The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to ensure all students have access to a world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success. "The Online Learning Definitions Project" is designed to provide states, districts, online programs, and…

One of a series to aid facilitators who train rural career guidance program staff, this module emphasizes the importance of planning in the development of a comprehensive career guidance program. A conceptual model for a planning and implementation cycle is presented, examined, and applied to the initial steps of program planning. Topics addressed…

This facilitator training guide, part of a series of 18 components, describes the needs assessment process as an essential feature of successful rural career guidance program planning. It is designed to provide participants with the skills necessary to conduct a local needs assessment and to identify student needs for career guidance programming.…

To have an effective career guidance and counseling program, it is necessary to know and use pertinent resources. This module provides facilitator guidelines for training staff in the use of three "Rural America Series" handbooks: (1) "Resource Assessment" which depicts a major step in the planning process, (2) "Career…

This module of the staff training series deals with the practical problems that arise when setting a framework for effective staff development, by concentrating on a number of experiential activities for accomplishing the staff development mission. Presented among the strategies for accomplishing total staff development are field trips to work…

This module provides guidelines for planning and implementing both written and oral cooperative agreements with business, industry, and labor. These guidelines will be of help to rural and small school counselors and educators as they plan, implement, and evaluate career guidance programs in rural schools. Characteristics of formal and informal…

This module helps the facilitator in training other educators in the effective use of a wealth of field test data gathered through case studies of all nine sites at which the Rural America Series has been rigorously field tested over a 15-month period. The module is particularly valuable in assisting program planners to anticipate and avoid errors…

This facilitator's module, part of the staff training for the "Rural America Series," presents the means for setting the keystone of successful program development, i.e., the establishment of appropriate, concrete, and measurable objectives. A distinction is made between behavioral (student) objectives and program objectives, and…

This module emphasizes the training of staff members of recognize the benefits of effective school-community cooperation and provides an opportunity for trainees to develop a viable community relations strategy. Reasons for community involvement are considered; these include becoming responsive to and aware of community needs, obtaining community…

This module, one of a series designed for facilitators training rural career guidance program staff, is designed to give participants a better understanding of the career development needs of students in rural schools--schools that often have limited resources. After the module is introduced, participants complete a warm-up activity, i.e., a…

This staff training module presents a program for group career counseling in rural and small schools. Module contents are based on two handbooks: "An Individualized Approach to Career Counseling and Placement" and "Career Counseling in the Rural School." An active dialog about the current status of counseling in rural schools…

This module underscores the need for evaluation in order to collect baseline data to monitor progress and to make decisions about needed changes in rural school career guidance programs. Evaluation is a process that occurs during planning and is used to monitor progress, and, later, to assess overall program impact. After a delineation of commonly…

The eighth module of the Rural America staff training series is designed to help individuals gain a better understanding of the placement process. The module begins with a brief introduction to placement in terms of definitions and the current status of placement in the participants' schools, addressing questions of who provides leadership for…

This module attempts to put participants into contact with the limited or stereotyped manner in which most of us view our world. By doing so, it sets the stage for examining ways to bring parents, employers, and school staff to an expanded world view, particularly as that view encourages wider career opportunities for youth. Training in developing…

This module of the staff training series deals with techniques for developing career guidance programs in three settings--the home, the community, and the school. Suggestions and experiences are outlined to help practitioners gain skill in designing career guidance practices appropriate to these environments. Home-centered career guidance…