The focus of this paper is on how academic staff perceive their roles and responsibilities regarding work-related learning, and how they approach and implement work-related learning activities in curricula across academic environments in higher education. The study is based on case studies, including semi-structured interviews and analyses of…

This report examines career development approaches and practices implemented at six West Virginia school-to-work (STW) sites. The sites were the original local partnerships funded by the state's federal STW implementation grant in 1996. Site visits gathered information needed for development of a comprehensive career development self-assessment…

This article presents a conceptual model for analyzing the process of implementing policies for school-to-work transition of individuals with disabilities. The model identifies explicit and implicit directives, describes policies and practices, contrasts practices with policy directives, assesses quality of local implementation, and identifies…

Many students in today's high schools choose courses and work experiences in an unplanned, aimless manner that often results in limited career options and undeveloped potential. Innovative educators across the nation have responded by restructuring schools around career pathways, which are integrated, multiyear sequences of career guidance,…

This guide is a tool to assist educators in the development of high-quality work-based learning sites in New Hampshire as part of the state's school-to-work program. The guide is divided into two sections. The first section, Common Elements of Work-Based Learning, provides information and guidelines for addressing program design issues for all…

Successful School-to-Work (STW) practices and implementation needs were examined in New York's 401 rural school districts. A short survey was completed by administrators in 128 districts. Preliminary findings from the survey were discussed at four community roundtables attended by 95 representatives of rural school districts and their partners. A…

A study described the experiences of elementary educators who are attempting to implement a districtwide School-To-Work (STW) reform effort in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public Schools (MPS). The descriptions were derived from the first and second years of a 3-year evaluation of MPS's STW implementation plan. Data for the study were drawn from the…

A study examined the impact that the United Auto Workers' (UAW) Joint Funds programs, established in the early 1980s, have had upon the policies and practices of selected community colleges in the Midwest. Each of the three UAW Joint Funds programs (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) offers a wide array of special programs to active and inactive…

Pedagogical alternatives for preparing student to make the transition from school to work are examined and synthesized into six key components of successful transition programs. Four desired outcomes of program participation include connecting theory and practice, developing maturity, gaining personal awareness, and attaining professional insight.…

Focusing on the role of community colleges in implementing the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, the 12 essays in this volume describe strategies and practices developed by colleges to address the provisions of the Act and help develop a global workforce. The following articles are provided: "Assessing the Community College Role in…

This module is the third section of a four-part how-to manual for integrating curriculum in grades K-12, especially in Missouri. The module outlines step-by-step procedures for integrated units, integrated years, and integrated schools. Comments from teachers, students, and administrators who are actively involved in integration in Missouri…

The Rochester (New York) School-to-Work Transition Initiative introduces career opportunities and choices to students from prekindergarten through 12th grade and beyond by preparing them for the workplace. The initiative helps students identify their interests and a career direction and enables them to pursue the education and technical training…

A policy analysis examined existing school-to-work transition programs in order to identify and evaluate the arguments for a national initiative to provide school-to-work transition services to high school seniors who are poorly equipped to obtain and retain jobs after graduation. To gather data for the study, the researchers conducted a…

The report presents six papers describing a Tennessee study to assess the status of the supported employment initiative, determine the importance and implementation of best practice elements, and ascertain perceptions of supported employment customers toward implementation. Major findings include the following: at the time of the study supported…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act broadens the meaning of curriculum by calling for integrated learning organized into coherent sequences around broadly conceived career majors. Work experience, as well as academic and occupational study, is an assumed element of the integrated school-to-work curriculum. A variety of strategies for curriculum…