In 2001, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Division of Career and Technology Education (CTE) began its focus on small learning communities developed around career clusters in strategic locations throughout the school district. Through these clusters, students can develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed decisions…

The Vermont Department of Education defines a Career Academy as a small learning community that serves a full range of students; that entails a college preparatory curriculum developed in the context of a career cluster; that integrates academic and technical instruction with work-based learning; that involves partnerships with employers, the…

One of the most pressing challenges in public education today is the recruitment and retention of high quality teachers for America's schools. Research shows teacher shortages exist nationwide but vary by geographic area, content area, demographics, and individual schools. In a recent study of the Future Educators Association[R] (FEA) initiative…

Studied whether school-to-work programs facilitate postsecondary education by examining records for all applicants (more than 1,000, from 1990 through December 31, 1998) from a single inner-city school district at a comprehensive urban university. Findings suggest that students from career academies have higher academic achievement, less need for…

Interviews with 26 Latino high school students in California indicated that distinct school cultures (career academy, advanced placement, general education) were experienced in different ways by U.S.-born and immigrant Latinos. These experiences influenced their school engagement and academic success. (Contains 48 references.) (SK)

When Judy Karen Brown (the 2004 Alabama Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year) arrived at Bob Jones High School (BJHS) in Madison, Alabama, in the summer of 1999, she immediately identified a need to build both student and community interests in family and consumer sciences (FACS). She noticed the student and faculty interest in the…

One of the critical goals of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation is to raise student achievement. The first thing to do, is ensure that the students are actually in school. If students leave school prematurely, schools will not be able to help them master the skills thought to be necessary in the workplace or in future education.…

"Talent Development High Schools" is a school reform model for restructuring large high schools with persistent attendance and discipline problems, poor student achievement, and high dropout rates. The model includes both structural and curriculum reforms. It calls for schools to reorganize into small "learning…

Virtual Enterprises International is a high school program that teaches students about business by having them create and operate their own virtual firms. The program enables students to learn about careers, develop interpersonal and organizational skills, and use technology. The New York City Virtual Enterprises (VE) Central Office invited the…

Statements by the following individuals were given at this hearing and are presented in this document: Hon. Lamar Alexander; David McCullough; Hon. Robert Byrd; Bruce Cole; Eugene W. Hickok; James H. Billington; Diane Ravitch; Hon. Christopher J. Dodd; and Russell Berg accompanied by Peter Sullivan and Blanche Deaderick. Additional material…

The National High School Center released methods for improving low-performing high schools based on some of the most rigorous research currently available in the school reform arena. This research brief identifies lessons learned as well as key practices used to strengthen high schools and is based on evaluations of four widely used high school…

Land claims settlements, constitutional change, and economic and labor force opportunities reflect the emerging reality of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Northern children, youth, and adults need to position themselves to influence and take advantage of the emerging reality. Quality career development education, programs, and services play…

This document serves as a supportive tool for school counselors and their programs. It focuses on counseling issues and ideas, and has a particular emphasis on ideas for best practice. It also serves an important role in promoting the school counseling profession. This issue includes the following articles: (1) "Effective Counseling…

This report uses national data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to evaluate the effectiveness of the types of school-to-career (STC) programs that were encouraged and supported in California by the grants received by the state from the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA). In particular, the…

Interviews were conducted with 82 students in secondary and postsecondary career-oriented programs (tech prep, career academies, apprenticeships, and the rest). Four elements characterized successful programs: supportive environment, access to varied curricular opportunities, safe environment conducive to learning, and a culture of high…