Getting a head start on college coursework in high school has become an even more important goal for high school students in recent years, due in part to the rising costs of obtaining traditional four-year college degrees coupled with the disruptions in learning for high school and college students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever,…

The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the ways in which educational experiences might differ between a regional vocational technical high school (RVTH) and short-term career-training programs. A particular regional vocational technical high school was selected for its outstanding academic records and placement rates, and a…

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) developed the Adult Learner Leaders for Institutional Effectiveness (ALLIES) Framework to help guide institutional policies and practices in their work to support adult learners. This document begins by describing the Framework's series of planning and operational domains through which…

This year's report examines the critical role community plays in education. Integrating learning that takes place inside and outside of school has always been a powerful strategy to support student success, but it gained special relevance this year, as school closures made family and community members integral parts of students' daily learning.…

The English Language Learner (ELL) Summer Camp in Worcester, Massachusetts--an intensive six-week program that served middle school and high school students from Worcester Public Schools (WPS)--was the product of a five-way partnership that included the school district, higher education institutions (Latino Education Institute [LEI] at Worcester…

This technical brief describes updates to a database of dropout prevention programs and policies in 2006/07 created by the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands and described in the Issues & Answers report, "Piloting a searchable database of dropout prevention programs in nine low-income urban school districts in the…

A pressing problem facing regulatory agencies, academia, and the food industry is a shortage of qualified food science graduates, particularly those with advanced degrees (that is, M.S. or Ph.D.). In 2000, the Cornell Institute of Food Science established the annual Food Science Summer Scholars Program as an experiential summer research program…

Mount Wachusett Community College Entrepreneurial Resource Center Business Plan Competition brings together stakeholders across all economic sectors to bolster the regional economy. It also highlights entrepreneurs as a viable career choice. The competition disintegrates existing silos, provides education to all entrants, and gives business…

Business education is failing to prepare undergraduates for success in the 21st century workplace. In this paper we contribute one example of a course specifically designed to confront and close this gap between what we know and what we do as business educators. Our example is an innovative, student-centered, senior-level capstone course developed…

Project Reach is based on the assumption that youth, adults, and other target populations will be assisted to a significant degree in knowing more about occupations and in making occupational choices more effectively through the planned interaction with trained retired resource counselors. The project will address three major problem areas: The…

The Brookline, Massachusetts, Public School System's career education program includes a Communications Through Media curriculum. The four-year sequence is designed primarily for students oriented to media careers, but is also open to others with media interests. The program's core course is taught in the 9th grade and seeks to acquaint students…

This guide provides descriptions of 33 promising practices in career education in Massachusetts, which represent a cross-section of geographical locations, student populations, and program components. It is designed for use by school administrators, guidance personnel, teachers, and community members who are looking for suggestions on how to…

Can teaching technologies offer a unique avenue for senior faculty vitality and renewal? This article presents the results of an evaluation that took place during six years of a teaching technology faculty development program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a research-intensive institution. We present a profile of the program and its…

The history, purposes, activities and success of the Widening Opportunity Research Center (WORC), founded in 1972 to promote continuing education in Massachusetts, are documented in this project report. Each area of the WORC program is described and evaluated as of 1978, including: (1) counseling; (2) training; (3) employment referral; and (4)…

During the 1980-1981 school year, the Medford, Massachusetts, Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I program, Project LEAP, provided services in reading and language skills to approximately 400 students in grades kindergarten through six. Additional program components included instruction in perceptual/motor skills, career awareness (for…