User:Tomrlucia/CSAT

The Charter School for Applied Technologies (CSAT) is a charter school located in Tonawanda, N.Y., less than 30 feet from the City of Buffalo. With 1,675 students, it is the largest charter school in New York State, and one of only three to provide young people with a comprehensive K-12 experience. Despite its singular name, CSAT is actually a campus of three distinct schools: an Elementary School (950 students K-6), Middle School (260 students 7-8), and High School (465 students 9-12).

CSAT's founders were granted a charter from the New York State Education Department in January of 2001. The school opened in September 2001 to 708 students in grade levels K-6. A new grade level was added each year until 2007-08, when it reached K-12 status.

Demographics
Admission to CSAT is free and open to all students eligible to attend public school in Erie and Niagara Counties. And, as a “school of choice,” the school’s student population is drawn from 16 different school districts throughout Western New York. These districts make up a geographic area that spans from as far north as Lockport to as far south as West Seneca. That said, more than 85 percent of its students come from the Buffalo Public Schools.

As for demographics, Forty (40) percent of CSAT's students are white, 40 percent are black, 17 percent are Hispanic, one percent are American Indian/Alaskan Native, one percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and another one percent have indicated they are “Multi-racial.” The student body also reflects a significantly high rate of poverty, as evidenced by the large number of youths who consistently qualify for Title I programmming. Currently, 82 percent of the school’s students have applied and qualified for either free or reduced-price meals, meaning that their families live at, or below, the poverty level.

Mission: Career Preparation
Like many charter schools, CSAT has a specific mission. In the school's case, it is career preparation, or "Applied Technologies," described as the skills that young people will need to thrive in the "World of Work." Dedication to its school-to-career transition model is reflected in CSAT's motto: "Every Day is Career Day."

Career preparation programming begins for all of the school's students in kindergarten, growing in comprehension to the 12th grade. The program consists of:
 * "Career Touches" - hundreds of business and community leaders from throughout Western New York guest star in CSAT's classrooms, giving younger students the opportunity to be exposed to dozens of careers and older students the chance to start establishing contacts/mentors in their feild(s) of choice.
 * Job Shadowing/Mentoring - Job shadows allow older students the ability to see first-hand those careers they are most inerested in. Mentors give them the one-on-one encouragement and support they need when deciding on a future.
 * Internships - Seniors and juniors are given the opportunity to actually work in their field(s) of choice through a highly structured internship program at regional companies/organizations.

In addition, high school coursework augments real-world experiences by providing students with important "soft skills" training (ex. resume writing, interviewing, work place expectations, etc.).