This report contains profiles of initiatives in the 50 states and Puerto Rico to connect learning and work. Learning and work initiatives combine education reform, workforce preparation and economic development to prepare individuals for a lifetime of learning, citizenship, and career success. The profiles are drawn from state applications for…

Based on experience with the program in South Dakota, this document contains 54 questions and answers about tech prep, the integrated academic-vocational system of education encompassing 2 years of high school and 2 years of college. The guide provides information on such topics as the following: what tech prep is, how Perkins Act funds are used…

Tech prep is an educational initiative that promotes increased cooperation between local educational agencies and postsecondary institutions. Its intent is to improve the quality of instruction and employment potential of students, particularly those enrolled in general or vocational education. Tech prep's strength lies in the partnership…

nation moves into the 6th year of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school reform era. The demand for skilled labor in many occupational sectors is strong and growing. Studies have shown CTE helps increase students outcomes and achievements. This ought to be good news for CTE. However, due in large part to NCLB, secondary CTE is increasingly under…

Initiatives to improve vocational education--such as tech prep, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), and Goals 2000: Educate America Act--are full of promise. Case studies prepared by the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America illustrate the potential of these initiatives. Massachusetts and Wisconsin are two recipients of federal STWOA…

These guidelines are for individuals and school divisions contemplating or already integrating academic and vocational education. Section 1 discusses two goals for integration. Section 2 provides a justification for integration and discusses the contradiction in the skills obtained in school and those needed in the workplace. Section 3 defines the…

This packet contains 11 2-page fact sheets on various facets of vocational, technical, and adult education. The fact sheets cover the following topics: (1) performance measures and standards--what the law says; (2) career academy programs; (3) integration of academic and vocational education; (4) tech prep education; (5) the Carl D. Perkins…

This document, the third of five volumes that comprise the final report of the National Assessment of Vocational Education focuses on program improvement. Chapter 1 describes the education reform movement and assesses its effects on vocational education. It discusses current reforms that states are undertaking to improve preparation of students…

During the 1993-94 program year, enrollment in secondary and postsecondary vocational education (VE) programs in Hawaii totaled 20,788 and 8,645, respectively. VE services were provided primarily through Hawaii's 39 public secondary schools, 7 public community colleges, and the University of Hawaii Community Colleges Employment Training Center. VE…

Federal and state policy makers face 11 issues in implementing the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Amendments of 1990. A preliminary issue is whether federal policy makers or the states should establish further definitions of and restrictions on what constitutes tech prep (articulated secondary-postsecondary technical preparation programs).…

This report assesses the extent to which lifelong learning (LL) is being implemented in vocational education and training (VET) in Italy. Section 1 depicts the general situation regarding policies and innovations introduced at the statutory level to implement LL objectives. It introduces the principle of integration around which policy is…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 provides 5-year federal grants to help states implement school-to-work (STW) systems with broad collaboration among employers, organized labor, educators, and public agencies. All states have taken steps to create a statewide infrastructure. Local partnerships are widespread, but new and evolving.…

This publication summarizes presentations and discussions from a conference that addressed specific issues in the National Assessment of Vocational Education and in the 1990 Perkins Act that mandated the assessment. Introductory materials include a summary of consensus issues from the conference (David Boesel), welcoming remarks (Bruno Manno), and…

This collection of 22 papers is organized by the five conference topics. "Part 1: Effects of the Perkins Act on Policy and Practice" contains five papers: "Federal Legislation as Rorschach Test: Methodological Issues in Assessing the Effects of the 1990 Perkins Act on States and Localities" (Grubb); "Effects of the 1990…

This document compiles representative resources to assist state and local administrators of vocational special needs programs, special needs educators, counselors, researchers, and policymakers in implementing and complying with the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990. Entries in the publications section are…