NAF (non-profit organization)
| Formerly | National Academy Foundation |
|---|---|
| Company type | Non-profit organization |
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Sanford I. Weill |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
Number of locations | 620 academies |
Area served | 37 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
Key people | Sanford I. "Sandy" Weill, Founder and Chairman; Lisa Dughi, CEO |
| Services | Public-private partnerships in key local sectors create academies within traditional high schools to create learning environments and internship opportunities in industries with jobs |
| Subsidiaries | In 2002, Career Academies U.K. were the first affiliates set up outside the U.S. |
| Website | NAF.org |
NAF is an industry-sponsored nonprofit organization with a United-States-based network of public-private partnerships that support career academies within traditional high schools. Each academy focuses on a theme that addresses the anticipated future needs of local industry and the community it serves in five major "college prep plus" fields of study that encourage and facilitate college preparation and technical training on career paths in finance, hospitality and tourism, information technology (IT), engineering, and health sciences.
The program is designed to build a work-ready future workforce by emphasizing STEM-related industry-specific curricula in the classroom and work-based learning experience, including summer internships. NAF has created career academies in 620 high schools in high-need communities in the contiguous United States and its territories since 1980.
Numerous studies of the NAF model have concluded that "sustained, quality employer involvement in education is possible," and that their programming helps provide equitable opportunities for minority students in "low-socioeconomic and high-risk backgrounds." Other research also credits the work-study model with promoting successful equity and inclusion.