A Ford Next Generation Learning Community uses the power of workplace "relevance" and business "relationships" to excite young people about education and to prepare them for post-secondary schooling and the workplace of the 21st century. In order to become a Ford Next Generation Leadership Community (NGL), a community must meet certain criteria aimed at transforming teaching and learning (through the development of a network of career-themed smaller learning communities, or career academies). This essential high school redesign model, when done well, does double duty in lifting academic results while preparing young people for college and careers.

Ford Motor Company Fund, in partnership with Social Marketing Services, has identified Essential Practices shared by Ford Next Generation Learning communities that have developed and sustained successful NGL strategies over time. These Essential Practices, have been documented in a self-assessment tool—entitled Assessment Tool for Implementation of the Ford PAS Next Generation Learning Community Essential Practices—that serves as the foundation of the Ford Next Generation Learning Community program and that guides communities in developing, strengthening, and improving career academy networks.

Communities that wish to join the Ford Next Generation Learning network and who have the necessary stakeholder commitment are formally invited for consideration. Our goal is to support these communities over a two-year period as they seek to become proficient in each of the NGL attributes. Once proficiency is achieved in all three strands, we will formally designate a community at what we call "Leadership Level." Our Leadership-level communities are called on to mentor new network community participants and members of our Leadership communities are invited to become members of our NGL faculty.

The self-assessment tool, the first of its kind at the community level, can be downloaded at the link at the bottom of this page. The tool should serve as an initial evaluation guide as well as an ongoing instrument to support continuous, ongoing improvement of your community’s NGL strategies.

The Three Strands of a Ford Next Generation Leadership Community
The work of the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) has three strands of emphasis: Transforming Teaching and Learning, Redesigning High Schools, and Sustaining Change Through Business and Civic Leadership. A truly successful Ford Next Generation Leadership Community accomplishes all of the following three strands while cultivating a culture of excellence and accountability:

Click here to see a graphic that depicts the three strands visually.

Click here to download the document entitled "Assessment Tool for Implementation of the Ford PAS Next Generation Learning Community Essential Practices." The self-assessment tool provides a rubric for communities, districts, and schools to use in evaluating the implementation of each key attribute. The extent to which attributes are implemented is rated according to the presence of key features associated with each attribute.

1. Transforming Teaching and Learning:
Creating meaningful learning experiences that enable students to apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges

Ford PAS provides strategies and tools to do the following:

• Engage all students in meaningful learning that is connected to their own lives and usable in the real world
• Prepare students with both essential academic knowledge that meets rigorous standards and 21st century skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, creativity, and global awareness) required for success in college and careers
• Enable students to see how what they are learning in school can prepare them for postsecondary education, productive careers, and active citizenship
• Engage business, higher education, and the broader community in expanding students’ educational experiences and social networks beyond the classroom doors
• Offer educators professional learning opportunities that enable them to apply these transformative teaching and learning strategies throughout their practice
  
  

2. Redesigning High Schools:
Creating and maintaining the career- and interest-based programs and the collaborative culture, structures, and practices necessary to transform teaching and learning and facilitate community engagement

Ford PAS provides strategies and tools to do the following:

• Identify and implement standards of practice for career academies and other innovative and effective designs that support meaningful connections between (1) classroom learning, (2) the needs of the workforce, and (3) economic development resources and needs in the community
• Engage entire school teams in developing and sustaining the collaborative culture and practices required to transform teaching and learning
• Design and implement systems and structures that facilitate changes in teaching and learning as well as school culture—for example, administrative leadership that understands and promotes quality instruction, and scheduling that provides teachers with joint planning time and enables academic, and career and technical education teachers to integrate their instruction

3. Sustaining Change Through Business and Civic Leadership:
Engaging employers, educators, and community leaders to collaborate in building and sustaining educational programs that promote community growth and prosperity by preparing students for future work and citizenship

Ford PAS, specifically through the Next Generation Learning Communities program, provides strategies and tools for communities to do the following:

• Align educational programs with regional workforce and economic development strategies
• Engage employers in creating, supporting, and participating in effective educational programs that will develop a qualified, diverse workforce for the future
• Offer career academies and career- and interest-themed schools that provide the structure and culture required to transform teaching and learning
• Leverage employer support to ensure that educational programs are sustainable and will survive changes in school leadership