The National Academy Foundation (NAF) has teamed up with Paxton/Patterson (PP) to bring PP’s Engineering Process curriculum to students who attend one of NAF’s Academies of Engineering, located in high schools across the country.

The Academies of Engineering were launched in 2008 as a partnership between the National Academy Foundation, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., and Project Lead the Way.  These three organizations collaborated to bring high quality, engineering education to underserved high school students.  To date, there are 29 Academies of Engineering serving 6,000 students across 12 states. Twenty-eight additional sites will open in the fall of 2011.

“We have been fortunate enough to partner with some of the leading organizations in this area to ensure we give our academies the best tools to work with,” said JD Hoye, President of the National Academy Foundation.  “By recognizing Paxton/Patterson’s Engineering Process curriculum and certifying it for use in our Academies of Engineering, we are providing more opportunities for schools to engage students in the growing engineering industry.”

Paxton/Patterson’s Engineering Process curriculum, CAREERplus and CAREERplus2 provide a rigorous engineering and technology curriculum with extensive SolidWorks 3-D design and analysis. Students learn the core concepts and values of the engineering process and develop engineering knowledge and skills through the multimedia curriculum and hands-on projects.

Roger Davis, owner and CEO of Paxton/Patterson stated, "The National Academy Foundation and Paxton/Patterson have a shared vision for improving outcomes for high school students while preparing them for future careers.  There is significant growth occurring in engineering and technical fields: in order to meet the workforce needs, we must attract and retain more students whose interests and aptitudes are well matched with these careers.  We are pleased to share our knowledge with NAF’s Academies of Engineering to ensure the economic vitality of our country."

Paxton/Patterson offers a comprehensive line of learning systems, tools, equipment, and supplies for technology, engineering, health science, and other career and technical education programs.

The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that open doors for underserved high school students to viable careers. For nearly 30 years, NAF has refined a proven model that provides young people access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals.  NAF academies focus on one of four career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, and engineering. Employees of more than 2,500 companies volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships, and serve on local Advisory Boards. During the 2009-10 school years, 500 NAF academies served more than 50,000 students across 41 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NAF’s national graduation rate of 90% testifies to the effectiveness this effort.