Several decades of studies evaluating youth employment programs funded through the nation's second-chance system have demonstrated the shortcomings of programs that concentrate on work experience alone and try to reverse years of inadequate education, discrimination, and alienation in a few weeks or months. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act…

A study evaluated implementation of the California school-to-career initiative (STC) and its influence on student outcomes. It attempted to collect data from all local partnerships (LPs) receiving federal funding under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. Findings with respect to implementation indicated many schools offered career development…

After their 1969 inception as an electrical academy in a Philadelphia high school, the number of career academies grew steadily for two decades; since 1990, their growth has accelerated. Until the mid-1990s, they existed only as smaller units within high schools, but numerous high schools have since converted themselves entirely into career…

A series of five discussions with more than 50 people involved in the national school-to-work initiative created by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA) resulted in the following conclusions (among others): (1) Problems with the concept include a negative attitude toward the phrase "school-to-work," the complicated nature…

The New York State School-to-Work Opportunities System Plan, which is based on New York's original application for a federal school-to-work implementation grant and contains the 23 federally required elements, outlines the state's plans to develop and implement a statewide school-to-work opportunities system within a 9-year period. The plan…

This digest consists of two brief articles. The lead article, "The School-to-Work Opportunities Act: An Opportunity To Serve All Students" (Mary Wiberg) tells how the STW Act differs from vocational education by expanding the traditional programs and reflecting the constructivist model of education reform and how STW meets the needs of…

Research indicates that the important attitudinal, behavioral, and occupational skills needed for work and life are best learned in the workplace or through applied, contextual settings which mirror workplace environments, as opposed to traditional classrooms. This argues for creating stronger relationships between high schools, their communities,…

The simplicity and "common-sense" quality of school-to-work's (STW) basic concepts are the greatest threats to the full implementation of STW. Implementation requires a fundamental restructuring of secondary education and far greater involvement of employers in the preparation of young people for work. A synthesis of findings from eight…

When the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) was initiated in 1994, it was envisioned as a systematic effort to prepare young people for high-skill, high-wage careers and provide them with the academic instruction and foundation skills needed to pursue postsecondary education and lifelong learning. STWOA called for development of three main…

This booklet looks at a specific part of the diversity of students in school-to-work (STW) programs--gender in a multicultural context--to help educators, private industry, parents, and policy makers incorporate equity into their STW programs. After a brief overview of STW, the booklet outlines the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, explains the…

The way students progress from high school to college is in need of change. This paper examines five programs for student pathways and determines which have enough promise to merit consideration by policymakers. "High Schools That Work" prepares students for college by requiring them to take a minimum core of courses. "Tech…

Signed into law in May 1994, the School-to-Work Opportunities (STWO) Act provides states and communities with funds to develop systems that connect academic knowledge with technical skills and workplace competencies. The Act links the Goals 2000: Educate America Act with workforce and economic development and is designed to help the nation prepare…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) of 1994 provides flexible funding and technical assistance to the education reform strategy known as the school-to-work movement, which offers a broad range of students work-based learning opportunities. In 1994, just before passage of the STWOA, the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation…

Work-based education (WBE), including traditional vocational education and other career-focused programs, was an important curricular component in American schools for most of the 20th century. The 1990s was a period of substantial change for work-based education (WBE). Spurred on by a concern about the international competitiveness of the…

The next step in the school-to-career (STC) movement is to build upon its significant successes in today's policy and political environment. The School to Work Opportunities Act 1994 codifies a reform agenda to promote academic achievement and economic opportunity for young people during and after high school. Its general principles are that most…