States face transformational disruptions in education and work that have further widened skill and equity gaps. Area technical centers (ATCs) are under-utilized public educational institutions that are powerful tools in expanding equitable pathways for learners to gain postsecondary credentials that lead to meaningful careers while helping states…

The United States leads the world in the number of incarcerated persons per 100,000. In today's global economy, these numbers represent huge wastes in human capital, especially when you consider the inequitable nature of the American criminal justice system, as witnessed by the disproportionate racial and ethnic composition, types of crimes, and…

America and the South seem to have turned a corner on the deep and prolonged recession that started in 2008. The stranglehold it has had on jobs and job prospects caught many by surprise, and it has caused education leaders to refocus state policy on the relationship between career preparation and education. This report provides updates on the…

Although One-Stop Career Centers are mandated to promote client-centered services, patrons are ordinarily funneled through a standard procedure. Adult education principles suggest that these centers should be learner-centered and address individual differences. Therefore, the purpose of the this study was to describe the interaction of the…

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…

The Occupational Training Information System (OTIS), which is in operation in Oklahoma and in a developmental stage in Kentucky, was evaluated. The principle objective of OTIS is to provide the information necessary to formulate educational, manpower, and economic development plans and policies. OTIS consists primarily of a manpower demand…

This report assesses the economic impact created by the presence of American Indians in Oklahoma. In 1980, American Indians in Oklahoma numbered 169,459, or 5.6% of the state's population. Most Indians lived in central and eastern counties. Compared to the general population, Indians were younger, less educated, and had higher unemployment and…

The workforce development literature contains little scholarly work on how organizations in a community work together to develop a high-skilled workforce. This exploratory case study examined business and higher education partnerships that were instrumental in creating such an educational infrastructure for information technology in Tulsa,…

Analyzes the complex interaction between economic, political, and cultural variables demonstrating how the Choctaw Nation, in the southeastern Oklahoma timber region, has become a politically dependent labor force alienated from its land resources. Discusses benefits of Choctaw economic initiatives as well as potential moral and cultural costs of…

Contributions of rural high schools to their local economic climate are both underestimated and undervalued. Functions that high schools can and should perform in rural economic development today include providing occupational training to meet immediate labor market needs, raising community educational attainment levels to meet long-term…

The organizational and working relationships between postsecondary education and economic development in selected states were investigated, with emphasis on identifying state-level coordinated programs in 12 geographically diverse states known to be active in linking education to economic development (Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana,…