The Visual Arts & Design Academy at SBHS

The Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) is a small learning community at Santa Barbara High School with about 225 students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. VADA is a unique “school-within-a-school” that integrates rigorous academic coursework with project-based, career-focused art and design instruction, in a supportive and creative environment. Since 1999, VADA has been a California Partnership Academy funded in equal parts by the California Department of Education, the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and the Friends of VADA, a 501 ©(3) nonprofit organization. The Partnership Academy Model There are currently over 500 California Partnership Academies throughout California. The model, originating with the Philadelphia Academies in the late 1960s, spread to California in the early 1980s. Academies incorporate many features of the high school reform movement that includes creating a close family-like atmosphere, integrating academic and career technical education, and establishing viable business partnerships. Emphasis is also placed on student achievement and positive post-secondary outcomes. Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance. Key components of the Academy model are: CURRICULUM focused on a career theme and coordinated with related academic classes. VOLUNTARY student selection process that identifies interested ninth graders. TEAM OF TEACHERS who work together to plan and implement the program. MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES with private sector involvement to encourage academic and occupational preparation, such as: integrated and project-based curriculum, mentor program, classroom speakers, field trips, and exploration of post-secondary and career options. WORKPLACE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES such as job shadowing, student internships, and work experience.