SANTA ANA : ‘At-Risk’ Students to Get Business Classes

Valley High School has received a $15,000 planning grant from the state to create a special academy that will prepare low-achieving students for jobs in the business world.

The Global Business Program will be available next year for about 50 students, who will attend classes designed to prepare them for employment in local companies when they graduate or to be business majors in college, said Mary Breskin, vice principal at Valley High School.

“I think it’s going to benefit our students tremendously,” Breskin said. “There’s always a demand for programs that train students for a specific job.”

Students eligible for the program have been defined by the state as “at-risk,” meaning they are economically disadvantaged or have a history of irregular attendance, low motivation and underachievement.

“The idea is to provide a smaller class size, more attention and support services to push them past the barriers they may be facing,” Breskin said.

Students will apply for the program during their freshman year, enter it as sophomores and continue through graduation. They will be required to take four specialized classes--three academic and one technical--in the program’s curriculum each semester. The classes will emphasize skills in business, with a focus on international awareness.

“We will be looking at businesses globally and examine how countries all around the world interact globally,” Breskin said.

The program will also include speakers, field trips, mentors from the business world and work-experience opportunities.

Valley’s program will be one of 34 similar special academies operating throughout the state. It will be operated by the state, the district and the World Trade Center Assn., an Irvine-based, nonprofit organization which promotes international trade.

In order for the school to receive the entire $67,000 in annual state funding for the program, students must have an 80% attendance rate and earn 90% of their graduation credits, Breskin said.