This study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), is designed to review current evidence on the most effective ways in which employers can support schools to improve pupil educational and economic outcomes. It is a study in three parts. It aims, first, to conceptualise employer engagement in education as a strategic tool,…

This report presents case studies of 4 adults with autism who enrolled in a work-training program utilizing a behavioral social interaction approach, and were subsequently competitively employed for 6 to 30 months. Success was associated with such factors as appropriate communication and interpersonal skills, gradual fading of supervision, and…

The simplicity and "common-sense" quality of school-to-work's (STW) basic concepts are the greatest threats to the full implementation of STW. Implementation requires a fundamental restructuring of secondary education and far greater involvement of employers in the preparation of young people for work. A synthesis of findings from eight…

A project is being conducted to provide vocational training for severely emotionally disturbed students in the Salem, Oregon, School District. Most of the youths have previously been institutionalized, and many are retarded and have other handicaps such as learning disabilities, epilepsy, and speech and language disorders. All students qualify for…

This paper describes a three-phase program which places students with disabilities into job sites in strip malls, enclosed malls, industrial parks, and individual businesses to prepare them for their transition to independent living. The paper explains that in phase 1 of the program students train at a different site each day; in phase 2, students…

An apprenticeship preparation program was conducted at Arctic College, Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories, Canada, to overcome young people's educational limitations by offering professional training in a vocational area followed by a combination of work experience and academic upgrading. The academic upgrading stressed computer-assisted…

Cooperative education can enhance classroom instruction by providing practical work experience that is relevant to students' career goals. Among co-op's benefits to students are increased relevance of learning and motivation for study; improved self-reliance, self-confidence, and responsibility; contacts with potential employers; and higher…

A project was undertaken to establish a cooperative work experience program in building trades entrepreneurship. The first phase of the program, which was implemented in Baltimore, Maryland, involved the formation of a task force that included representatives of the school, business, industry, and public sectors. Eventually, two Baltimore…

This guide presents criteria for local evaluation of cooperative education programs. The first section of the guide defines cooperative education and sketches the elements that determine a cooperative education program. The second part of the evaluation guide contains components to be evaluated in cooperative education programs. Each component is…

A project was conducted to build an education and career enhancement system for Pennsylvania's adult population over age 24 that includes all three basic components of a school-to-work program: work-based learning, school-based learning, and connecting activities. The program was opened to unemployed and underemployed adults in two rural…

A literature review of 132 studies of School-to-Work programs and consultations with the staff of the National School-to-Work Office, researchers, and practitioners in the field drew conclusions about the effectiveness of the School-to-Work initiative. Some of the study's conclusions were the following: (1) School-to-Work students maintain good…

A study undertaken to aid administrators in considering program alternatives for administering Occupational Work Adjustment (OWA) and Occupational Work Experience (OWE) programs in Ohio examined the Ohio Department of Education's certification of OWA and OWE teachers in light of the state's new minimum standards for elementary and secondary…

These guidelines and quality indicators are designed to help providers of vocational programs and services in California to identify policies, procedures, and practices that are exemplary or that might be improved. Addressed in the individual sections of the guide are the following topics: planning; fiscal resources; facilities, equipment, and…

This report, which is directed toward policymakers, educators, employers, researchers, and others interested in the school-to-work (STW) movement, synthesizes literature on the development and effectiveness of STW programs since 1993. Part I provides an overview of the STW movement and examines the effectiveness of STW efforts in terms of…

Objectives of a model program (1980-83) for gifted students in a small rural high school in Baldwyn, Mississippi, were to improve teacher knowledge of gifted programs, demonstrate significant gains in student achievement, increase student skill/knowledge in specific areas, measure attitudes of "artistically talented" students by a…