This manual describes the program improvement responsibilities of the Research Coordinating Unit (RCU) of South Carolina's Office of Vocational Education. Following the introduction, the organization and functions of the RCU are briefly presented. The remainder of the booklet is comprised of eight short sections, each discussing an RCU function in…

An intergenerational project trained older adult volunteers from a small South Carolina community to teach vocational skills to students at a residential school for at-risk youth. Volunteers helped students with production and marketing of goods and services for six school-based companies. Benefits include enhanced sense of community for…

Developed as a multi-county effort, this project sought to design model career education programs involving: (1) Elementary Orientation, (2) Work Experience, (3) Intensive Teaching, (4) Curriculum Development for Underachievers, and (5) Placement and Followup. In addition to improving and evaluating vocational education at the 11th and 12th grade…

This guide is intended as a resource for school or school district leadership teams who desire to rethink the teacher evaluation process. Three chapters address the task of designing a teacher evaluation system that encourages self-reflection and continuous improvement, as well as the personal and professional growth of experienced teachers. The…

This document is designed to help literacy practitioners and others establish civic literacy programs to help learners in South Carolina develop general literacy skills applied to the everyday tasks of being a citizen and active community member. The rationale for promoting civic literacy and the challenges for adult civic literacy system…

The first year of a demonstration experience-based career education (EBCE) project implemented to provide realistic career information to J.L. Mann High School (South Carolina) students was evaluated. The project was intended to provide the EBCE students with community-based career experiences structured to reinforce academic instruction, and…

The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project was undertaken to identify effective strategies for helping low-income parents work more steadily and advance in the labor market. The 15 ERA demonstration projects that were operating in nine states (California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, South Carolina; Tennessee, and…

Workplace mentoring has been identified as an important aspect of work-based learning in projects conducted under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. By establishing relationships with caring and competent adults who can provide emotional support and facilitate skill development, less-experienced youths and adults are more likely to bridge the…