Middle school is a natural time for students to learn about careers and develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork through career exploration activities. This report from the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) examines different approaches to supporting career exploration in middle school and…

This Guide is designed to support the work of institutional cross-functional teams charged with strengthening adjunct faculty professional learning and institutional engagement. Each section shares key learnings from ATD's work with six Leader Colleges, including accomplishments in the form of new programs, services, or policies that can serve as…

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) launched Quality Collaboratives (QC): Assessing and Reporting Degree Qualifications Profile Competencies in the Context of Transfer in 2011 as a three-year project that engaged educational, assessment, and policy leaders in student learning outcomes assessment and transfer pathways.…

TransferBOOST (Bachelor's Opportunity Options that are Straightforward and Transparent) is a multi-year state-level initiative developed to provide students with affordable, quality, well-supported two- to four-year pathways. For every 100 students who enroll in community colleges, 31 students transfer to a four-year institution. Of those, only 15…

It is a truism of American social policy that our nation has great success generating innovative programs that improve outcomes for participants--but that we are far less effective at moving from small, "boutique" programs into broadly applied solutions that improve the prospects of large numbers of individuals. This is certainly true in…

The U.S. Department of Education's Policy to Performance project was funded in 2009 to build the capacity of state adult basic education (ABE) staff to develop and implement policies and practices that would support an ABE transition system. Policy to Performance states were selected though a competitive process. State adult education directors…

The "Policy to Performance Toolkit" is designed to provide state adult education staff and key stakeholders with guidance and tools to use in developing, implementing, and monitoring state policies and their associated practices that support an effective state adult basic education (ABE) to postsecondary education and training transition…

The Developmental Strategies for College Readiness and Success Resource Guide was produced by the Education Commission of the States and the Southern Regional Education Board for the "Countdown to 2015: Developmental Strategies to Advance Readiness in the Common Core Era" convening held April 21-23, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The…

All students are entitled to a respectful and meaningful education in this decade of No Child Left Behind, and yet attention to the gifted wanes with the emphasis on standards-based education and testing. Educators of the gifted have wrestled with this dilemma for many decades, even as early as the 1920s when Leta S. Hollingsworth, noted…

Offers insights on the use of the charrette for long-range planning, drawing from the experience of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Defines charrettes, explains their benefits and limitations, lists requirements for successful charrettes, and explains the process used by the VCCS to incorporate the charrette into long-range planning.…

Discusses the development and implementation of the Standards of Learning (SOL)-Science, a publication which contains content concepts for K-12 science programs in Virginia. Examples of indicators for a criterion and suggestions for gathering evaluative data are given. (DH)

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) master plan presented in this report is designed to manage the system and its 23 comprehensive community colleges during the years 1982 through 1990. First, chapter I presents an executive summary of the plan, the process of its implementation, and recommendations for policy changes in key areas.…

A futuristic study of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (TJPD) in the year 2000 was conducted by Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) to gain insights into those trends and pressures likely to affect the TJPD in the future. Interviews were conducted with 85 area leaders to determine their views and projections regarding lifestyles;…

This minicourse has been designed for counselors to use with "About High School, Book 4" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. It consists of a sequential series of six 45-minute classroom guidance sessions to be conducted with seventh grade students. The course focuses on helping students, with parent involvement,…

As more states increase the number of credits required for high school graduation, progressively less time is being left for vocational education. To address this problem, many school districts and states are beginning to formulate policies for granting academic credit for basic skills training provided in vocational classrooms. As of 1985, 11…