Ten years ago, community college presidents' most valued datum was the number of students enrolled, which drove the colleges' funding. Providing access to higher education for the millions of students without the time, money, or academic preparation to attend a traditional four-year college was (as it always had been) their top priority. Today, a…

Our current education system is based on Fordism, a mass production model that separated narrowly skilled workers and centralized resources. Michael Hammer's principles of flexible design (which include developing a cross-functional perspective, organizing around outcomes, encouraging worker self-sufficiency, combining information processing with…

This publication provides information and materials on the tech prep initiative of the Partnership for Academic and Career Education (PACE). It begins with questions and answers addressing the why and what of tech prep, for whom tech prep is designed, and what the goals of tech prep are. Diagrams illustrate PACE tech prep components,…

Research conducted during the Youth Research and Technical Assistance project established that the process of designing effective job training/employment programs for at-risk youth can be framed in terms of the following broad themes: focusing on youth as youth by developing program designs that are appropriate for their age and level of…

The 14 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)-funded youth employment programs to which the Academy for Educational Development (AED) has delivered technical assistance for the past 5 years illustrate several important conditions for effective programming and "best practices" in the field of youth employment and training. Four of the JTPA…

In 1994, a 2-day symposium was conducted on a broadened, more inclusive mission for rural schools--rural schools functioning as community learning and service centers. The symposium aimed to enhance the knowledge base related to five key dimensions that must be planned, implemented, and evaluated when designing rural schools in this fashion:…

Several decades of studies evaluating youth employment programs funded through the nation's second-chance system have demonstrated the shortcomings of programs that concentrate on work experience alone and try to reverse years of inadequate education, discrimination, and alienation in a few weeks or months. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act…

In spring 1997, Arizona repeated a spring 1996 statewide public poll that established baseline measures of public attitudes toward school-to-work (STW). Samples were drawn from three constituent groups: parents, businesses, and educators. Over 2,700 Arizonans participated each year. Overall awareness of STW was up significantly among every group.…

This book traces the High Schools That Work program from its inception and reports on practices that are helping schools effectively integrate academic and vocational education. Examples are included to illustrate what can be accomplished. Chapter 1 describes the program's goals, key practices, key conditions, and success. Chapter 2 shows how…

This document presents the results of a project to develop new designs for career and technical education (CTE) at the secondary and postsecondary levels in the context of the process and recommendations used in two previous projects that identified new designs for comprehensive high schools and two-year postsecondary institutions. The document is…

This book contains 13 papers examining topical issues in vocational education and training (VET) in Victoria, Australia. The following papers are included: "Vocational Education and Schooling: The Changing Scene" (Jane Kenway, Sue Willis, Peter Watkins, Karen Tregenza); "The Enterprise Approach" (James Mulraney); "VET…

Reports analyzing vocational-technical education (VTE) in individual member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) were reviewed to identify changes in the role of VTE in the context of technological and structural change, economic crisis, and uncertainty. Major transformations in VTE affecting its organization,…

A cross-case study approach was used to determine how school-to-work reform affects clients and participants and to identify elements critical to the success of school-to-work systems. Fourteen school-to-work reform initiatives in communities across the United States were examined by using a research protocol that included individual interviews,…

This book examines and illustrates the process of transforming school-to-work into real learning for real work. In chapter 1, guidelines are presented for designing project-based learning programs that are both academically rigorous and grounded in community and workplace realities, and the attempts of three very different high schools to develop…

A study assessed the feasibility and attractiveness of youth apprenticeship in Arkansas in over 80 interviews with employers in 5 key Arkansas industries and occupations. They were allied health, food processing (equipment repair and maintenance and lab technician/quality control), information services, metalworking, and self-employment and…