This report, the second installment in Advance CTE's "Connecting the Classroom to Careers," series, explores an issue that is often a stumbling block for K-12 work-based learning--ensuring these experiences are safe and legal for students. This report features New Jersey, Kentucky and California and their approaches to dismantling…

Federal legislation has attempted to move career and technical education (CTE) from a segregated component of the high school curriculum to an integrated element that jointly improves both academic and career readiness. However, concerns remain about the ability of CTE to improve academic learning. Using a nationally representative sample of high…

In 1970s, the US career education achieved significant development and produced extensive and deep influences under the supports of the public. As viewed from the sociology, the production and development of the career education is induced by the deep social factors. The opening integrated career system supported by the school, the community and…

Integrating academic and career tech curriculum is one of the primary objectives of the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act (1998 reauthorization) and a guiding principle of the School to Work Opportunities Act. It has proven to be an invaluable approach to teaching, and educators across the nation have experienced firsthand how the application…

Outlines the School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994, including its rationale and implications for schools and school counselors. Discusses role the school counselor can play in this educational reform initiative. Proposes that when schools implement school-to-work systems, the additional emphasis on career development and education can improve…

Charles Benson's 1992 (posthumous) essay presents a vision of a "new vocationalism" that integrates academic and occupational curricula, combines classroom instruction with work-based learning, and connects secondary with postsecondary education. It explains the rationale, summarizes existing evidence, analyzes obstacles, and discusses…

Presents three options on a critical issue, transition from school to work: career education, school-to-work opportunities system, and school-to-employment system. Suggests that the information is essential to begin a dialogue on developing a framework and process to establish a successful school-to-employment system. (JOW)

Adolescent pregnancy has occurred throughout America's history. Only in recent years has it been deemed an urgent crisis, as more young adolescent mothers give birth outside of marriage. At-risk circumstances associated with adolescent pregnancy include medical and health complications, less schooling and higher dropout rates, lower career…

A forum focused on ways to implement the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which requires work-based learning, school-based learning, and activities which connect the two. Participants described the act as follows: (1) a great step forward and based upon enduring principles, (2) a collaborative career education system supported by…

The final version of the School to Work Opportunities Act was passed only after an extended battle over how to protect individuals' private right of action to enforce the act. Although it still contains nonentitlement language, the final act also includes new language clarifying Congress' intent that the provision not preclude enforcement of the…

A study explored the issue of fiscal agency and its relationship to planning and implementing school-to-work (STW) systems to inform stakeholders in Arizona's emerging STW system about other states' experiences. A review of the STW Internet Gateway yielded a subset of states based on factors such as their history in implementing STW and…

The simplicity and "common-sense" quality of school-to-work's (STW) basic concepts are the greatest threats to the full implementation of STW. Implementation requires a fundamental restructuring of secondary education and far greater involvement of employers in the preparation of young people for work. A synthesis of findings from eight…

New ways of work and new workers and workplaces need education and training systems and occupational classification systems based on the skills that different occupations share rather than on the industry sectors to which they belong. This new approach to providing occupational information (career majors or clusters or pathways) corresponds to…

Noting that parents have a responsibility to help their children prepare for a career, this handbook is designed as a practical resource for parents in Louisiana looking for assistance in helping their children choose and prepare for a career. The handbook presents a parent partnering model connecting learning and earning that focuses on parents'…

Describes two pieces of national legislation to improve students' preparation for the workforce: the Tech Prep Education Act (Title IIIE of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act Amendments of 1990) and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. Identifies special characteristics of secondary schools that provide career paths…