Career pathways (CP) has gained prominence as a strategy to ensure that high school students and displaced workers acquire the college and career readiness skills needed in a fast-changing, globalized economy. In an effort to ensure future success for CP, Stephen F. Hamilton examines the School-to-Work (STW) movement of the 1980s and 1990s and…

Embedded system is an interdisciplinary, profound foundation and practice-oriented course; at present, in the traditional teaching mode, embedded systems in colleges and universities generally have problems such as disconnected theory and practice, outdated assessment methods, and low enthusiasm of students. Arming to cultivate compound embedded…

In this essay, Cathy Sandeen states that the new postsecondary landscape requires looking at higher education as a system that provides multiple pathways in and through the various parts of the system, all with the goal of helping students complete a postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate. Sandeen observes two strengths in professional…

Identifies lessons learned from the State Systems Change Initiative on Transition for Youth with Disabilities, such as: (1) the need for such initiatives to recognize political, economic, and social factors; (2) the need for systems change to be a dynamic and continuous improvement process; and (3) the value of using federal legislative mandates…

Equity as absence of discrimination is an outdated concept and a measurement nightmare. Focusing on (academic) results can strengthen educational equity and contribute to economic opportunity; in fact, quality and equity go together. California's concentration of resources on professional development should help more students meet higher…

Changes already underway in the U.S. economy have made it increasingly important for students to acquire symbolic-analytic skills and technical skills. Of all the available options for improving the education of vocational industrial teachers to help them prepare students for work in the 21st century, the most reasonable alternative appears to be…

Considers how the State Systems Change granting process has emerged as way to promote systemic educational reform. It identifies similarities and differences among three major systems change initiatives in special education (i.e., transition), vocational education (i.e., school-to-work), and general education (i.e., Goals 2000). (DB)

The Intequal project examined approaches to vocational education and training (VET) in seven European countries. Intequal is an acronym for the French phrase "integrer les qualifications." The study focused on the following: functioning of integrated qualifications in the context of the educational system and the social and economic…

The emergence of a technology-based global society is effecting tremendous changes in the economic and political world order. If our society is going to respond successfully to these changes, it must recognize the philosophic as well as strictly scientific implications of technological growth. We are entering a new era for amplifying the human…

In January 1994, Washington's governor asked 28 representatives of business, labor, education, government, and the public (parents and students) to participate in the Governor's Council on School-to-Work Transition. The council spent 9 months examining the issue of school-to-work transition and formulating an action plan for establishing a…

Describes pilot programs in Appalachian high schools designed to improve math and science instruction through systemic change and higher standards. Strategies include using videoconferencing for professional development, incorporating employers' expectations into curricula, bridging gaps between academic and vocational programs, integrating…

This paper describes the rationale, direction, and progress of the Integrated System for Workforce Education Curricula (ISWEC), a project sponsored by a 25-state consortium that is designed to accomplish two primary objectives: (1) integration of academic and vocational education in a curriculum framework for grades 9-14 and (2) development of a…

A large majority of the world's people are denied access to learning. The link between technical and vocational education (TVE) and individual and workplace economic productivity is well documented. Many countries are experiencing combinations of increasing populations of young people and high unemployment rates. Existing traditions of training…

Several decades of studies evaluating youth employment programs funded through the nation's second-chance system have demonstrated the shortcomings of programs that concentrate on work experience alone and try to reverse years of inadequate education, discrimination, and alienation in a few weeks or months. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act…

This study examined processes and strategies utilized by states to implement transition policies designed to facilitate coordination of the state-level service delivery systems of special education, vocational education, and vocational rehabilitation. The study used a model involving four policy instruments: mandates, inducements, capacity…