This supplementary document supports the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Secondary Transition Position Statement by providing definitions of terms for students and youth with disabilities, as well as definitions related to: (1) Career Development; (2) Employment; (3) Collaborative Systems; (4) Student Skills; and (5) Policy. [For…

This paper presents a review of legislation and court cases that have resulted in the present guidelines and criteria for transition services for students with special education needs. These include effective transition to post-secondary learning, career, and/or independent living. Transition planning is viewed from the lens of the Shapiro and…

Prior research has classified strategies to facilitate adult learners' transitions to postsecondary opportunities into five broad categories: advising, General Educational Development-plus (GED-plus), English as a second language, career pathways, and college preparatory (Zafft, Kallenbach, & Spohn, 2006). This two-part study relied on…

There is a critical need to identify solutions to the unemployment of high school dropouts. When a student prematurely leaves school, the economic, social, and political impacts result in negative consequences for the individual and the community. Of the nearly 2.2 million students who drop out of high school every year in the United States,…

How much does college matter for getting ahead in America? Having a postsecondary education--broadly defined as a credential beyond a high school diploma--continues to be one of the most important factors in getting a good job and advancing in the workforce. By one estimate, 64 percent of jobs in 2018 will require more than a high school diploma,…

"Research Messages 2014" is a collection of summaries of research published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in 2014 in the context of changing economic, industrial, social and education conditions, organised under the following broad categories: (1) Productivity: to sustain and build Australia's human…

Since 1993, Washington community and technical colleges have received funds under the Workforce Employment and Training Act to provide new and expanded retraining programs to serve unemployed workers. This report reviews accomplishments of the colleges under the provisions of the act from 1993-95, providing detailed information about the colleges'…

A study was conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review U.S. education and training strategies; identify likely weaknesses; and examine the strategies of England, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, and Sweden for preparing noncollege youth for employment. GAO reviewed the literature, consulted with experts, and visited the…

The article reveals philosophical, social, and practical difficulties with ongoing governmental policy in vocational education, focusing on the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, which is designed to construct a national transition system administered at state and local levels. Alternative approaches are suggested. (SM)

Work force development systems have three primary subsystems: youth development and preparation for employment, adult work force entry, and worker retraining and transition assistance. Programs targeting youth pose one of the greatest challenges to those striving to develop or improve work force development systems. School-to-work will not…

Community colleges represent the ideal location for building the high skilled workforce needed in a "high tech" society since they are community-based and responsive to local needs. In ensuring a well-prepared workforce, it is important that the link between elementary and secondary systems and community colleges be strengthened and…

The position is taken in the article that the "School-to-Work" initiative not be too narrowly defined to vocational/technical institutions to the exclusion of two-year/community colleges. Examples of early efforts to initiate the program are cited that seem to indicate that such could be the case. The author cites the range of students…

This document is intended to aid those in Texas doing joint planning of vocational and technical education programs with programs conducted under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the Adult Education Act, Chapter I of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, the Education of the Handicapped Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and…

This pamphlet is a four-step blueprint for a school-to-work system for getting students ready for work. Step one proposes that every school-to-work system be guided by the following principles: (1) encourage participants to attain high academic standards; (2) encourage students to stay in school; (3) link classroom curriculum to work-site…

This issue comprises seven articles that share ways Equipped for the Future's (EFF's) partners are using EFF to help adults build the skills they need to be successful in the workforce. "Building and Certifying Work Readiness" discusses the Work Readiness Credential being developed that will define, measure, and certify that individuals…