The Metro Career Academy
A full service community
school
Metro Career Academy has three major goals for students:
- Achieve a high school diploma
- Complete career training
- Prepare for college
Only a third of American students will leave high school with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
MCA is designed to foster academic achievement, career development, community support and health care services for students and their families. The challenges facing today’s families and students in their daily lives often become serious barriers to student success. MCA uses a holistic approach to serve those students who need assistance beyond the traditional educational environment.
 MCA Serves At-risk Students
MCA serves students, 15 and older, who face adverse barriers toward achieving a high school diploma and career training. MCA serves not only students but their families as well.
MCA Brings the Community to Students
MCA’s Parent Resource Center, Mentorship Program and community
partners work with students, family and community members.
- Parent Resource Center is a family focused program
enabling parents and family members to become more
involved with their children’s education.
- Mentorship Program connects students and caring
individuals. Mentors provide support, advice and friendship.
They also serve as positive role models.
- Community Partners provide a network of supportive
services between the school and the community.
MCA Helps Students Graduate
- “Nationally, 1.3 million members of the public high school class of 2010 will fail to graduate with a diploma. That amounts to a loss of 7,200 students from the U.S. graduation pipeline every school day, or one student every 25 seconds”
- 3 out of every 10 students in Oklahoma schools fail to finish high school with a diploma
- 4 out of every 10 minority students fail to finish high school with a diploma
- Students who fail to finish high school will face greater hardships than their graduating peers
Source: Diplomas Count 2010; Education Week; June 2010
MCA Uses Innovative Learning Approaches
- One-on-one instruction with caring teachers
- Nurturing and supportive learning environment
- Personal case workers
- Individual learning plans
- Individualized instruction through online curriculum (APEX)
- Academic instruction integrated with occupational skills training
- Career counseling
- Health and human services
- Parental and mentoring involvement
- Parent education
- Community partnerships
- Internship opportunities
- Access to washers, dryers, showers and clothing
Two-Thirds of state prisoners are dropouts
3 out of 10 Oklahoma students don’t receive a diploma
1.35 million children are homeless
...50% drop out rate among ethnic minorities |
We make a difference
The Metro Career Academy practices the five basic beliefs of the Communities in Schools movement as outlined by Bill Milliken in The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic!
 
We provide every student with a...
Relationship with caring adults
We believe all students need someone who cares enough to be there for them. Mentoring is the presence of caring individuals who provide young people with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive examples. Our Mentorship program can and does help young people succeed, no matter what the circumstances. In addition, our Parent Resource Center (PRC) provides a wide range of training and services to meet the needs of parents and family members. The PRC encourages families to be involved in their students’ education.
Safe place to learn and grow
The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that, on any given night, 1.35 million children age 18 and younger are homeless. We believe students need a safe place outside of their home or a refuge in lieu of a home. Our facility is a true community center that gives students a safe and caring environment in which to learn, grow and succeed. We also provide students, teachers, staff and visitors with a safe learning environment free of drugs, weapons, and bullying.
Healthy start and a healthy future
It’s hard to learn if you are sick, hungry or hurting. We have created community partnerships to address the physical and mental challenges facing so many of our students. We have an on-site health center that provides medical, dental, and mental health services to the students and the community. In addition, we have community partners who provide assistance with drug and alcohol addiction, financial planning and child services, just to name a few.
Marketable skill to use
upon graduation
We realize students need a high school diploma to be successful, but we know they also need occupational training to enter gainful employment or to advance to higher education. Our case workers help students develop individual learning plans to help them reach their educational and career goals. These plans align the students’ academic and career goals so they are earning high school academic credits while learning a marketable skill.
Chance to give back to peers and the community
We believe students must learn that it is as important to give as it is to receive. We encourage our students to become involved in volunteerism, peer mentoring, character development and community service projects to help them develop their spirits, as well as their bodies and minds. |
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Metro Career Academy partners who work on-site with MCA students on a weekly basis include:
- Beautify Evolution
- Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Oklahoma
- C.A.R.E. for Change, Inc.
- Central Oklahoma Healthy Start Program
- Cultural Awareness through Visual Arts – CAVA
- Dream Driven to Succeed
- Family Development and Intervention Services
- Healthy Start
- HopeWorks – Public Speaking
- Oklahoma Black Museum and Performing Arts Center
- Oklahoma City Police Department
- OU Health and Science Center
- Perry Klaasen Medical Center
- Quayle United Methodist Church
- Redirection, Intervention and Mentoring Program
- Village Concepts – College Prep 101
- YES Student Organization
- Zumba with Rhonda Gray
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