Postsecondary education is associated with achieving economic self-sufficiency and other positive outcomes. Young people in foster care face challenges pursuing postsecondary education, which can lead to them being less likely than their peers to enroll in college and less likely to earn a degree when enrolled. One federal initiative meant to…

The need for increased accountability in higher education and, specifically, the nation's community colleges-is something most educators can agree on. The challenge has, and continues to be, finding a system of metrics that meets the unique needs of two-year institutions versus their four-year-counterparts. Last summer, President Obama unveiled…

This ethnographic case study investigated second year college students who participated in the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program at a technical college in northeastern Pennsylvania. In order to understand how learners stayed motivated in a college setting, I selected participants who were in their second year of the TAA program. A total of…

Career academies, after more than four decades of development and three decades of evaluation, have been found by a conclusive random assignment study to be effective in improving outcomes for students during and after high school. Career academies have therefore become the most durable and best-tested component of a high school reform strategy to…

The "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV)" reinforces a longstanding federal commitment to supporting career and technical education (CTE). Although federal contributions account for only a fraction of total state and local spending on CTE, federal policy has had, and continues to have, a large…

California University of Pennsylvania developed Project Technology Education Curriculum Help (TECH) for two school districts in Western Pennsylvania. Six objectives were achieved: (1) organized two pilot school districts to serve as curriculum models in technology education for other schools throughout the commonwealth; (2) established California…

This project was conducted to continue the curriculum network whereby information, services, and materials related to the disadvantaged were disseminated directly to vocational personnel in Pennsylvania. During the year-long program, a curriculum network was maintained through the vehicle of a newsletter distributed to educators in the state. The…

A study examined the feasibility of requiring and delivering certification for adult basic education (ABE) teachers in Pennsylvania. During the project, researchers mailed survey instruments to state directors of adult education, presidents of American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) affiliate organizations, past presidents…

A Nonequivalent Control Group Design, an analytical evaluation technique, was used to assess the effectiveness of an individualized inservice approach for vocational teachers of disadvantaged learners in Pennsylvania. The experimental group consisted of vocational teachers volunteering to participate in an individualized inservice program; the…

This annual report of the Pennsylvania Council on Vocational Education focuses on the activities and recommendations of the council for 1990. It includes recommendations to the State Board of Education and the Governor that describe the board's major concerns, including declining student enrollments in vocational education programs and possible…

A statewide interactive video teleconference was developed and presented to marketing educators, administrators, counselors, students, advisory committee members, and business people in Pennsylvania. The conference was designed to provide a technical update of the state of marketing in the United States as well as to unveil national strategies…

This third-party evaluation report of the BHQ (Baldwin-Whitehall, Highlands, and Quaker Valley) Career Education Project, a K-14 effort in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, focuses on student outcomes resulting from efforts at staff development, curriculum infusion, resource centers, and community involvement. Included in the report are (1)…

A project entitled the LINK Program was undertaken to develop a model program of educational brokering through union locals and small businesses in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Included among the major project activities were the following: contacting unions, presenting a model program to them, and soliciting support from union officials;…

This report contains findings from a study to examine the impact of Pennsylvania's Customized Job Training (CJT) program upon clients (trainees), business/industry, local education agencies (LEAs), and local communities and the commonwealth. Chapter 1 details study purposes, design, and procedures. Chapter 2 presents a summary description of the…

Since its creation in 1988, the sole mission of the agency PennSERVE has been to make community service the common expectation of all Pennsylvania's citizens. Using state funds, PennSERVE initiated a school service learning (SL) grant program and funded a total of 35 school and community-based SL programs between 1989 and 1991 in grades K-12, the…