This article provides a broad overview of the history of career-focused education in the United States and the reauthorization of the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. The Perkins act required that the recipients of its funding offer at least one program of study, and this reauthorization included four…

Discusses implementation of tech prep in rural areas and notes that relatively little research has been done on behalf of small town schools. Teachers' comments regarding tech prep implementation provide additional insight into the situation. (JOW)

Looks at fundamental tech prep concepts that must be reinforced to ensure progress: (1) it must be grounded in an integrated curriculum; (2) articulation is necessary; (3) school-to-work programs and tech prep must be linked; (4) it should be outcomes focused; (5) it should ensure access for all; and (6) collaborative implementation is the…

Discusses a national study that compared tech prep with career and technical education. Looks at promising practices including formal articulation, career pathways, work-based learning, professional evaluation, curriculum integration, and evaluation. (JOW)

Interviews with secondary and postsecondary teachers and administrators in Minnesota tech prep consortia found that most understood the role of articulation agreements, but little attention was paid to actual compliance. Postsecondary institutions received little funding for implementing agreements. Consortia did not appear to be achieving the…

Tech-prep programs are built on the premise that youth must become involved in the development of a technological society. Several models for integrating tech prep with academic education hold promise. (JOW)

This handbook contains guidelines and recommendations for secondary and postsecondary faculty and administrators in developing articulation agreements. It defines articulation, lists student and educational institution benefits, and describes the following types: accelerated placement; business, professional, or private organization certification;…

Reviews the implementation of the Tech Prep Associate Degree Program in Ohio. Discusses six components of the state's approach to establishing Tech Prep, the program's current status, and linkages with other state and national education reform efforts. Suggests that strong state leadership and the active participation of postsecondary institutions…

Discusses 11 problems hindering the implementation of the tech prep movement. Reviews a North Carolina project to develop a model approach to tech prep, highlighting required core and suggested courses at the secondary level and recommended elements at the postsecondary level. Lists components of a model tech prep system. (10 citations) (AJL)

This guide was developed to provide local district administrators, counselors, and teachers in Texas information to implement a high-quality business education program. It contains 10 sections that cover the following the following topics: (1) purpose of business education; (2) general information (crosswalk of courses, types of courses, honors…

An initial evaluation of tech prep revealed the following: (1) by 1993, nearly half the nation's school districts were involved in tech prep consortia; (2) changes resulting from tech prep have been more evident at the secondary than the postsecondary level; and (3) tech prep students are most likely to be white and attend a suburban school…

The following papers are included: "Emerging Themes in Youth Apprenticeship Programs" (Evanciew); "Improving the U.S. System of School-to Work Transition for Youth and Young Adults" (Stone); "Recent National Studies and Reports on Education and Economic Reform" (Ellibee); "Improving Employment Readiness of Urban…

In fall 1992, 87 percent of coordinators of funded local tech prep consortia (n=897) completed the third national evaluation survey. Findings indicated the following: formation of new consortia slowed; they grew larger and included a substantial and increasing share of school districts; middle school and postsecondary membership expanded;…

A study examined eight local consortia identified as mature Tech Prep implementers. The four-year research used a mixed-method longitudinal design involving repeated field visits, short and long interviews of key stakeholders, classroom observations, and document review and analysis. About 4,700 Tech Prep and non-Tech Prep participants were…

This paper describes the national, state, and local contexts in which California (CA) is implementing School-to-Career (STC). Section I presents an historical view of School-to-Work (STW), describing national goals of the STW Opportunities Act 1994 (STWOA), and also discusses CA's STC efforts. Section II provides contextual information about STW…