States have introduced a range of strategies and legislative policies aimed at increasing college matriculation through readiness strategies and initiatives that offer strong collaboration between secondary and postsecondary education. Early college high school (ECHS) models are one-way that colleges, primarily community colleges, can serve…

Students need learning experiences connected with the world of work to equip them to enter the workforce and secure good jobs. This report provides an overview of funding for career and technical education and a detailed look at Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding models in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West…

Small businesses represent a resource of tremendous potential for school-to-work partnerships. Work in small businesses exposes students to many facets of running a businesses, and small businesses are creating most of the new jobs in the United States. On the other hand, small businesses have had limited involvement in school-to-work programs…

In recent years, the federal government has designated 105 communities across the country, including many urban neighborhoods, as Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities (EZ/ECs). At the same time, many urban school districts have launched school-to-career initiatives to help keep at-risk youth in school and improve their academic achievement…

A study was conducted to explore the motivation for (or against) employer participation in long-standing school-business partnership programs that offer substantive work experience and learning at the worksite. Information was gathered through a literature search, in-person surveys of school personnel and selected employers (n=21), a phone survey…

In three southwestern states, grassroots movements of citizens, educators, and local businesses developed and implemented two-way interactive television projects in their schools and communities. A descriptive multiple case study design was used to examine six project sites in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Research questions were categorized in…

A study in Illinois was designed to assess the extent of private sector involvement in secondary vocational education and what segments of the private sector were being involved. Information was gathered through a survey that was mailed to directors of secondary and state agency regional delivery systems and community college deans. Of the 61…

Recognizing the difficult time most youths face in finding a good job after high school graduation, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District developed strategies to improve the transition. A high level of collaborative activity was already underway in Austin between the school district and the community, but most programs had been started…

Tech prep programs integrate academic, occupational, and employability during the last 2 years of high school and the first 2 years of college, combining the best of college-prep academics with the best of vocational and technical education. The Ohio Tech Prep program, jointly administered by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of…

Presents the views of Steven Zwerling, Ford Foundation Senior Director, on collaborations with educational institutions and on factors that help make them successful. These factors include: (1) a college president who strongly believes in partnerships; (2) a strong working relationship with the school superintendent; and (3) strong ties to the…

A cooperative program in Benton Harbor, Michigan, joins schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and a university to address local work force issues and needs identified by area employers and to place program graduates in jobs with a livable wage in an area of high unemployment and crime. The program consists of two major instructional…

Tech prep and school-to-work (STW) programs, partly based on the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work, are being used to restructure secondary education in Kentucky. Tech prep aims for a better understanding and application of technology, career awareness and planning, skills for a highly educated work force, a more focused…

This guide, developed through the Consortium to Restructure Education through Academic and Technological Excellence (CREATE), a partnership among high schools, a vocational-technical center, a community college, and universities in Oklahoma, presents information, resources, and examples for development and implementation of a tech prep program in…

A description is presented of the Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration Project in Broome County, New York, which enrolls 25 high school juniors from 5 school systems in newly created apprenticeships in manufacturing and engineering technology, administration and office technology, and health care. Apprentices spend 10-20 hours per week (plus summers…

A 1-year project was conducted to develop an awareness of the tech prep model of articulation wherein high school students prepare for technical careers through a 2 + 2 or 2 + 4 program of high school and advanced enrollment in technical or community colleges. During the program, the following was accomplished: (1) administrative support was…