Educational reform in the United States is perpetually evolving. Much of the recent reforms have concentrated on high-stakes testing and assessment, but a parallel effort has been emerging in the field of vocational and career education. Prompted partly by federal legislation--most recently by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act…

Research and the lessons of practical experience suggest that successful interdisciplinary programs share a few key beliefs about teaching and learning. Important ingredients include time to plan, implement, and evaluate as a team; adequate resources; incentives for participants; talented and committed teachers; and patience and flexibility to…

The purpose of this guide is to furnish school districts with process guidelines for community participation in the planning of educational programs and school facilities. The information to be developed includes: (1) a prioritized set of the community's educational goals--individualized for each community; (2) the resources, both physical and…

The North Central Association (NCA) Committee on Small Schools conducted an inventory of practices found in NCA schools as of December 1973. The purpose was to provide a school locator service to identify small schools in which specific practices were found. An inventory form was sent to secondary schools having an enrollment of 300 or fewer…

This paper focuses on the process of innovation in school systems. It considers the definition of educational innovation, the desired level of innovation, factors leading to the acceptance or rejection of innovations by school systems, and how the acceptance of innovations in school systems differs from that in other social institutions. The…

The main purpose of the Evaluation and Training Institute Distribution Study was to design a system for distributing vocational education funds in California which complied with requirements of P.L. 94-482 and was equitable and practical to implement. Eight states were selected whose state plans, vocational education delivery systems, and/or…

The time has come to reexamine the role of industrial arts in the high schools. Our society is no longer in the industrial era but rather in the post-industrial era which is characterized by pressing social problems. Solutions must be found for the problems of pollution, power generation, housing, transportation, communication, conservation, more…

A project was conducted to develop a cost-effectiveness model and data instruments to be utilized in the management of secondary vocational programs. Based upon reviewed literature, cost effectiveness analysis was conceptualized as an analytical technique and eight key elements were identified. The model that was then developed includes four major…

This guide is one of a set of twelve documents describing the Career Planning Support System (CPSS) and its use. (CPSS is a comprehensive guidance program management system designed to provide information for local high schools to design, implement, and evaluate an upgraded career guidance program. CPSS describes how existing activities can be…

This publication provides an overview of the Vocational Education Act (VEA) of 1984 and guidelines for compliance and proposal development. Section I describes why the legislation was enacted and the five titles of which the Act consists. Funding is compared for fiscal years 1984-85 and 1985-86, and funding priorities and eligibility for VEA…

This report focuses on the potential of Workforce Investment Act Youth Councils (YCs) to become proponents of and planners for coordinated youth services and to advocate for improved outcomes for in-school and out-of-school youth, whether a person qualifies for services under the act or not. The study reviews plans and strategies of YCs in these…

A national literature search was conducted on the state of the art that identified linkage activities and model linkage programs; a survey and follow-up questionnaire that identified 107 exemplary projects and received materials on 40 of them; and visits to 30 projects in the Chicago area and Illinois, California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio,…

Development of an Outward Bound program for the Colorado Springs School District was divided into seven phases covering nine years. Phase I (1967-1969) was a feasibility study at the community level, using professional Outward Bound staff. During Phase II (1970-1971), an organizational plan was developed that involved students, teachers, and…

This coordinator's handbook, one of a set of twelve documents describing the Career Planning Support System (CPSS) and its use, is designed as a project management tool and provides step-by-step procedures for planning, leading, and coordinating CPSS activities. (CPSS is a comprehensive guidance program management system which offers the school…

The United States has no coherent strategy for helping noncollege-bound students develop the competence for middle-level jobs. The need for more emphasis on the needs of noncollege-bound students became apparent during the 1980s as less-educated workers began encountering more wage and employment difficulties and as occupations requiring…