America's economic and social well-being is increasingly dependent upon the capacity of public education system to prepare all students for college and high-performance careers. With almost 80 percent of today's fastest-growing jobs requiring some postsecondary education, all students--regardless of their race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic or…

As conceived by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs[SM]) are employer-matched, portable individual accounts used to finance employee education and training. They provide employees with an affordable means of upgrading their skills and knowledge, while helping to meet the needs of employers and…

The intent of a liberal arts education is to expose students to a broad array of ideas and subject matter. Its perceived weakness involves the possible lack of preparedness for the workplace; a liberal arts education is deliberately not vocational. To bridge that divide colleges and universities, in cooperation with industry, non-profits, and the…

This report identifies the essential aims, learning outcomes, and guiding principles for a 21st century college education. It is based on extensive input both from educators and employers and responds to the new global challenges today's students face. It describes the learning contemporary students need from college, and what it will take to help…

This report is the third in a series of measure reports that examine the economic, civic, and social development of the state by its systems of higher education. This report measures degrees awarded in selected areas of employment against workforce demand. The report found: (1) California's postsecondary schools are not producing enough graduates…

This study explores working students' college experiences using the grounded theory approach. Focus groups were conducted to allow working students to elaborate on their college experiences, clarifying issues not easily addressed through surveys. Two theoretical propositions are offered to describe how working students are constantly searching for…

For America to stay competitive, the public education system must be transformed to better meet the needs of a changing economy. For this to be achieved, schools, universities, businesses and government must work together to ensure success for all students. To make learning relevant, all must create links between schools and business, between the…

The purpose of this article is to evaluate value-add methods and activities applied to organizational communication college-level course work. Graduate organizational communication faculty are aware that their classes serve as direct preparation for students entering business and professional careers. The knowledge learned and the skills acquired…

Research indicates that schools do not always provide students with the skills they need for successful transitions to postsecondary education and work. A transition gap is particularly prevalent for "at-risk" students who have difficulty relating learning to future education and career aspirations. A high school counselor, language arts…

This paper examines the organization and representation of time in certain kinds of undergraduate programs, here represented by a sociology program in a US university. Written requirements for the major are analyzed as constituting a "chart" that defines academic time in terms of units of before-after relationships. The paper shows how students…

The recent vehement and highly visible critique of the North American business school curriculum illuminates core tensions in the field of human resource development (HRD) related to the role and responsibility of the profession in for-profit organizations and the educative process by which future practitioners are prepared. If the business school…

The labor market is sending out explicit signals that determine the behavior of present and potential workers. These signals give impetus to the development of education. In the past few years, for example, there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of college students and higher educational institutions; the sphere of supplementary…

The longitudinal study in this article tested whether advantages in the career development of high school seniors resulted in better transition outcomes for these young adults 3 years after they graduated from high school. Enhanced career development in high school was significantly connected to more successful transitions into the adult roles of…

The governments of the USA and the UK have identified similar challenges facing their higher education sectors. Both governments believe in the centrality of market forces in meeting higher education demand, with government and academia playing subordinate roles. The public purposes of higher education must be restated if the potentially negative…

The authors advocate harnessing the applied teaching strategies of career/technical education (CTE) and infusing them into college-preparatory academics to transform secondary schools into high-performing centers of learning where students are both challenged and engaged. By pursuing this strategy, say the authors, states can help many more…