This document represents the findings of the Greater Akron and Canton Regional Chambers of Commerce under an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and Ohio Department of Development Graduate Retention Initiative (GRI) Planning Grant. The document also includes a proposal for the implementation phase of the initiative with a geographic scope…

This article provides a broad overview of the history of career-focused education in the United States and the reauthorization of the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. The Perkins act required that the recipients of its funding offer at least one program of study, and this reauthorization included four…

This book provides 35 profiles that are a small sampling of the successful strategies, environments, and activities taking place within the school-to-work/vocational-technical education arena in Arizona. The profiles describe a variety of successful strategies. They include many types of activities serving a number of populations. They also…

In August 1993, a third-party evaluator examined tech prep system development and implementation in Texas public schools and institutions of higher education. The second year of the evaluation focused on the following aspects of Texas' tech prep system: current status of statewide implementation, secondary school counseling, professional…

A statewide effort was conducted in Kentucky to design a longitudinal assessment of tech prep, an educational reform strategy for high schools. Construction of the evaluation design included consideration of quantitative and qualitative data for school programmatic decisions, as well as funding accountability requirements at the district and state…

These 18 papers were presented at a conference designed to share the diversity of ways that the Career Orientation and Planning Profile (COPP) is being used to conduct effective career guidance programs by selected career guidance educators throughout the United States. The publication begins with a brief tribute to Dr. Shigekazu Fukuyama…

This paper seeks to answer some of the many questions that exist about credit-based transition programs. The paper reviews 45 published and unpublished reports, articles, and books on the most common credit-based transition programs: dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Tech Prep, and middle college high…

School-to-careers (STC) is a comprehensive approach to educational reform that provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make a successful transition from school to work. Systems that combine academic study and work experience are developing in every state in response to the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. The…

This brief describes the Academic Pathways to Access and Student Success (APASS) project, a research initiative that identifies and disseminates information about existing and emerging academic pathways that extend from high school to college. Drawing upon the results of a 50-state survey, an extensive review of literature and consultation with…

This concept paper addresses the preparation of vocational education teachers. Several topics are listed with comments, and, in some cases, supporting documentation has been abstracted. These topics correspond to reasons for the lack of national visibility within Florida as indicated by the 2001 rankings in the U.S. News and World Report that…

Wisconsin's school-to-work initiative, which was established in 1991, consists of six major components: local partnerships; youth apprenticeships; career counseling centers; tech prep; youth options; and at-risk youth programs. These programs are administered by Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Department of Workforce…

Section 1 of this publication begins with the 1999 National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) agenda, mission statement, and an overview of the 1999 Program of Work. Descriptions of research and development activities within three sets of activities follow. Each description includes project directors and keywords. The first…

New York State Tech-Prep is a joint-secondary-higher-education program with the objective of providing students with rigorous technical and academic skills. Currently 30 Tech-Prep consortia operate across the state. In 1996, the state commissioned an evaluation of its Tech-Prep programs. This report summarizes information from the first study that…

This article describes the Applied Engineering Technology (AET) Career and Educational Pathways Program, which helps local manufacturers find quality workers. The program features 32 high schools, three community colleges, and 10 four-year institutions offering an integrated regional system of applied engineering education. The goal is to enroll…

This report examines current policies and practices in regard to Oregon high school student participation in college courses and programs. A total of 112 of Oregon's public and private high schools responded to a January 1998 mailed survey concerning early college options programs and policies. It was found that an estimated 6,660 students were…