This document describes the Business and Industry Forum conducted by the South Carolina Council on Vocational and Technical Education to solicit public input on the present and future needs of business and industry, how the companies represented perceive the role of secondary vocational and postsecondary vocational education in today's society,…

This study investigated the adult adjustment one year after leaving school of 130 individuals with behavioral disorders who graduated from Iowa special education programs in 1985 and 1986; the adult adjustment of 70 dropouts was also investigated. Adjustment areas examined included: living arrangements, leisure activities, mechanisms used to cope…

This paper examines current practice for youth at risk of not successfully making the transition to adulthood in six urban secondary schools. It describes the major elements of at-risk policies and programs and raises concerns about the strategies currently in place at the sites. The following strategies are discussed: (1) curriculum and…

An overview of innovative curriculum programs to increase student retention, with a focus on vocational instruction, is presented in this paper. The Pennsylvania Dauphin County Technical School is described, which utilizes a practical performance-oriented approach and individualized instruction in a vocation clusters system. The review of research…

Four representative issues affecting the fields of adult, career, and vocational education are examined. These issues revolve around the following questions: (1) What career-related curriculum should be incorporated into the new basics? (2) What contributions can vocational and career education make to reducing the dropout rate? (3) How can…

Puente Projects are currently operating at 10 community colleges in California to increase retention, general education requirements completion, and transfer among Hispanic community college students. Puente integrates the skills of an English teacher, a Hispanic counselor, and Hispanic professionals acting as mentors to promote academic…

This report explores effects of a year-round schedule on pupil and teacher attendance in the Jefferson County, Colorado, School District. Information is drawn from a 1977 district study and from interviews with teachers and principals. Comparison of data on attendance before the program and after its first year found that attendance increased in…

The 1980 Cohort Study was initiated at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) as a follow-up of full-time students who began their studies in fall 1980. The goal of the study was to distinguish the educational and career outcomes of graduates from those of students who have achieved various other levels of academic progress. The fall 1980 cohort…

The Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP) and the National Coalition for Advocates for Students (NCAS) launched separate inquiries into how American public education could be improved without excluding poor, minority, female, and handicapped youngsters. HPDP reported on the performance of Hispanic students in inner-city high schools in…

In the 1980s and 1990s important demographic, economic, and social changes will affect the nation's schools, families, and workplaces. In anticipation of these developments, there is renewed interest in formal educational attainment and basic academic skills. A concerted national effort to address the current crisis in basic skills development…

Reviewing research on grade retention, this paper describes tools and guidelines developed as an aid in retention decisions and examines actual promotion/retention policies and practices. Most research on academic and social effects of grade retention suffers from poor methodology, leaving the conclusions suspect and the results contradictory. The…

This bulletin contains materials--announcements, papers, and studies--that are concerned with youth policy issues and that focus on education and training. The first section, entitled Quidnunc, offers brief descriptions of projects of interest, reports recent appointments, and announces conferences. The second section, called Aspects, offers two…

Hispanic-American dropouts are a population seriously at risk socially and economically in the United States. A recent study by the Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP), "Too Late to Patch: Reconsidering Second-Chance Opportunities for Hispanic and Other Dropouts," suggests a number of programs that can benefit the 1.8 million…

This study relates the personal characteristics, high school experiences, and college experiences of students pursuing a baccalaureate degree to the type of institution they attended and their ethnicity. Multivariate analysis was performed on data drawn from the High School and Beyond database. Summary conclusions include the following: (1)…

The report of the National Longitudinal Transition Study presents initial findings on the educational experiences since 1985-86 of more than 8,000 youth (ages 13 to 23) with disabilities. The report addresses three questions: (1) What educational programs and other services are provided to secondary special education students? (2) How well do…