In the context of the reauthorization of the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant, research data about the benefits of resulting programs were synthesized and recommendations were made for changes to current law based on the research. Some of the research findings were that those who leave welfare are not earning…

A survey of "STW [School-to-Work] Partnership Effectiveness and Sustainability" was conducted as part of a larger evaluation of the entire STW efforts in West Virginia. The findings of the study, drawn from responses from 51 STW directors, 53 businesses, and 11 labor organizations, include the following: (1) the partnership concept is…

Since 1996, Arizona has been building a comprehensive statewide system of school-to-work opportunities for students from kindergarten through college, supported by a School-to-Work (STW) implementation grant from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education. After 3 years, a public opinion poll of a 2,200-person random sample drawn from parents,…

Countless reports have analyzed the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 on teacher quality and student achievement. What many of these reports truly leave behind, however, is the reality that state governments--not the federal government--have the strongest impact on the work of America's 3.1 million teachers. With that in mind, three…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Colorado edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

In this response to Charles Gagel's National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators (NAITTE) Membership Survey Report, the author states that the NAITTE of tomorrow cannot be the NAITTE of the past, as the organization is now feeling the effects of failing to change along with the field of teacher education. Of course, the…

There is concern that the nation's schools are not preparing students to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. At both precollege and postsecondary levels, much effort is needed to create and implement powerful STEM curricula, prepare and support highly qualified teachers, deliver effective instruction, and give…

Ireland's program of specific skills training (SST) Objective 1 courses, which are designed to train/retrain the labor force required for implementation of Ireland's Industry and Services Operational Programme, was evaluated by analyzing program expenditure reports and participant profiles, surveying a random sample of 101 employers, and visiting…

These 18 papers were presented at a conference designed to share the diversity of ways that the Career Orientation and Planning Profile (COPP) is being used to conduct effective career guidance programs by selected career guidance educators throughout the United States. The publication begins with a brief tribute to Dr. Shigekazu Fukuyama…

Project 30 is a national initiative of 30 representative institutions of higher education charged with redesigning teacher education programs. Objectives include implemention of reforms that will increase the competence and authority of teachers, provide for the substantive and imaginative development of the intellect of students, and strengthen…

A study of the adequacy and effectiveness of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and occupational education (OE) programs in Nevada focused on overall program adequacy, the effectiveness of OE and job training (JT), and ways of improving OE at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The study established that, as of 1992, Nevada's OE and JT…

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor and Council of Chief State School Officers awarded grants for the development of statewide systems to enhance school-to-work transition (SWT) through youth apprenticeship in eight states: California, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In June 1993, the programs were…

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…

A Minnesota study examined how the federal law was implemented and federal funds were distributed under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984 and the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA) and reported on the coordination between the two acts in the state for fiscal years 1986 and 1987. Information was gathered from the…

A systematic, statewide study of vocational education consumer and homemaking programs was conducted in Pennsylvania to gather data for use in decision-making concerning future funding and for redirection and improvement of these programs. Data were gathered through review of funded projects; questionnaires to school districts; in-depth study of…