The increased interest in FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools) programs has prompted many foreign language educators to consider the impact of program articulation on the development of a successful K-12 language program. Program articulation is the process of providing a smooth transition between foreign language classrooms, and can…

Tech prep is an articulation partnership between secondary vocational-technical schools and postsecondary institutions. It can be described as an "advanced skills" articulation model because it enables students to use the time saved through coordinated course work to acquire the more advanced occupational knowledge and skill required by…

School-to-work transition services are intended to help youth develop the skills and attitudes they need to find and keep employment, maintain a meaningful adult life-style, and develop positive social interactions. Eligibility for such services has now been broadened beyond disabled students to include students with economic or educational…

This digest focuses on the articulation of foreign language programs between secondary and higher education. The following questions are addressed: (1) What are urgent reasons for better program articulation?; (2) What forms does articulation take?; (3) What aspects of the educational process does articulation address?; (4) Are there examples of…

Transfer (i.e., the movement of students and of their academic credits from one school to another) and articulation (i.e., services for transfer students) can no longer be thought of solely in terms of the linear progression of community college students to four-year institutions. While definitions and counting procedures vary considerably among…

There has been a significant increase in new foreign language programs at the elementary school level in recent years. Many of these programs, often referred to as foreign language in the elementary school or FLES programs, have been implemented to comply with state mandates, while others have been developed in response to parental pressure for…

This digest is drawn from "The Role of the Community College in Teacher Education" (New Directions for Community Colleges, Spring 2003). It examines trends in teacher education in the community colleges, including building partnerships and articulation agreements with baccalaureate-granting institutions, designing new associate degree…

Interfering with the ability of community colleges to face the challenges involved in fulfilling their multiple missions is the fact that the colleges are often regarded as "inferior" when compared to four-year baccalaureate institutions. Ironically, many of the concessions that community colleges have made to gain stature have hurt,…

Increased national attention to the quality of education has resulted in a more critical examination of the community college transfer function. This concern for transfer has been precipitated by several factors: (1) the declining percentage of community college students who transfer; (2) the growth of the community services, vocational, and…

During the last two decades learning communities, which are felt to have benefits that extend beyond students to faculty and the institution, have expanded to include many different models. This digest reviews five major higher education learning community models currently in existence: (1) Linked courses, which link cohorts of students taking two…

Schools and school districts across the United States are establishing and expanding foreign language programs. Although most programs are found at the secondary school level, an increasing number are being established in elementary schools. A survey by the Center for Applied Linguistics indicates that 31% of U.S. elementary schools are offering…

This digest describes the implementation of a successful district-wide elementary school foreign language (FLES) program that resulted from the superintendent's vision to have all students in the district study a common foreign language throughout their schooling. This vision was based on the superintendent's belief that American secondary school…

This digest provides a description of block scheduling and discusses specific advantages, concerns, and considerations of block scheduling and foreign language instruction and learning. Block scheduling is a reorganization of school time that comes in many complex variations, including 4x4 (four blocks of 90 minutes each) and A/B (eight blocks…

A brief overview is presented of some successful minority teacher education recruitment programs. The sample of programs includes the following: secondary education programs targeting junior and senior high school students; teaching profession magnet programs; articulation programs between four- and two-year colleges for community college…

Although the benefits of articulation between secondary and postsecondary vocational programs are clear, progress in articulation between proprietary schools and secondary and/or postsecondary programs has been slow. The fundamental barrier to articulation between proprietary schools and postsecondary vocational education programs is faculty…