This report is designed to help the educational community develop the "all aspects of the industry" (AAI) strategy promoted in the Perkins Vocational Education Act. The introduction describes the current status of AAI and elaborates on three arguments for it: (1) AAI is a pedagogic strategy that promotes more effective learning; (2) better…

Analyzes 22 skill standards pilot projects to determine whether a strong focus on business needs thwarts education reform. Findings indicate that the majority of standards appear to clash with the goals of broader education reform, although a small number of the projects could have positive results. (GR)

Education reform in the 1980s and 1990s emerged from a preoccupation with productivity and economic performance. In the 1980s, the country's education system was blamed for slowing productivity growth and weakening international competitiveness. By the end of the 1990s, the economic context had changed dramatically; unemployment rates were at…

The case can be made that school-to-work programs can be a college preparatory strategy because they can teach academic skills as well as and possibly even better than more traditional approaches. The skepticism about its potential as a means of preparing students for college is based on misconceptions about its characteristics. Its three basic…

S. F. Hamilton and the author agree on the potential of youth apprenticeship programs for education but disagree on the strength of the problems facing implementation of apprenticeship models. A two-level reform strategy is recommended to develop an institutional and legal structure and to encourage employer participation. (SLD)

This report analyzes the current educational reform movement by drawing heavily on the parallels between it and contemporary efforts to reform work. It argues that current initiatives which are often solely associated with vocational education can form the basis of an education reform strategy that applies to all students. Based on information…