Executive summaries and/or full text of recent NCRVE publications are available electronically on NCRVE's various online services. See the Cyberspace Update in this issue for instructions on how to access them.
Societal demands and legislative mandates have called for changes in the way we educate students, especially those served in special education or "tracked" into separate programs. There is a growing national sentiment to educate all students in programs which reflect the diversity of the local general student population, through strategies such as mainstreaming, curriculum integration, cooperative learning, and project teaching. This selective resource guide will be useful to all educators interested in inclusion of students with disabilities into regular educational programs, and in eliminating ability grouping and tracking. It includes exemplary programs and practice; personnel and curriculum centers; descriptions of selected newsletters and journal articles; and educational information centers. Where possible, the guide highlights resources that address students in vocational education and integrated programs.
MDS-746 January 1996 $8.50
A School-to-Work Resource Guide: Focusing on Diversity--C. Maddy-Bernstein, Z. B. Matias, E. S. Cunanan, B. T. Krall, L. Iliff
This guide gathers current and representative resources which will be useful to individuals developing or implementing school-to-work programs. It includes sections on the three components of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act: school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities. Listings for publications, newsletters and journals, education information centers, agencies, and organizations are provided. Individuals interested in the background of school-to-work will find the general information section helpful, which offers analyses of school-to-work and its impact on current educational reforms. Sections on Transition Issues for Special Populations and Gender Equity issues are included as well.
MDS-747 January 1996 $10.00
Making Sense of Industry-Based Skill Standards-- T. Bailey, D. Merritt
Industry-based skill standards are a central part of the effort to link schooling more closely to the changing needs of the workplace. This report, by NCRVE's Teachers College Site Director Thomas Bailey and Donna Merrit, evaluates 22 skill standards pilot projects and makes recommendations for future developments. Bailey and Merritt suggest we pay more attention to long-term goals of increasing learning that takes place on the job, and helping move workplaces toward high performance work systems. They recommend that we develop broader, more professional skill standards for all jobs, and that special care be taken to establish meaningful partnerships between employers, workers, and educators. This detailed study will be useful to everyone interested in the skill standards movement.
MDS-777 December 1995 $7.00
Preparing Teachers to Successfully Integrate Vocational and Academic Education: A Case Study Approach-- B. J. Schmidt, C. R. Finch, S. L. Faulkner, J. Kandies
Here is a real-world, hands-on, and enjoyable tool for professional development! Designed to be used in programs for teachers and administrators, these 46 case studies map what works well in integration efforts and provide some examples of less successful strategies. Included with each case study are discussion questions that encourage team-building, open communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. Among the topics are:
A chart of the cases and tips on using them in workshops are provided as well.
MDS-780 December 1995 $12.50
1) Learning to Work: How Parents Nurture the Transition From School-to-Work--A Research Update for Parents and 2) Family Matters in School-to-Work Transition--A Research Update for Policymakers and Educational Leaders--W. L. Way, M. M. Rossman
School-to-work discussions tend to downplay the role of family. Common sense, however, says that families so strongly influence their members they must be considered in current efforts to improve students' work readiness. Research has richly documented how families' day to day operations, as well as their level of involvement in school, affect students' work values, decision making, conflict resolution and communication skills. Proactive families--sociable, expressive, democratic, and engaged--strongly encourage work readiness, whereas more passive or domineering families don't. Both documents quote from interviews where adolescents addressed a range of topics about family, school, and work readiness. These voices vibrantly illustrate the complex role families play in the work readiness of youth. Each of these research updates addresses a specific audience of parents or policymakers, and suggests ways to help families contribute positively to work readiness.
MDS-807 February 1996 $2.50
Profiles and Best Practices: Exemplary Vocational Special Populations Programs--Z. B. Matias, C. Maddy-Bernstein, J. A. Kantenberger
Individuals working with special populations face the challenge of finding creative ways to help these students overcome many of the barriers that can hinder their success. This monograph discusses the characteristics shared by exemplary vocational special populations programs. Twenty key components are described, from administrative leadership and support to program evaluation, integrated academic/vocational curriculum, instructional support services, and work experience opportunities. Best practices for each component provide concrete examples culled from exemplary programs. The study also recognizes less tangible elements which are important for success, such as belief in students' ability, creative problem solving, and high staff morale. Profiles of model programs show how success occurs in a variety of settings and backgrounds.
