This publication is intended to provide educators and interested community agencies with basic information to help determine which of the four Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) programs would be most appropriate for their school and community. Four regional educational laboratories selected by the National Institute of Education to develop the EBCE concept into an operational alternative for high school students are compared. The four models are the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (West Virginia), Far West Laboratory (California), Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (Oregon), and Research for Better Schools (Pennsylvania). (Although the four laboratories applied different strategies in the development of their own versions of EBCE, each of the four programs achieves three common goals: (1) Each program is student-centered and provides personalized learning experiences to all students, (2) the focus of student learning activities is in the community at cooperating experience sites, and (3) each program has developed procedures and materials for integrating academic learning with career experiences.) The models are described in terms of 23 program elements that have been identified to provide a context for comparison. These program elements have been grouped into the major categories of curriculum, employer/community utilization, guidance, and management. Sources for additional information on the four programs are appended. (TA)