Creating strong community collaborations is a cornerstone in the success of career and technical education programs. Developing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) programs for middle school students using community collaborations can be challenging. This article presents innovative strategies being successfully implemented in…

This is the fourth in a series of eight newsletters highlighting best practices presented at the 2009 HSTW Staff Development Conference in Atlanta. These newsletters contain information about successful actions schools across the nation are taking to join hands-on and heads-on learning in ways that increase student motivation and achievement. This…

Researchers have recommended that career exploration and awareness begin before high school, when students have already made major decisions about courses. To encourage students to make informed decisions, it is argued that middle schools must introduce career awareness, such as the concept that success in most careers requires education and…

This collection of abstracts provides descriptions of exemplary vocational guidance and counseling projects funded in Virginia through Title II (Vocational Education) of Public Law 94-482. The abstracts describe programs to improve vocational guidance for special needs persons (disadvantaged, handicapped) as well as those to improve vocational…

Designed for a 90- or l80-day middle/junior high school career orientation course, this teacher's guide and the accompanying student activity manual focus on how personal needs can be met in the career world. Course goals listed are as follows: (1) to increase understanding of self by helping students analyze personal interests, abilities, values,…

Designed for a 90- or l80-day middle/junior high school career orientation course, this student activity book and the accompanying teacher's guide focus on how personal needs can be met in the career world. Course goals listed are as follows: (1) to increase understanding of self by helping students analyze personal interests, abilities, values,…

The career education movement, its roots dating back to the early sixties, has brought concern for career development to public attention. Theories of occupational choice and career development have been postulated by occupational psychologists since 1951 when Ginzberg did his initial work in the area. When change did come it took the form of…

The goal of a project was to survey the vocational divisions of state departments of education across the nation in order to provide the vocational division of Virginia with information upon which to base decisions concerning the development of its vocational exploratory program. A search of the literature was done and an ERIC search completed.…

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to assist seventh-grade students in exploring science as…

This proceedings includes the following papers: "The 'Thoughtful' Health Practitioner: A Study of a Theoretical Basis for Critical Inquiry Regarding Liberal Arts in Health Professions Curricula" (Mary Jo Belenski); "Secondary School Vocational Program Performance Standards and Measures: Virginia's System of Locally Directed…