MDS-856 December 1995 $8.50
Co-operative Education in Cincinnati: Implications for School-to-Work Programs in the U.S.--W. N. Grubb, J. C. Villeneuve
The recent school-to-work legislation mandates work-based learning, one form of which is cooperative education. Yet individuals developing these programs have so far had few models from which to learn. This report offers an in-depth study of co-operative education in the Cincinnati area, where it has had a long and successful history. The authors Norton Grubb, NCRVE's Berkeley site director, and Jennifer Curry Villeneuve describe conditions crucial to exemplary co-op programs, including a "high-quality equilibrium" of students and work experiences, sustained by the commitment and close working relationships of employers and schools. Also explored are challenges such as equitable access, and the split between employers with educational motives and those who see co-op students as short-term labor. This paper is an excellent resource for anyone developing a co-operative education program.
MDS-1045 December 1995 $5.50
Linking School-Based and Work-Based Learning: The Implications of LaGuardia's Co-op Seminars for School-to-Work Programs--W. N. Grubb, N. Badway
Few models exist for fledgling school-to-work programs, especially for activities connecting school-based and work-based learning. This profile of New York City's LaGuardia Community College's co-op seminars offers real-life lessons about successful strategies and potential challenges for these connecting activities. The authors Norton Grubb, NCRVE's Berkeley site director, and Norena Badway highlight the implications for school-to-work programs, including the importance of a supportive culture around co-op; the need to carefully consider pedagogy as well as selection and training of faculty; and the need for funding for coordination tasks. They warn that the separation of co-op, work-based learning, and school-to-work from the "regular" or academic classes may mean that co-op suffers budget cuts first. The only way for school-to-work programs to find a permanent place, the authors conclude, is for the work-based learning component to become as central to the educational purposes of the institution as math, English, or science. This detailed description of a program with many exemplary aspects offers an excellent model for individuals developing new connecting activities for school-to-work programs.
MDS-1046 December 1995 $3.25
The first of the two documents in MDS-759 is a manifesto against off-the-shelf curriculum. Prepackaged materials, according to the author W. Norton Grubb, NCRVE's Berkeley site director, work in ways hostile to the best elements of current reforms, such as collaboration between teachers, improved pedagogy, and increased rigor of school programs. The second article describes how work-centered education can rejuvenate beleaguered urban schools. Programs like academies, occupational clusters, and magnet schools take advantage of the best characteristics of cities-employment and community resources for out of school learning experiences, and schools large enough to facilitate the development of academies and clusters. Work-centered education can resolve many of the problems of urban schools through integrating academic and vocational tracks, and is of special benefit to the low-income students most in need of assistance. By embracing this type of curriculum and pedagogy, Grubb concludes, urban schools may again become leaders of educational reform.
MDS-759 Reprint Series $2.50
The Opportunities for "School-to-Work"--National Study of Work-Based Learning in U.S. Community Colleges--D. D. Bragg, R. E. Hamm
Fragmentation, in particular of our major institutions, characterizes modern American life. The isolation of education from business poses a particular challenge for programs such as work-based learning, which rely on collaboration. This article assesses the opportunities for school-to-work efforts by scrutinizing existing community college work-based learning programs. The authors highlight five success factors common to high-quality programs: dedicated leadership, partnership with local industry leaders; a commitment to excellence, integration within the curriculum; and adequate financial support. They conclude that community colleges can play an integral role in the nation's emerging school-to-work transition system, if provided the necessary opportunity, resources, and support.
