Forging the Early Middle College
The concept of an Early/Middle College charter public school district was born in the late 1990s, when a coalition of School-to-Work leaders, Ford Motor Company executives, and Total Quality leaders from American auto suppliers convened to address Michigan’s growing workforce development needs in the automotive sector.
At the time, Ford was executing its ambitious Ford 2000 Strategic Plan, which included mergers and acquisitions involving Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo, Range Rover, and Mazda. Technological advancements in manufacturing had significantly raised the skill requirements for Michigan’s workforce. Despite widespread downsizing across the industry, more than 8,700 unfilled positions remained that required competencies in data analysis, mathematics, and computer literacy—skills that over 70% of these jobs demanded. Alarmingly, 85% of Michigan’s workers required on-the-job training simply to keep pace with such evolving technologies.
Barry Hawthorne, representing the American Supplier Institute, spearheaded the creation of an independent nonprofit organization in collaboration with industry, academia, and government. The goal: was to enhance the competitiveness of American automotive suppliers by providing more skilled. Knowledgeable workers
Partnering with the newly established Governor’s Charter School Office and the Michigan Department of Career Development, Hawthorne developed charter school applications for multiple sites across Lower Michigan. These applications were grounded in the Ford Academy of Manufacturing Sciences curriculum and the Michigan Model Core for Technology and Computer Applications. The proposed schools would be located on college campuses, integrating the final two years of high school with the first two years of college-level technical education, giving students not just marketable skills for jobs, but a head start on their education with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree at the same time.
Working with Lawrence Technological University, Hawthorne submitted four foundation grant proposals under the title “Automotive Careers Plus Pathway Project.” The initiative secured $1.9 million in funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation, Thompson Foundation, McGregor Fund, and Hudson-Webber Foundation, with Michigan Futures coordinating the grants.
In 1999, Lake Superior State University authorized the new charter public school, which launched in 2000 on the campus of Lawrence Tech in Southfield. Its innovative curriculum earned the prestigious 2002 CASE Circle of Excellence Silver Medal Award— previously awarded to institutions such as MIT and Duke University.
In 2005, Ford Fund President Sandra Ulsh highlighted Advanced Technology Academy, which by this point was also known as ATA, in the organization’s annual report, recognizing ATA as the full implementation model for the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, or Ford PAS. Ford PAS had recently received the National Governors Association Award for Best Public-Private Partnership in the United States.
ATA was later designated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best high schools in the country. In 2008, ATA acquired a state-of-the-art college campus adjacent to the iconic Ford Rouge Industrial Complex, placing it near Cleveland-Cliffs Rouge Steel, Marathon Oil Refinery, DTE Energy, and Henry Ford Health in Dearborn.
Now, in its 25th year, ATA continues to serve as a nationally-recognized center of excellence in providing students an Early/Middle College educational experience designed to give them a competitive advantage. With new tariffs reshaping the industrial landscape, ATA is strategically positioned to supply a highly skilled workforce not just for Michigan-based employers. But for America’s advanced manufacturing sectors.
ATA’s “High Standards for High Achievement” model empowers economically disadvantaged, multicultural families and students to access high-wage, high-tech careers. It’s a model many other charter schools around the U.S. are attempting to emulate to support an increasingly competitive work environment.
