Western Governors University (WGU) was created as a proof of concept. The Governors wanted to prove that something different could work and could be accredited by the same agencies that certify mainstream higher education institutions. Just as charter schools were designed to try things that the public schools could not, it was hoped that other…

Higher education has immense power to support the transformation of K-12 teaching and learning because it incubates future educators and supplies opportunities for professional development. University presidents and deans of colleges of education can also use their influence to support systemic change to modernize the profession through a variety…

The guided pathways approach to community and technical college redesign has significant impacts for adult basic education (ABE). The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Ability to Benefit provide federal support that complements the work being done in Guided Pathways. Washington state's approach to implementing guided pathways…

Given the changing landscape of higher education, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) established the Task Force on the Future of Higher Education in March 2017 to conduct a systematic review of higher education; examine existing initiatives and best practices; and report findings and recommendations on strategies that best…

Community colleges and businesses have a shared interest in preparing students and existing workers to be successful in their careers. Community colleges seek to educate and train individuals in their community to have the knowledge and skills for current jobs and long-term career opportunities. Employers seek employees with both job-specific…

An educated workforce is one of the bedrocks not just of a strong American middle class, but also of a strong U.S. economy. To ensure that America has the most competitive global workforce, President Barack Obama articulated a goal that, by 2020, every American should continue their educational training after high school so that the United States…

The core purpose of this paper is to describe a new educational paradigm as well as possible directions and tasks for education reform in the 21st century. The present-day education system has failed to nurture the kind of creative people who can play leading roles in development or to produce citizens of a good character and democratic…

The Australian government, employer groups, and the trade union movement acknowledge a critical need to improve work force skills. Focus is on the notion of competencies and measurable learning outcomes. The driving force has been the linking of industry restructuring with occupational classification restructuring (award restructuring). The…

A study of business and labor was conducted to define the performance skills expected of those entering the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Survey respondents were 1,120 business people and 26 labor representatives in Illinois of whom 90 participated in follow-up roundtable discussions. Respondents identified and rank ordered nine basic skills:…

Since the early 1990s, China's government has followed a socialist market economy system. Accordingly, the technical and vocational education (TVE) should be restructured to meet its needs. Reform of the TVE system has four aspects. First, reform of the planning system includes a move from a central plan of enrollment to planning according to…

This document is the 1996 update to a 1994 Comprehensive Plan for Workforce Training and Education in Washington State. The plan focuses on collective actions that public and private sector partners need to take to have the best work force development system in the nation. The plan details how jobs are increasingly demanding higher-level skills,…

Research and development help employers work better with schools to the extent that there is connectivity from one to the other. Project SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Integration has been implemented by the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Germany. These U.S. schools, teachers, and students are situated in…

SCANS (the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) provides definitions of the knowledge students and workers need for workplace success and methods for applying these principles in communities throughout the United States. This document contains six articles that give education and training practitioners practical suggestions for…

This report highlights the Washington State work force training system's initiatives from July 1995 to June 1996 in the following areas: Performance Management and Accountability, School-to-Work Transition, competency-based education, linking training with economic development, public awareness, and one-stop career center system/collection of…

Three evaluations analyzed program characteristics and participant results in work force education and coordination in Washington State. The Employment Security Department's evaluation of Job Training Partnership Act Titles II and III looked for an association between participant characteristics and the type of training they receive and between…