Presents conceptual framework for understanding problems encountered by dropouts in school-to-work transition; underlying assumption is that dropouts are likely to face strains in homes, jobs, and other community settings similar to those which led to their dropping out. Also discusses exemplary school and work programs for dropouts. (CMG)

This bulletin focuses on the benefits of engaging employers in school-to-work systems. It begins with a rationale for convincing employers that they must play a more active role in partnerships with schools and communities. The next section highlights strategies that school-to-work practitioners have successfully used to build employer involvement…

This bulletin focuses on workplace mentors for all students involved in work-based learning as required in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. It reviews these key issues that should be addressed in developing an effective mentoring component in a school-to-work system: a recruitment plan for mentors; eligibility screening for mentors and…

This paper reviews issues related to transition services to meet the postsecondary needs of individuals with disabilities. It focuses on follow-up and outcome studies, identification and analysis of best practices in transition, policy research, and analyses of applications for federally funded model demonstration projects. (JDD)

This bulletin presents the key elements of service learning and moves into a discussion of the benefits to be gained from incorporating service learning into a school-to-work system. It discusses the following key elements that are central to service learning programs and that can be expanded when incorporating a service learning component into a…

This paper is a product of Project COMPETE, a service demonstration project undertaken for the purpose of developing and validating a model and training sequence to improve transition services for moderately, severely, and profoundly retarded youth. The paper examines the need for cooperative programming across agencies serving this population and…

This bulletin presents strategies that school-to-work practitioners can use to implement comprehensive and effective career development programs. These strategies are described: career development as an integral and interdependent program; team counseling; new roles for career and guidance counselors; sequence of comprehensive activities;…

Increased global competition and rapidly changing labor markets are providing a new imperative for relevance and quality assurance in education. This imperative is driving a consensus around the need for standards that link the content of education and training to the demands of the workplace. The national framework for improving relevance and…

Focusing on the competency based education movement (CBE), this chapter is one of seven sections of a report that examines the assessment of occupational competence. The chapter begins by reviewing the prominent CBE programs, their institutional objectives, and how competencies are identified and assessed. In particular, the degree to which…

This two-part document reports the results of a literature review of workplace literacy program evaluation and then details a study of two current workplace literacy programs. The five chapters of the first part summarize findings on what is known about workplace literacy programs, methods for evaluating workplace literacy programs, assessing…

This bulletin focuses on the requirement of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 that school-to-work initiatives engage representatives of organized labor in the development, implementation, and governance of a school-to-work system. The first section outlines what organized labor brings to the school-to-work initiative. The next section…

This bulletin highlights strategies to enhance professional development for employers and enable employers to develop structured work-based learning opportunities for employees. The first section highlights these strategies: ensuring top-level support; providing assistance in developing structured work-based learning opportunities; training…

This bulletin begins with a discussion of the role of postsecondary institutions in school-to-work. The following section presents strategies to engage postsecondary institutions in school-to-work: articulation agreements, developing partnerships and systems, coordinated learning, multiple admissions standards, assessment and follow-up, and…

This digest consists of two brief articles. The lead article, "The School-to-Work Opportunities Act: An Opportunity To Serve All Students" (Mary Wiberg) tells how the STW Act differs from vocational education by expanding the traditional programs and reflecting the constructivist model of education reform and how STW meets the needs of…

This bulletin describes practitioner-identified strategies that can help build effective school-to-work systems in rural areas. The first section highlights these strategies for rural school-to-work partnerships: start early; identify educational and economic opportunities in the community; entrepreneurial experiences; community service-learning;…