In many respects, career education has never been needed more than it is today. The need to keep abreast of technological change and to participate effectively in today's high-performance workplace requires each worker to possess a set of basic competencies and a foundation of skills and personal qualities. The competencies, foundation skills, and…

Perhaps the most enduring belief about vocational education (VE) is that it is only for the noncollege bound, potential dropouts, or other special needs students. In reality, 80% of high school students take at least one occupationally specific vocational course, and one in eight academic students actually takes more vocational courses than…

From its beginnings in 1906, cooperative education has evolved into a program offered at the secondary and postsecondary levels in two predominant models: (1) students complete multiple cycles of equal periods of academic coursework and paid employment; and (2) students' school day is split between school (usually in the morning) and work (usually…

Designed as a forum for the discussion of the community college curriculum and transfer function, this volume traces the scope of the curriculum, transfer rates, and the relationship between the two. The following 10 chapters are included: (1) "All Access Is Not Equal: The Need for Collegiate Education in Community Colleges," by Judith S. Eaton;…

Work-based learning may occur in the following forms: contracted instruction; cooperative education; school-to-apprenticeship; registered apprenticeship; career exploration; service learning; career internships; career academies; school-based enterprises; and clinical experience programs. The following are key components of work-based learning…

Concerns over the quality of education in the United States and the increasing demands of international competition have resulted in increased calls for the development and implementation of industry-based skill standards. A series of 22 pilot projects that were initiated by the National Skills Standard Board to strengthen the education-employment…

This bibliographic guide to the literature that has contributed to the two-year college field over the past 20 years provides annotations to over 650 books, articles, and research reports. The guide is organized into the following chapters: (1) the development of community college literature; (2) general resources on two-year colleges; (3)…

In 1970, 55 percent of the US population over age 25 had completed high school or some college and 11 percent had completed 4 or more years of college; by 1999, those figures had reached 83 percent and 25 percent, respectively. A comparison between 1982 and 1992 high school seniors found more completing some postsecondary credits (from 53 percent…

Entrepreneurship, or small business ownership, is an increasingly attractive option to young people and adults (including low-income populations, at-risk youth, and women) who are striving to find careers that are exciting to them and offer the potential for personal and financial success. Entrepreneurs must be self-starters, innovative, willing…

Increasing globalization has spotlighted a range of international approaches to career and technical education (CTE), including the German dual system, the British National Vocational Qualifications and General National Vocational Qualifications, and Australia's Vocational Education and Training and Technical and Further Education systems. Across…

Recent educational approaches that have career and technical education (CTE) components have integrated work-based learning (WBL) with traditional academics. Among positive effects of the association between WBL and secondary students' educational outcomes are: (1) increased attendance, (2) decreased dropout rates, (3) increased number of academic…

Teachers responsible for transforming their vocational education programs into career and technical education (CTE) programs need to concentrate on ensuring programs' technical and academic rigor, engaging in collaboration in school and in the community, keeping current through professional development experiences, and extending learning beyond…

Since 1982, studies have shown statistical evidence that career and technical education (CTE) can play a role in reducing the number of high school dropouts, especially among students who are at high risk of dropping out. Case studies at several High Schools That Work sites showed improvements in retention and graduation at the same time that…

Federal funding from the School to Work Opportunities Act (STOWA) has ended. There is no doubt that state policy to advance activities started under STOWA will be a major factor in the sustainability of School to Work. Already some states have taken the initiative for bringing higher standards to education by offering incentives for businesses to…