This publication highlights statistics showing the progress made during the past quarter-century in educating children with disabilities. It also includes data showing how much more needs to be done to prepare all students with disabilities for a productive and independent future. Part 1 discusses sources of the statistics and the key role of the…

Minimim standards and basic skills assessment activities at the federal, state, and local school district level, as of September 1977, are summarized, indicating the broad range and variety that exists nationwide. Minimal competency testing is mandated by law in eleven states: California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New…

This report describes the status of public education in Texas, as required by Texas law. It contains an executive summary and 14 chapters on the following topics: (1) state performance on the academic-excellence indicators; (2) a summary compilation of overall student performance on the state performance assessments and a study of the correlation…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 mandates standards-based assessment and skills certification as an integral part of a comprehensive school-to-work (STW) system. An ideal STW assessment system would span elementary through postsecondary education and culminate in assessment of skills at the workplace. It would articulate in progressive…

This paper, which is intended as a guide for state policymakers, examines issues and steps in building state-level school-to-work systems. Discussed in the introduction are the state's role in creating a coherent school-to-work system. The following aspects of state-level governance, oversight, and vision are considered: setting system goals,…

This handbook provides P-16 council leaders with a toolkit of background information and proposed procedures for structuring and guiding implementation of Business-Higher Education Forum's (BHEF) proposed action plan. Specifically, it details a four-part nationwide action plan to improve overall pre-kindergarten through high school (P-12)…

This document contains information about the methodology and findings of a study that identified 20 programs across the United States that have been successful in raising student's academic achievement. Part 1 contains the following items: (1) an explanation of the process and criteria used to select the 20 examples of excellence drawn from the 96…

The infusion of career-based education throughout the curriculum as academic and technical curricula are integrated across all subject areas and grade levels is substantially changing the delivery and focus of K-12 education despite the lack of evidence substantiating the effectiveness of the following school-to-work (STW) reform concepts: whole…

It is generally recognized that the organization of satisfactory schools, attendance area, and local units of school administration involves a careful study of existing educational conditions. If satisfactory functioning of units proposed is to be assured, the study must consider functions of schools and local school units, services now rendered…

In Volume I, the Commissioner of Education introduces topics to be covered in the report. Chapter 1 covers current education topics, including work of boards and commissions, education associations, student aid, education standardization, public school teacher training, teacher salaries and pensions, tenure, international relations education,…

This document details Wisconsin's state plan for implementation of activities mandated by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 and funded by a grant from the National School-to-Work Opportunities Act. The plan is divided into 23 sections dealing with the following topics: geographical areas; local support/expansion of school-to-work…

As states develop accountability systems for their high school career and technical education (CTE) programs, the number of students who earn industry-recognized credentials is being considered as a measure of student success and program quality. Using data from a longitudinal study we explored the value of industry-recognized credentials for high…

The key issues, alternatives, and implications for developing countries to consider when designing systems to define occupational standards, related training standards, and assessments were analyzed. The analysis focused on the following issues: the rationale for development of standards; clarification of definitions, terminology, and assumptions;…

Many believe that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 represents the most sweeping national education reform legislation in decades. NCLB's provisions have created numerous potential opportunities and challenges for career and technical education (CTE), including in the following areas: (1) teacher quality; (2) expansion of the Education…

The passage of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998 (Perkins III) and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) marked a new era in the performance accountability partnership among the states, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Evaluation of vocational education…