While financial aid programs exist to support enrollment in specific career fields in many states, Education Commission of the States examined only those programs that appeared in state statute and used explicit language that signaled an intent to support workforce development in high-demand fields via postsecondary credential attainment.…

A career pathway system is made up of multiple programs that span educational institutions, workforce entities and support service partners. These systems are oriented around a shared understanding of the needs of industries. Career pathway systems are one of many policy models states use to help connect education and workforce in the K-12,…

The 2020 General Assembly adjourned its regular session by providing over $390 million in additional general fund support for Virginia higher education institutions in the 2020-22 biennium. However, in March, the nation experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to address the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on state revenues, Governor…

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)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides several funding opportunities that can assist states in designing, developing, and implementing statewide education longitudinal data systems. These new and enhanced information systems will enable states to track student progress within and across the secondary and postsecondary education…

In 1991, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) authorized, under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), a specific grants program. The State Systems for Transitions Services for Youth with Disabilities Program made available competitive 5-year grants to individual states for establishing responsive state…

This reference manual contains information on transition services for students with disabilities in New Jersey. Section 1 provides an overview of transition services and the five-year systems change grant New Jersey has received from the U.S. Department of Education. Also included is information on New Jersey education law, the four regional…

Since President Obama took office, he has repeatedly called for the United States to significantly improve its postsecondary education performance. One goal in particular has gained wide attention: the President's declaration that in an ever more competitive global marketplace, the United States must once again lead the world in college…

As states continue to develop school-to-work programs following the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), a critical question regards the causal effects of school-to-work programs in achieving their goals. Rather than relying on published studies that would appear only with long lags, and which would be unlikely to focus on particular…

This report contains profiles of initiatives in the 50 states and Puerto Rico to connect learning and work. Learning and work initiatives combine education reform, workforce preparation and economic development to prepare individuals for a lifetime of learning, citizenship, and career success. The profiles are drawn from state applications for…

A study to ascertain state progress in building school-to-work systems reviewed the state applications for school-to-work planning grants submitted in December 1993 and 1993 state reports on progress toward achieving the National Education Goals. State infrastructure to support and guide local programs included clear goals, public understanding…

This briefing paper offers information to continue the process of creating linkages among the many stakeholders interested in helping adolescents successfully move into adult work roles. An introduction discusses some broad policy issues such as creating seamlessness through reducing the confusion caused by a lack of coordination and strengthening…

Three pieces of education legislation that the federal government enacted in 1994 are interlocking and designed to support a systemic approach to state and local educational improvement. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), and Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) offer an opportunity to move from a…

This publication offers a state-by-state summary of the school-to-work and/or school-to-careers activities funded by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the summer 1997. Arranged alphabetically by state name, the profiles provide some or all of this information, as appropriate,…

Under the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, Colorado has created a system of partnerships linking employers and public schools. The state's School-to-Career Partnership started in October 1995 with a 5-year, $24 million grant. Grant funds are distributed by the state to local partnerships of education, business and industry, and…