ERIC Number: ED404469
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995-Oct
Pages: 88
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Learning from Experience: A Cross-Case Comparison of School-to-Work Transition Reform Initiatives.
Rogers, Anne M.; And Others
A cross-case study approach was used to determine how school-to-work reform affects clients and participants and to identify elements critical to the success of school-to-work systems. Fourteen school-to-work reform initiatives in communities across the United States were examined by using a research protocol that included individual interviews, focus groups, reviews of pertinent documents/materials, and observations of program activities. Among the various initiatives studied were career academies, statewide and regional systems, school-based enterprises, off-site workplaces, systems emphasizing career guidance, and systems emphasizing integration of academic and vocational study. The following were identified as critical elements of school-to-work reform: leadership from executives of educational systems; leadership from program deliverers (instructors, counselors); professional development for teachers and other staff; cross-sector collaboration; student self-determination; school-based curriculum and instruction; work-based learning strategies; integrated career information and guidance system; progressive system starting before grade 11; articulation with postsecondary institutions; creative financing; and application of research. It was recommended that additional research be conducted in the following areas: reforms' long-term impact on student outcomes; student outcomes in youth development terms; impacts of contextual learning; impacts in the workplaces; cost/benefits of student employment; and school-to-work system building. (Appended are profiles of the school-to-work programs studied.) (MN)
Descriptors: Articulation (Education), Career Education, Career Guidance, Case Studies, Comparative Analysis, Demonstration Programs, Education Work Relationship, Educational Change, Educational Cooperation, Educational Practices, Financial Support, Global Approach, High Schools, Integrated Curriculum, Leadership, Outcomes of Education, Partnerships in Education, Postsecondary Education, Professional Development, Program Design, Rural Education, Student Participation, Suburban Schools, Systems Approach, Theory Practice Relationship, Urban Education, Vocational Education, Work Experience Programs
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC. National Inst. for Work and Learning.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A