Positive motivation to perform work tasks has been associated with better performance and outcomes in both the organizational and informal education literature. In environmental education (EE), this means that more motivated instructors are likely to provide better programs for their participants. In this exploratory study across 15 states in the…

As postsecondary credentials have become increasingly important to accessing higher-quality employment, a growing number of education and workforce programs are implementing "career pathways" approaches to help both youth and adults prepare for further education and better jobs. In recent years, the Manpower Demonstration Research…

Background: Inclusive STEM (traditionally known to stand for "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math") high schools are emerging across the country as a mechanism for improving STEM education and getting more and diverse students into STEM majors and careers. However, there is no consensus on what these schools are or should be,…

For many accounting students the focus of their fourth or fifth years is finding a job to start them on an exciting and financially rewarding career. Colleges provide significant guidance and direction to these students in the form of internship assistance, resume writing workshops, interview practice, networking events and career guidance. At…

In February 2011, the U.S. Department of Education (ED)--along with co-sponsors from the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the Council of the Great City Schools, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Education Association, and the National School Boards Association--brought…

Teaching entrepreneurship--how to create, grow and run a business or organization--is one potential means to increase college and career readiness skills. Learning how to start a business can improve critical thinking, communication and collaboration (Gallagher, Stepien, & Rosenthal, 1992; Hmelo, 1998), which are key qualities for academic as…

High school career academies are a time-tested model for improving academic outcomes and preparing students for both college and careers. Career academies (1) are smaller learning communities taught by a team of interdisciplinary teachers, (2) provide a rigorous academic curriculum based on a career theme that demonstrates how knowledge is used…

This article describes an outreach program to broaden participation in computing to include more students with visual impairments. The precollege workshops target students in grades 7-12 and engage students with robotics programming. The use of robotics at the precollege level has become popular in part due to the availability of Lego Mindstorm…

Describes states' efforts to implement a school-age credentialing system for child caregivers. Identifies basic problems hindering progress: readiness, infrastructure, and sustainability of infrastructure. Delineates implications for school-age care of significant initiatives in California, Florida, and New York. Suggests that there is no…

Several trends have come together to intensify interest in how public libraries might best support the interests and needs of youth in their communities. This study reports on findings from the Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD) Initiative, a four-year, nine-site initiative funded by the Wallace Foundation to develop…

"Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development: Lessons and Voices from the Field," published by the Forum in partnership with the Urban Libraries Council, captures key challenges and lessons learned from an innovative, four-year initiative sponsored by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds that awarded six million dollars to nine…

This review of research is part of a larger project which identified exemplary community college programs that employ innovative curriculum and instructional practices in order to help low-skilled adults attain a family sustainable wage. The project goal was to identify best practices that are replicable at other community colleges. These programs…

The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project was undertaken to identify effective strategies for helping low-income parents work more steadily and advance in the labor market. The 15 ERA demonstration projects that were operating in nine states (California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, South Carolina; Tennessee, and…