Social interactions of 10 severely disabled junior high school students were recorded during school arrival, lunch, and vocational training. Teacher perceptions and parent attitudes were also measured. Results portray subjects as more involved in task-related than nontask interactions, interacting more with teachers than with peers, and dependent…

A survey of almost 1,000 research and development staff at large industrial corporations in Britain and Japan investigated differences in employment structures (market-oriented vs. organization-oriented), learning in higher education, and career expectations. Significant differences were found in attitudes of workers in the two countries.…

Current proposals (Goals 2000, SCANS, and the National Council on Education Standards and Testing report) linking education and work present problems of fairness and equity and can be challenged by those denied equal opportunities. Study of unsuccessful initiatives shows that focus on lifelong learning, ownership by all stakeholders, and teacher…

Describes the German system of vocational training that bridges the transition from school to work. Explains that the system has developed a highly qualified workforce and minimized youth unemployment. Contends that a commitment to preparing students for the workforce and close cooperation between the private and public sectors are the primary…

Presents the entire text of the Sandia National Laboratories report, "Perspectives on Education in America." The report includes detailed analyses of dropout studies, standardized testing, postsecondary studies, educational funding, international comparisons, and educator status. It also addresses future workforce requirements, changing…

Comparative analysis of Canadian and U.K. national survey data examined educational attainment by gender, age group, and occupational category; extent of apprenticeship certification; and enrollment patterns for continuing adult education. Canada's higher educational attainment, flexible school-work transition, and higher continuing-education…

Respondents from 49 state education agencies completed a survey describing state-level implementation of transition services for youth with disabilities. All states used technical assistance and cross-disciplinary training as their primary systems-change strategies and the majority of states viewed these strategies as effective. Relatively few…

In rural America, creating quality work-based-learning opportunities (such as career days and field trips) depends more on understanding students and their families, parent and community involvement, and economic development than on students' ability to compete in a "global economy." Craig Howley's sidebar explains community…

Discusses a vocational/career program for students with emotional disabilities. The curriculum involves students in surveying employers in their community for information about jobs and career opportunities. In the process, students learn how to fill out job applications, conduct interviews, make presentations, and follow their own interests. (CR)

A 1998 American Association of University Women report describes a deepening technological divide between girls and boys. Boys are attracted to graphic arts and design; girls typically enroll in clerical and data-entry courses--the 1990s version of typing. Educators must help girls become "power users" and designers. (14 references) (MLH)

Discusses a model of effective transition services for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Project RENEW provides comprehensive case coordination for these students' ongoing education, employment, and community adjustment. Outcome data indicate that interagency collaboration improved on a pretest-posttest measure of agency…

In eastern Germany, reunification involved economic and political transformations that have resulted in new education, training, and employment structures. A study of young adults in Leipzig and their transition to employment focused on how the interplay between institutional structures and individual actions produced career outcomes. Similarities…

Contrary to pervasive assumptions about the need for lifelong learning, U.S. and Canadian adults' collective learning efforts far outpace workplace requirements. Underemployment has several dimensions: the talent-use gap, structural unemployment, involuntary reduced employment, credential gap, performance gap, and subjective underemployment.…

School-to-Work programs can help camps address the chronic shortage of support staff and can provide funding for the training and support of teenage staff. One camp's success with teen workers was based on collaboration with families and local schools and agencies, staff cooperation, and administrative willingness to stretch job roles. Benefits to…

A meta-analysis of studies on overeducation and undereducation in the labor market reveals that of the four different definitions of overeducation distinguished in the literature, only the one based on variation in years of education within occupational groups appears to yield significantly lower-than-average rates of overeducation. (Contains 4…