Education for the future must prepare all students for paid work of all kinds, something that is especially important in view of the fact that only half the students who begin high school go on to postsecondary education and only half of these students actually receive 4-year degrees. This book presents options to help bring this about by changing schools, work situations and part-time work, and counseling. Connections between secondary and postsecondary education, between school and employment, and between teachers and worksite supervisors need to be improved, and community support must be mustered to promote preparation for jobs. Part 1 proposes changes in the educational system to prepare students better for a good job. Part 2 presents 23 promising practices where such changes have been made to all or part of a school system, and Part 3 describes 4 statewide plans and extracts lessons from these promising practices. A directory lists 35 resource organizations for further information. (Contains 35 figures). (SLD)