Oakland Technical High Engineering Academy
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The Oakland Technical High Engineering Academy, or just the Engineering Academy as it's known locally, is a subset of Oakland Technical High School dedicated to "successfully teach[ing] students physics mechanics through a unique combination of academic and vocational courses."[1] It was founded in 1986 by Parker Merrill, an Oakland public school teacher since 1971.[2] Roughly 120 students grades 10-12 are enrolled in the academy at any given time.
The Engineering Academy offers an innovative and rigorous project-based curriculum for students interested in mathematics and science. The Academy's goal is for students to master physics mechanics by pursuing courses which are a unique combination of both academic and vocational studies. Expectations at each level are that students will demonstrate a clear mastery of complex visualization, design, mathematical, scientific, and technical skills. Each course is scheduled in a sequence to optimize student success and to provide exposure to professional opportunities in the fields of engineering and architecture. For each Academy course, students spend several months preparing engineering-related projects to be entered in local, county, and state-level competitions.
At grade level 10, Engineering Academy students study Engineering Principles, in which they develop sophisticated drafting methods using both traditional techniques and Computer-Aided Drafting. Concurrent enrollment in Advanced Algebra Trigonometry is required for Engineering Academy students at this level; this assumes mastery of Geometry at the freshman level.
At grade level 11, Engineering Academy students will study Honors Program (HP) Descriptive Geometry, a demanding course in which students employ traditional hand-drafting methods to graphically solve an extensive series of solid and plane geometry problems. They also take HP Physics Mechanics, a college level statics and dynamics course based in Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. Students at this level much be concurrently enrolled in HP Math Analysis.
At grade level 12, Engineering Academy students enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) Physics, a challenging college-level, calculus-based statics and dynamics program. They also study Advanced Architectural Design. In this class,they will design a house and build its model, following a rigorous professional guidelines established by the American Institute of Architects, to submit to the Oakland Rotary Club's Annual Design Contest. Advanced 3-D Computer Modeling, in which students use sophisticated CAD software, is also offered at this level. Students must be concurrently enrolled in AP Calculus.
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[edit] Classes
Engineering Principles
Academy Lab for Grade 10
Prerequisite: Concurrent Enrollment in Advanced Algebra / Trigonometry
Description: Students learn various drafting methods using both traditional techniques and Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD).
Descriptive Geometry Honors Program (HP)
Academy Core Requirement / Lab for Grade 11
(Approved A-G requirement for University of California)
Prerequisite: Complete Engineering Principles with a "C" or better, concurrent enrollment in Math Analysis.
Description: Students use traditional drafting methods to solve a series of Plane and Solid Geometry problems graphically.
Advanced Architectural Drafting
Academy Lab for Grade or 12
Prerequisite: Complete Engineering Principles with a "C" or better
Description: Students design a house and build a model following the guidelines for the American Institute of Architects and the Oakland Rotary Club Annual Design Contest.
Advanced CAD - 3D Modeling
Academy Lab for Grade 1 or 12
Prerequisite: Complete Engineering Principles with a "C" or better
Description: Students use advanced CAD software to construct 3-D models.
Physics Honors Program (HP)
Academy Core Requirement / Lab for Grade 11
Description: College level statics and dynamics.
Physics Advanced Placement (AP)
Academy Core Requirement / Lab for Grade 12
Prerequisite: Concurrent Enrollment in Calculus
Description: College level Physics Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism.
[edit] Students
A vast majority of the students in the engineering academy go on to four year colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and MIT.[3] Enrollment in the academy is completely optional, and "everyone who is here wants to be here." The students describe the engineering room as a "safe place" where "kids don't slack off."[4]
[edit] Demographics
As of 2008, the male-female ratio has been and remains 50% male, 50% female.
As of 2005, approximately half his students are Asian American, and 25% are African American, with the rest evenly split between whites and Latinos.[4] This is in contrast to the approximately 65 percent African-American, 20 percent Asian, 10 percent Hispanic, and 4 percent white makeup of the rest of the school.
[edit] Funding
Unlike the other academies at Oakland Tech, the Engineering Academy has opted not to be a State Partnership Academy. Instead, significant funding comes from outside sources such as IBM and Bechtel.[5] More funding comes from parents of current students and Engineering Academy alumni.
[edit] School "Report Card"
The Oakland Unified School District mandates that every school publish a public record of their standing on a variety of standardized tests and other quantitative analyses. See: Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card, 2005-06.
[edit] References
- ^ Engineering Academy information at Oaklandtech.com
- ^ Article and photo at http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/
- ^ article by Underground Construction Co., Inc
- ^ a b A smart update on vocational education, Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, June 5, 2005
- ^ Malarkey, Tom. Real Changes, Persistent Challenges: Managing Multiple Reforms in an Urban High School, http://www.essentialschools.org/
