interviews a community member involved themes with NAF’s work-based learning in that occupation. They then create NAF ROAD TRIP // 11 // TRIP NAF ROAD continuum to apply the future-ready a persona in that career and portray learning experience in an arts setting. that character to the 6th graders. The performances serve as career awareness At Harmony, career awareness activities for the younger students and as the are uniquely implemented through the culminating project for academy students. Career Kids capstone project. Students PORTERVILLE 2015 REPORT OF GIFTS DONORS $999,999 AND