In the fall of 1997, a new kind of public high school opened on the grounds of Greenfield Village within The Henry Ford. Henry Ford Academy (HFA) became the nation's first charter school created jointly by a global corporation, public education and a major nonprofit cultural institution -- Ford Motor Company Fund, The Henry Ford and the Wayne County Regional Service Agency.
Students engage in interactive learning that encompasses multiple disciplines and shares the essential elements of Ford's Partnership for Advanced Studies. The curriculum includes design challenges that focus on real-world projects.
One such project is among the three finalists in a prestigious national contest sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the X Foundation. The Dash Tech Team at HFA (with help from Ford experts) designed a dashboard that embraces customization based on customer wants and environmental sustainability.
You can vote for the HFA team by clicking on www.FuelOurFutureNow.com/contest
"The focus is on real-world learning and problem solving," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. "Students often work together in teams, much like a true business environment."
The majority of the 480 students come from the nearby city of Detroit with diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. The school's charter stipulates that its metrics exceed that of the students' home school districts. Henry Ford Academy excels on that front with average attendance and graduation rates averaging about 95%, and with 100% of graduates accepted into college.
"Students, many from homes of very limited means, leave here fully prepared to continue their education and career development at a level equivalent to public and private schools," said Rick Enright, assistant principal. "Ford Fund has been instrumental in helping us prepare students for success in the 21st century."
