Physical education teachers must systematically design instructional strategies which: (1) permit positive interaction between student and environment; (2) define elements in the teaching-learning process; (3) interpret how each element contributes to objectives; (4) analyze interdependencies; and (5) organize the best mix. A sample instructional…

Michigan's curriculum framework is a resource for helping the state's public and private schools design, implement, and assess their content area curricula against state and national content standards. The framework emphasizes the following: using continuous school improvement to align all school district initiatives to increase student…

The objectives and development of the skill standards movement were examined along with 22 pilot projects that were undertaken as part of an effort to promote the development of a national system of voluntary industry-based skill standards. First, the past and present of the skill standards movement and certification practices were analyzed along…

According to the school-to-work (STW) program philosophy, STW efforts should be comprehensive and begin as early as preschool. At the elementary school level, the developmental process of career education begins with career awareness designed to broaden student knowledge about careers and connect academic learning to the workplace. Developing…

Recognition of the need for lifelong learning that is accessible to all Australians underpins the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. The Australian Qualifications Framework is a nationally consistent framework that allows for credit transfer and articulation between Australia's schools, VET, and universities. The Australian…

This monograph contains eight papers examining vocational teacher education theory and practice within the context of new teacher education reforms and practices. Various theoretical and practical aspects of preparing vocational teachers for tomorrow's workplace are discussed, including the following: challenges/opportunities affecting the field;…

This monograph examines vocational education and training (VT) in Denmark. Section 1 presents background information/framework data on the following: Denmark's political and administrative structure; population, employment, and unemployment; and the Danish economy. In section 2, the history of VT in Denmark is traced from before 1870 to the…

This document profiles the Lansing Area Manufacturing Partnership (LAMP), which is a model school-to-career initiative featuring an innovative integrated, employer-driven curriculum that was designed, developed, and implemented through the joint efforts of the Ingham Intermediate School District in Lansing, Michigan, the United Auto Workers (UAW),…

This monograph examines vocational training (VT) in the Federal Republic of Germany. Section 1 presents background information/framework data on the following: Germany's political and administrative structures, population and demographic trends, economy and employment, and education system. In section 2, the historical development of VT in Germany…

This book, which is intended to facilitate dialogue among educators, parents, students, and policymakers, provides practical approaches to reforming secondary schooling to increase its rigor and relevance to the "real world." Chapter 1 reviews 10 guiding principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools and school-to-work movements and…

Sweden's educational system was analyzed to determine the degree of coherence that exists between compulsory education, upper secondary education (which in Sweden includes both vocational and general education), and the various forms of adult education available. First, the objectives and structure of the following components of Sweden's school…

This document presents the National Health Care Skill Standards, which were developed by the National Consortium on Health Science and Technology and West Ed Regional Research Laboratory, in partnership with educators and health care employers. The document begins with an overview of the purpose and benefits of skill standards. Presented next are…