A program offered by Pennsylvania College of Technology and Penn State University prepares vocational-technical teachers dedicated to their profession and to the promotion of learning as a lifelong process. It signals improved education services, a better infrastructure for public education, and the promotion of vocational teaching to a highly…

The American Vocational Association's Teacher of the Year explains a Texas initiative to develop a tech prep curriculum for marketing education. (SK)

The author presents the District of Columbia's model for career guidance featuring school/industry partnerships. For students, the model provides (1) positive role models, (2) training from professionals, (3) a broad experiential background, (4) an additional support base, and (5) necessary skills. Schools and businesses also benefit. (CH)

The Northwest Suburban Career Cooperative in Chicago involves schools and companies in designing tech prep programs based on industry standards. Students take academic courses enabling them to enter community college associate degree programs; they try out their career interests in internships with participating businesses. (SK)

California's 2+2+2 articulation agreements assure students a smooth transition from high school tech prep to community college courses that transfer to baccalaureate programs at state universities. California Articulation Numbers identify community college and university courses with similar content and transferable credits. (SK)

New York City Technical College designed transitional activities to ensure that high school tech prep students continued for the final two years of the program. Features included shadowing, entrance exam workshops, advanced standing workshops, and preregistration. (JOW)

Articles describe elements of Oregon's' tech prep program: "New Software Helps Students Visualize a Career Path" (Buhl); "Bridge Construction Ahead" (Roach); and "To Track Students, Oregon Goes to the Bar" (Dutson). (JOW)

Unfocused general education should be eliminated in favor of tech prep/associate degree (TPAD) applied academics (along with college prep and vocational education). TPAD programs encourage potential dropouts to stay in school, prepare students for transfer to postsecondary education, and benefit students, employers, schools, colleges, communities,…

Surveys of academic and vocational faculty at Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) showed that academic faculty viewed vocational faculty more positively than was commonly assumed. The shift in attitudes signals the potential for the cooperation and teamwork essential for the success of tech prep. (SK)

Based on the "High Schools That Work" model, the Quad County Tech Prep Consortium in Florida has won several awards for its comprehensive tech prep program. The partnership enables technical students from four school districts to flow smoothly into an associate degree program at Indian River Community College. (JOW)

Three programs at Tulsa Junior College respond to labor force needs: (1) Aviation Education Alliance, an articulated program among universities, two-year colleges, and vocational schools; (2) International Language Center, teaching languages specific to the needs of client companies; and (3) Tulsa Training Center, focusing on workplace literacy…

Tech prep prepares people for technical careers by linking high school studies with community college coursework. The Pee Dee Tech Prep Program in North Carolina is a joint venture between the Richmond County Schools and Richmond Community College that connects essential skills learned in high school with occupation-specific skills taught in…

Vocational education is thriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa, because of a local commitment to develop a fully articulated career education program and capitalize on shared resources. (JOW)