Career academies are schools within schools that link students with peers, teachers, and community partners in a disciplined environment, thereby fostering academic success and mental and emotional health. The career academy concept includes the following three key elements: (1) small learning communities; (2) a college preparatory curriculum with…

After more than three decades of development and two decades of evaluation, career academies have been found to be effective in improving the performance of students in high school, particularly for students at greatest risk. Career academies have become the most durable and best-tested component of a high school reform strategy that includes…

This report describes New Jersey's progress in achieving the goals and objectives outlined in the State Plan for Vocational Education FY 1992-1994. The programs and activities described in the document were conducted during FY 1994 in compliance with the Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. The text contains narrative…

This report, which is directed toward policymakers, educators, employers, researchers, and others interested in the school-to-work (STW) movement, synthesizes literature on the development and effectiveness of STW programs since 1993. Part I provides an overview of the STW movement and examines the effectiveness of STW efforts in terms of…

The school-to-work (STW) movement began in the mid-1980s in response to concerns about the U.S. education system's ability to prepare most students for the "new economy." Despite the fact that most of the STW programs and activities funded by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 have only recently been established, a fairly…

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses before high school graduation, giving them firsthand exposure to the requirements of college-level work and allowing them to gain high school and college credit simultaneously. The role of dual enrollments in easing the transition between high school and postsecondary…

Changes in work and the workplace are transforming the kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for successful work performance. Educators and school reformers are updating curricula and redesigning school programs to ensure that, in addition to academics, young people have opportunities to learn work-related skills and attitudes. A…

ProTech is the Boston Public Schools' longest-standing and most developed school-to-career (STC) initiative. It is a collaboration of the Boston Public Schools, 75 employers, and the Boston Private Industry Council. ProTech combines rigorous academic instruction, a sequence of worksite learning experiences in seven major industrial clusters for…

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…

In accordance with a mandate included in the 1990 amendments to the Perkins Act, a national evaluation of Tech-Prep implementation was conducted. The evaluation had two main objectives: to determine how effectively Tech-Prep is being implemented and to identify useful implementation practices and challenges. Data were collected from the following…

This document contains six studies that were commissioned for the National Assessment of Vocational Education. "Introduction" (Ann M. Milne) provides an overview of the reforms of the 1980s. "The Impact of Educational Reform on Vocational Education" (Marion Asche, Donald E. Elson, Ann Echols, Arthur Williams) examines primary…

Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship Program in printing (YAP) features the following elements: competency-based curriculum and assessment systems; 2-year, part-time paid training and work experiences at one or more printing companies; work-based mentoring; technical college instruction in printing technology and some academic courses; integrated…

During the 1993-94 program year, more than 1.2 million Californians were enrolled in vocational education (VE) at a secondary high school, adult education program, or regional occupational center. An additional 1.2 million Californians were enrolled in community college VE programs. VE services were provided to significant numbers of students with…

During fiscal year 1994, 106,054 individuals were enrolled in secondary-level vocational education (VE) courses and 78,699 individuals were enrolled in postsecondary-level VE courses in Mississippi. Eight performance standards and core measures were developed and used to evaluate all VE programs in Mississippi. The percentages of the various types…

During fiscal year (FY) 1995, $20,933,342 in federal, $45,074,084 in state, and $84,449,547 in local funds were expended to support vocational education throughout Missouri. Enrollment in Missouri vocational education included 120,874 secondary students, 57,885 postsecondary students, and 101,914 adults. During FY 1995, work continued on the…