This report describes the status of public education in Texas, as required by Texas law. It contains an executive summary and 14 chapters on the following topics: (1) state performance on the academic-excellence indicators; (2) a summary compilation of overall student performance on the state performance assessments and a study of the correlation…

This document, which is intended as a guide for workforce preparation program providers, details the Illinois Occupational Skill Standards for programs preparing students for employment in the telecommunications technician occupational cluster. The document begins with a brief overview of the Illinois perspective on occupational skills standards…

Educational access and retention issues for low-wage working parents were examined in a study conducted at six community colleges nationwide. Three focus groups were held at each community college--one each for current community college students, those who had enrolled, in but not completed a community college program, and those who had never…

The academic performance of students enrolled in a distance education dental hygiene program at Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau, Wisconsin, was analyzed in a comparative, quasi-experimental study. The study sample consisted of five cohorts of program graduates (students graduating in 1997-2001). The experiment groups were divided…

This document explains how the business community can enhance school leadership by helping school principals develop the same executive leadership and professional qualities that are required of chief executive officers. The introduction describes the role of the principal in high-performing schools as follows: (1) engage all members of the school…

This document is intended to help business leaders to optimize school-to-career partnerships. The guide begins with a series of facts documenting the benefits of school-to-career partnerships and a brief introduction. The first section traces business involvement in education over the past 2 decades and explains how data analysis and a focus on…

The field of early childhood holds promising keys to unlocking many of the mysteries in learning. Educators in the field, given the right tools, have the potential to have a profound impact on the long-term success of their students. The design of this curriculum comes directly out of the incredible possibilities set in motion while exploring…

This book, which is intended for professionals in the assessment/evaluation/measurement, vocational and technical education, and educational psychology communities, contains 16 papers examining specifications of work force competencies and assessment of competencies. The following papers are included: "Review of Workforce Readiness…

A set of career cluster standards was developed for the school-to-careers division of a large urban school district that is moving toward a career academy model for high school education. The process used to develop the standard was based on a standards development model consisting of the following stages: synthesis; collection of input; and…

ProTech is the Boston Public Schools' longest-standing and most developed school-to-career (STC) initiative. It is a collaboration of the Boston Public Schools, 75 employers, and the Boston Private Industry Council. ProTech combines rigorous academic instruction, a sequence of worksite learning experiences in seven major industrial clusters for…

The impact of learning disabilities (LD) on behavioral work styles was examined by studying 32 African American high school students (with and without disabilities) enrolled in a career and technical education skills center. Also examined were the relationships between behavioral work styles and these two dependent variables: (1) student's…

This document uses clear language and pictures to help adults with learning disabilities learn how other adults with learning difficulties have made the jump from courses and training into jobs and kept working. The following are among the topics discussed in Sections 1 through 9: (1) the objectives and activities of the Making the Jump project…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on organizations in transition that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Human Resource Development in an Industry in Transition: The Case of the Russian Banking Sector" (Alexander Ardichvili, Alexander Gasparishvili) reports on a study…

This document of skill standards for the landscape technician cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 19 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in…

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…