MDS-794 Reprint Series $2.00
Tech Prep: So Much Promise, So Much Work-- G. C. Hayward
The title of this study will strike a chord with many educators who know first hand how difficult the complex and mysterious process of educational reform is. The richness of the concept of tech prep often creates difficulties in implementation. Gerald Hayward, former Deputy Director of NCRVE, singles out the critical issues which may mean the difference between programs that succeed and programs that fade. A brief history of tech prep's emergence sets the stage for constructive criticism of program components such as articulation, curriculum integration, the school-work connection, core curriculum and sequences of courses, and outcome oriented programs. Hayward reminds us that Dale Parnell's original vision for tech prep was a kindergarten through AA (or AS) degree strategy designed to reform the ways that all schools work for all children. This vision will ultimately mean a change in the culture of schooling. The study is particularly timely, given that tech prep programs are currently "competing" with other school-to-work programs for favor and related funding. Applying Hayward's critiques to existing programs is a helpful way to chart future directions.
MDS-871 Reprint Series $3.25
Case by Case--B. J. Schmidt
Lack of open communication is one of the greatest barriers to curriculum integration. Years of turfism and lack of support often hinder the collaboration between school personnel which is crucial for reforms to take root. This article highlights results from an extended study of ten schools identified as exemplary for their integration efforts. Anecdotes from these schools provide real-world descriptions of strategies such as team teaching and using the community as a resource, and characteristics such as persistence in the face of difficulties and how commitment makes all the difference. The case studies (MDS-780) include discussion questions designed to help groups of educators explore why situations developed and how things might be done differently, or how successful practices can be adapted to other school settings. These case studies can be a very useful tool for teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators working on integrated curriculum. By talking about situations that may arise, we can open up communication and accelerate the integration process.
MDS-886 Reprint Series $2.00
Integrated Academic and Vocational Education: A Review of the Literature, 1987 - 1992--C. Stasz, T. Kaganoff, R. Eden
Although the Perkins legislation mandates integrated curriculum, it leaves wide leeway for implementation. The absence of specific guidance and technical assistance for implementing integrated curriculum presents pitfalls but also opportunities for educators to tailor their programs to local needs and conditions. The authors, NCRVE's RAND Site Director Cathleen Stasz, Tessa Kaganoff and Rick Eden, offer an excellent descriptive "map" of the available integration literature. It covers issues ranging from the current state of integration practice to observed outcomes, policy factors, and promising integration approaches. Many of these documents, focusing on planning and implementation, will be useful to practitioners as well as policymakers and educational researchers.
MDS-1034 Reprint Series $3.75
The Interrelation of Work and Family: A Missing Piece of Vocational Education Research Agenda--W.L. Way, M.M. Rossman
This paper addresses a serious gap in vocational education research: the interaction between preparation for work and preparation for other life roles such as family. The authors argue that disconnecting these two roles is a disservice to both. They offer a series of provocative research questions that explore the complex connections between them, centering on issues such as the conceptualization of work and family; gender; community networks; and program assessment. The authors contend that preparation for work can no longer be isolated from other key life roles, especially family, and suggest that we examine the ideological foundations of vocational education which have contributed to this split.
MDS-1035 Reprint Series $2.00
The New Vocationalism in Urban School Reform-- K. A. Ramsey
Three changes are encouraging the move of vocational education reforms into the mainstream: the growing consensus that all youth benefit from some career focus; the "new vocationalism" of tech prep and integrated academic/vocational education; and the business world's interest in closer ties with public education. The best way to promote this move is to link vocational reforms like integrated education and tech prep to systemic reforms like restructured governance, increased choice, assessment; and the professionalization of teachers. Policy instruments that support the new vocationalism, as well as those that hinder it, are evaluated in detail. This look at the future of the new vocationalism maps out the most promising strategies for educators and policymakers to pursue.
MDS-1037 Reprint Series $2.50
What Teachers Learn in High School: Professional Development and the Redesign of Vocational Education--J. W. Little
What happens to professional development when schools enter the throes of ambitious reform? The current shift in vocational education requires big changes from teachers, like collaborating with colleagues on the other side of the vocational/academic fence, and thinking in new ways about their own subject in order to connect it with others. Drawing on the experience of teachers in three urban high schools, Little charts the school structures, cultures, and policy environments that encourage change. She points out that we must provide teachers with the same fertile learning environment we want them to provide for their students. As a New Mexico principal has said, "If you don't feed your teachers, they'll eat their students." This paper offers a new understanding of professional development, one rooted less in bolstering the skills of individual teachers and more in transforming the high school as a whole.
MDS-1038 Reprint Series $2.50