Career and technical education (CTE) is increasingly seen as a major potential contributor to the recovery of the U.S. economy. However, the effectiveness and impact of the current Carl D. Perkins Act (otherwise known as Perkins IV) that governs CTE are unclear. Is the federal investment in CTE paying off? To answer this, we need to establish the…

To remain a high wage, high income society, attention must be focused on America's learning system. Educated workers and citizens should have a better grasp of technology, and vocational-technical subjects taught in the schools must contain greater academic, abstract, theoretical, and conceptual content. Reforming vocational-technical programs…

A project was conducted to develop activities leading to the coordination of regional vocational-technical education and training programs with data-based labor market needs in East Texas. An existing group, the Technology Partnership Organization, became the work force planning agency for the area. During the project, the following objectives…

This report contains materials from the TECHlinx Technical Education Clearinghouse project designed to promote the effective development of the Texas work force by linking individuals and institutions to information and resources focused on work force education. Part 1, an executive summary, reports how the project was successfully established and…

This document examines the school-to-work transition issue from a state, national, and global perspective. Chapter 1 explores problems facing youths entering the job market, demands of the global marketplace and changing economy, critical skills needed by workers, and benefits of integrating academic and workplace skills in the classroom. Chapter…

The Texas Skills Development Program (TSDP) is a key long-term strategy of the Smart Jobs initiative that will assist Texas business, industry, and labor in conveying job skill requirements to the public education and training system. Employers feel that job applicants do not have the basic reading, writing, and computation skills they need. TSDP…

A partnership among the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Department of Commerce was formed in 1987 to challenge representatives from education, training, business, industry, and labor to adopt a cooperative regional view of common needs and proposed solutions. As a result, 24 Quality Work Force…

Texas is shifting to an integrated, systems-oriented approach to providing work force services for its residents and employers in which all services are guided by a single mission and vision. Implementation strategies are clearly focused on achieving common results. Accountability means being able to ensure taxpayers, residents, employers, and…

This paper offers an initial assessment of Texas' work force development evaluation and performance management efforts. Following an overview, section 2 clarifies distinctions between performance management and evaluation responsibilities such as purpose, definition, information produced, general question asked, and key questions addressed.…

Developed by the TECHlinx Workforce Education Clearinghouse project, this catalog is designed to assist work force educators in identifying and acquiring materials related to their information needs. Many of the listed resources are available directly from TECHlinx; some may be obtained from other clearinghouses, publishers, agencies, and…

Texas is developing a return-on-investment (ROI) measure to assess the cost-effectiveness of work force programs. Emphasis is on issues related to conducting cross-program ROI analysis at the level of the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) in career or one-stop centers. To make the most appropriate and effective use of ROI, the following…

This report presents a process for identifying emerging and significantly evolving occupations within key Texas industries. It explains findings of a research project that provided a current information resource to help job seekers make informed career and training choices. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 examines the projected mismatch…

This annual performance report presents the results and accomplishments of Texas vocational education programs, services, and activities for the 1990-91 program year. It is composed of three sections. Section I contains information for secondary and adult vocational education programs, services, and activities offered by local education agencies…

Research examining the impact of arts education on workforce preparation has confirmed that programs incorporating the arts can be educational, developmentally rich, and cost-effective ways of providing students with the skills needed for productive participation in today's economy. Arts education has been shown to help students develop basic,…

Early state and local progress toward implementation of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) was reviewed. Data were collected through visits to selected sites in Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Vermont and a 90-item Workforce System Information and Evaluation (WSIE) data collection form. The following aspects of WIA…