Proposed Principles for New Federal Legislation

1. The increasing demand for continual learning throughout the working career implies that career-related education and training programs will be most effective if they combine academic and vocational content, integrate work-based with school-based learning, and ensure that each program can lead to more advanced programs.

2. In secondary schools, all students“including those who expect to attend four-year colleges or universities, as well as students at risk of not completing high school“can benefit from having the option to pursue a career-related course of study that integrates academic and vocational content with work-based learning.

3. Postsecondary institutions should continue to broaden and deepen tech-prep and other occupational programs, combining vocational and academic content and strengthening connections with the labor market.

4. Teachers, administrators, counselors, and other staff need time and support to develop programs that meet these objectives.

5. Career-oriented information, development, and counseling services ought to be improved, expanded, and integrated into the curriculum.

6. Employers must be mobilized to collaborate in providing work-related education and training.

7. Performance measures and standards should continue to be used to gauge the success of programs and guide their continuous improvement; these program measures should incorporate newly developing academic and occupational skill standards for individuals.

8. While Federal funds should be distributed in greater amounts to low-income areas, states should be encouraged to develop their own programs of technical assistance for program improvement, including the possibility of targeting funds on high-performing programs.

9. Collaboration among career-related education and training programs in different situations, or with different funding sources, is desirable and can be facilitated if all programs adhere to the same principles, such as those stated in principle 1 above.

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