The revisions to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 require that career and technical education (CTE) programs provide students with a clear pathway from secondary to postsecondary education, and into high-wage, high-skill and high-demand careers. States nationwide are developing programs, called career pathways, to…

With the growing demand for improving college completion rates has come a need for more thorough information about just how well or poorly colleges and their students are performing on a variety of measures. In a growing number of states, that data is being used to improve the number of students who finish their degrees. Some states and…

In early 2000, Florida's workforce wasn't keeping pace with demand. The state decided that a then-novel credential, a bachelor's degree from a community college, was the solution. The plan is working. The new bachelor's degrees initially focused on education, health care, and information technology. Even as the job market has shrunk, demand has…

This article describes one assessment that provides a college- and career-ready individual for employers. In Illinois, workNet is the state's primary online workforce development Web site and resource for Workforce Investment Act services. With help from NOCTI, workNet offers assessments that identify the skills and interests of participants,…

Through partnerships with four other state agencies, the LifeTech Institute was designed to provide life skills and technical workforce skills to male parolees. The purpose was to alleviate prison overcrowding, reduce recidivism rates, and prepare a trained workforce to supplement the demanding workforce needs of the state's construction industry.…

The fourth recommendation in ACTE's postsecondary reform position statement is to ensure portability and transferability of credits and skills attained. All postsecondary learning has value that should be recognized. Students' progress toward completion of postsecondary credentials can be improved with clear, consistent policies that ensure full…

Dissimilarities between vocational rehabilitation and special education are noted, making school-to-work transition complicated. The author cites fiscal and program practices in Wisconsin that successfully link rehabilitation to education. (CL)

Career clusters represent a nationwide effort to help learners obtain the knowledge and skills they need for career success, mobility and advancement by aligning what is taught in the classroom to business and industry expectations. In this article, the authors, education department officials from Nebraska, Virginia, and Alabama, outline the…

Interviews with representatives of 18 states offering registered preapprenticeship identified the following: policies of awarding credit for work, paying wages, and transferring hours to full apprenticeship; organizational arrangements; appropriateness; formal standards; indenture procedures; external funding/resources; and problems and…

Describes the evolution of the Virginia Career Information Delivery System, Virginia VIEW (Vital Information for Education and Work), from 1979 to 1987. Plans include a systemwide evaluation, career tabloid, and conversion from microfiche to a hard disk microcomputer. (JOW)

Profiles the first eight states, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New jersey, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin, to receive federal school-to-work grants and looks at how they are doing. (JOW)

First in a yearlong series, this article will more closely examine the recommendations made in Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE's) postsecondary reform position statement. The first recommendation is to establish postsecondary preparation and expectations for all. Throughout the country, and in each individual community,…

Many resources (including grants and training) that are available from state Developmental Disabilities Councils are of interest to parents of disabled persons about to leave the public education system. The Councils for each state and the District of Columbia are listed. (CB)

"Quality Counts 2007" begins to track state efforts to create seamless education systems from early childhood to the world of work. This special issue of "Education Week" includes the following articles: (1) Improving Children's Chances (Lynn Olson); (2) Spanning a Lifetime (Christopher B. Swanson); (3) Breaking the Cycle of Poverty (Lynn Olson);…

Provides a comprehensive view of California's school-to-work transition programs as they have evolved and grown. Discusses next steps including interagency collaboration, joint planning, and professional training. (JOW)