Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informational barriers to college entry. This guide targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood…

This report analyzes the current educational reform movement by drawing heavily on the parallels between it and contemporary efforts to reform work. It argues that current initiatives which are often solely associated with vocational education can form the basis of an education reform strategy that applies to all students. Based on information…

Community colleges enroll almost half of all undergraduates in the United States. These two-year colleges manifest the American commitment to accessible and affordable higher education. With about 1,200 institutions nationwide, community colleges have made significant progress over the past decade in opening access and have become the critical…

Contributors to this volume address the feasibility of work-based education as a reform for the U.S. educational system and consider whether such strategies will work with large numbers of students. Costs, problems of implementation, and alternative approaches are discussed. The following papers are presented: (1) "Introduction" (Thomas…

Dual-enrollment programs, which allow high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college and high school credit simultaneously, are one method to introduce students to the idea of college and to its academic and social demands. The college credits that high school students potentially can earn also tend to be free or low-cost--a…

This report makes the case for school-to-work as a college preparatory strategy by presenting relevant evidence and by suggesting policies that will facilitate the college preparatory potential of school-to-work. The report begins by explaining why parents, students, and educators should care whether school-to-work can successfully prepare…

The case can be made that school-to-work programs can be a college preparatory strategy because they can teach academic skills as well as and possibly even better than more traditional approaches. The skepticism about its potential as a means of preparing students for college is based on misconceptions about its characteristics. Its three basic…

A study examined the impact of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program on efforts in academic and vocational integration. A case study of 10 community colleges housing ATE-funded projects collected data through interviews with administrators, faculty, ATE program practitioners, and faculty and administrators at collaborating high…

Employers' motivations for getting involved in school-to-work internships and their perceptions of the quality of work-based learning placements were examined through a telephone survey of 334 employers participating in 5 school-to-work programs (2 in New York, 2 in Pennsylvania, and 1 in Michigan) and a matching sample of 323 establishments not…

A study examined employer involvement in the school-to-work (STW) internship strategy by comparing characteristics of participating employers to a sample of nonparticipants. The five STW programs chosen for study were ones in which students spent a significant amount of time in work-based learning outside the classroom. A telephone survey gathered…

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses before high school graduation, giving them firsthand exposure to the requirements of college-level work and allowing them to gain high school and college credit simultaneously. The role of dual enrollments in easing the transition between high school and postsecondary…

A literature review of 132 studies of School-to-Work programs and consultations with the staff of the National School-to-Work Office, researchers, and practitioners in the field drew conclusions about the effectiveness of the School-to-Work initiative. Some of the study's conclusions were the following: (1) School-to-Work students maintain good…

The claim that work-based experience improves students' academic performance was examined through a study of the academic progress of 25 high school and community college student interns employed in various health care workplaces. Data were collected from the following activities: (1) review of the literature on academic reinforcement and academic…

The transition from high school to college could be improved by better cooperation and communication between secondary and postsecondary systems. Dual enrollment programs can be a link between the two systems as models in New York and Wisconsin illustrate. Despite an emerging backlash, preliminary research suggests the approach warrants federal…

Policymakers and educators continue to seek options for helping high school students transition successfully into postsecondary education. This interest stems, in part, from evidence that American students are unprepared for college--nearly half of all postsecondary students need at least one remedial course upon entering college. A body of…