Posted August 28, 2006

Recognition Acknowledges Chattanooga’s Commitment to Increasing Student Learning in Successful Career Academies

Chattanooga, TN — Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, announced today the designation of Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a prospective career academy innovation community. The Ford Career Academy Innovation Community (CAIC) recognition program chose Hamilton County because area educators and community leaders are committed to implementing an action plan designed to increase the number of students who have access to successful career academies. This designation was awarded to the Hamilton County School System based on its partnership with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce by representatives of Ford Motor Company Fund.

"Through this designation, we at Ford Motor Company Fund are proud to support innovative approaches that link rigor and relevance in new exciting ways." said Sandra Ulsh, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. "We look forward to working closely with the Chattanooga Chamber and Hamilton County Schools to build successful career academies that will give students the kinds of 21st century skills they will need to be successful in a global knowledge economy."

Ford Motor Company Fund created the CAIC recognition program in order to support communities interested in increasing the number of students learning in successful career academies and to help these communities sustain their career academies over time. Through this designation, Hamilton County will receive technical assistance and a start-up grant of $20,000 from Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, Chattanooga will have the option of implementing the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) curriculum, a standards-based and academically rigorous program, as a part of their new and existing career academies.

Career academies draw together education, business, and industry to develop an education model that uses career themes to bring contextual relevance to academic instruction and to encourage high school students to pursue post-secondary education and build successful careers. According to the Department of Education, it is estimated that nearly 2,500 (about 24%) of the nation’s high schools have a career academy. In Hamilton County, there are 15 career academies already operating in area high schools.

"We are honored that Ford Motor Company Fund is recognizing the outstanding work that Hamilton County has already done in developing an academy system," said Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales. "I am committed to working with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and Ford Motor Company Fund to take our Career Academies to the next level. Together we will create a comprehensive system of Career Academies developed in partnership with the business community to ensure that our students graduate with skill sets that correspond to local industry needs."

The CAIC Initiative uses a 12-point action plan at the community level as criteria for designating career academies as leaders or prospective leaders in this area. Developed by Ford Motor Company Fund, in partnership with Social Marketing Services, (SMS, LLC), the action plan identifies best practices shared by communities that have developed and sustained successful career academy networks. Ford Motor Company Fund will designate several communities as either Leadership Level CAIC or Prospective Level CAIC. Communities that have successfully implemented sustainable career academies over time through this 12-point action plan will be designated as Leadership Level CAIC. Communities that have set in place the necessary planning, resources, and community support and are committed to executing this action plan will be designated at Prospective Level CAIC.

Since its inception, Ford Motor Company Fund has supported a wide-range of education initiatives that create and enrich educational opportunities, especially in the areas of science, engineering, math and business. The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS), a Ford education initiative created in conjunction with the Education Development Center (EDC), provides high-school students with high-quality, interdisciplinary learning experiences that challenge them academically and develop their problem-solving, critical-thinking and communication skills. Ford PAS is currently being implemented in 95 sites across 20 states. Ford PAS recently partnered with the Ohio Department of Education to implement the Ford PAS program across the state, making Ohio the first Ford PAS state affiliate in the nation. The Henry Ford Academy was established in 1997 by Ford Motor Company and The Henry Ford and chartered by Wayne County Regional Educational Services. It was recognized in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the 11 exemplary charter schools in the country.

Ford Motor Company Fund is a not-for-profit corporation organized in 1949. Made possible by Ford Motor Company profits, Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that enhance and improve opportunities for those who live in the communities where Ford Motor Company operates. Ford Motor Company Fund is committed to creating educational opportunities that stimulate creativity and promote cultural diversity. In 2005, Ford Motor Company Fund-supported organizations received nearly $80 million. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, visit www.ford.com/go/fordfund.

The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) program, created in collaboration with the Education Development Center (EDC), provides high school students with high-quality interdisciplinary learning experiences that challenge them academically and develop their problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills. By building strong local partnerships with business and higher education, Ford PAS encourages and prepares students for success. www.fordpas.org

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. For over 100 years, the Chattanooga Chamber has provided community engagement and opportunities for businesses, large and small, including networking, business promotion, business discounts, and public policy advocacy, as well as leadership development and training opportunities.

The Chattanooga Chamber has made education a top priority. Its School-to-Work programs mobilize 1,000 volunteers to deliver award winning career awareness information to 15,000 8th through 12th graders each year. The recently launched education initiative focuses on building partnerships between business people and educators to help ensure that schools are graduating students who are well-prepared to enter the workforce.

In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber is a one-stop-shop for site selectors and business decision-makers considering investments and job creation projects in the Chattanooga region. The Chattanooga Chamber is also responsible for marketing Enterprise South Industrial Park, a top-tier industrial park that offers significant strategic business advantages. In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber administers the Chattanooga Hamilton County Business Development Center, the largest business incubator in the U.S. in terms of the number of start up companies it houses, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, an innovative effort to nurture technology-based start-up companies.