To help students meet higher standards, all academic and career/technical teachers need to be willing and prepared to use reading, writing and mathematics as tools for learning across the curriculum. To do so, they must have access to ongoing professional development, literacy and numeracy coaching, shared strategies, and teamwork to make literacy…

Teachers who work together to blend academic and career/technical (CT) instruction have found a key to motivating students to complete high school and prepare for college, advanced training and careers. This newsletter highlights key strategies schools are using to join academic and technical studies to advance student motivation and achievement.…

This report contains the profiles of state-sponsored extended learning initiatives in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Texas. They address the need to provide extra time and opportunity for students who have difficulty meeting today's standards, and for students who are meeting standards during the school day, but want…

Washington is one of several states adopting the Certificate of Initial Mastery, certifying that high school students have attained a high standard of achievement in core academic subjects and applied learning. The New Standards Partnership, comprising 17 member states and 6 school districts, has been developing the certificate system. State…

This report describes the procedures and accomplishments of the first year of a multiyear project to develop a "2 + 2" articulated training program in health careers that links the last 2 years of secondary and the first 2 years of postsecondary training to prepare students for employment in one or more occupations. A related goal for…

This 2001-2005 strategic plan for Texas Public Community Colleges assesses external as well as internal factors relevant to the role of community colleges in the state. Plan highlights include: (1) between 1995 and 2005, the Texas population is projected to increase by 31%, an annual growth of nearly 2%; (2) the Hispanic population is expected to…

This 11-page report describes a project wherein a Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Program Improvement Grant was used to develop a curricular bridge between the academic English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) area and the vocational-technical business/office systems area of Austin Community College (ACC). The following project…

This final report and curriculum guide are products of a project conducted to improve existing at-risk programs through cooperation between vocational and academic personnel by coordinating lesson plans. The following project activities are described: (1) a literature review on the diverse needs of at-risk students enrolled in an alternative to…