In this paper a STEM Education Outreach (STEM-EO) Model for promoting strategic university outreach programming at Penn State University to the benefit of university, school district and community stakeholders is described. The model considers STEM-EO as a complex system involving overarching learning goals addressed within four outreach domains…

A project was undertaken to improve training for career guidance counselors in Pennsylvania by implementing the recommendations made by counseling personnel who participated in six regional workshops that were held throughout Pennsylvania in 1983-1984. These recommendations were disseminated to various Pennsylvania counselor preparation…

As mandated by the Vocational Education Act of 1976, an evaluation was made of Pennsylvania's vocational guidance program for the 1979-80 through 1981-82 fiscal years. The study objectives were to describe the funded projects, evaluate their impact, and explore local capacity development. The study was guided by evaluation questions in five areas:…

This project assessed the impact of the Bureau of Vocational Education's Program for Disadvantaged Populations in Pennsylvania during the period 1979-1982. Data gathered from each funded project via a mailed questionnaire were both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. In addition, on-site visits to 10 projects produced additional qualitative…

A systematic, statewide study of vocational education consumer and homemaking programs was conducted in Pennsylvania to gather data for use in decision-making concerning future funding and for redirection and improvement of these programs. Data were gathered through review of funded projects; questionnaires to school districts; in-depth study of…

The educational reform movement has caused parents, students, businesspersons, and legislators to question the relevance of vocational education. Charges that vocational education has become obsolete have compelled vocational educators to work on improving its image in three areas--function, quality, and style. The vocational education programs in…

This document reports on a needs assessment conducted to determine demographic, occupational, and educational data in Pennsylvania, results of which were to be used to update the state's comprehensive vocational education plan. Answers to three major questions were sought for Pennsylvania and its 67 counties. The questions and their subtopics were…

A review of the literature on continuing education was done to identify the literature related to practical nursing instructors, analyze the literature to see how it affects the practical nursing instructor, and make recommendations for a long-term plan of staff development for practical nursing instructors in Pennsylvania. The literature revealed…

With the existence of 67 monographs and approximately 60 practitioners trained in action research in the western and central parts of Pennsylvania from project years 1995-98, the 1998-99 Section 353 project expanded the action research network (ARN) to include teachers, administrators, and researchers in the northeastern and southeastern parts of…

Since its creation in 1988, the sole mission of the agency PennSERVE has been to make community service the common expectation of all Pennsylvania's citizens. Using state funds, PennSERVE initiated a school service learning (SL) grant program and funded a total of 35 school and community-based SL programs between 1989 and 1991 in grades K-12, the…

This workshop presentation was developed to assist Pennsylvania industrial arts teachers in developing and teaching a curriculum in technology and technological literacy that meets the 12 Pennsylvania goals for attaining quality education that were established in 1979. Designed to explain the basis for the study of technology in public school…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to determine what changes might improve the effectiveness of the State's adult basic education (ABE) program. Northcutt's construct of functional competency adult performance level (APL) and Mezirow's program evaluation model provided the basis for the project's two components: APL assessment and program…

Progress toward four stated objectives in a K-12 career education project was determined after examining the field testing results of students, interviews, and data analysis. Satisfactory progress was made toward objective 1: revising, expanding, and refining two computer retrieval career education units. On a developer questionnaire teachers…

These proceedings include 13 "perspectives from the field" and 9 selected papers (with abstracts) from a national conference on recommended policies and practices for investing in youth. The 13 perspectives papers are as follows: "Saving the Next Generation" (Berlin); "Effective Strategies for Investing in Youth"…