The Center's professional development areas of expertise include: (1) Career Majors/Pathways, and Integrated Curriculum; (2) Standards and Performance Measures; (3) Work-Based Learning; and (4) Postsecondary Education. Each area is described in more detail below, along with the names and telephone numbers of NCRVE consultants, who may be contacted directly for more information.
NCRVE staff are assisting with the U.S. Department of Education's New American High Schools Project, which studies new organizational models for high schools, including schools with a single theme, career majors or pathways, and academies or "schools-within-schools." These schools serve diverse student populations in urban, suburban, and rural areas. A list of exemplary high schools and information about their experiences with reform is available. Contact: Mayo Tsuzuki Hallinan, (800) (old phone deleted).
New Designs for the Comprehensive High School studies exemplary new designs for schools that are restructuring, expanding, or downsizing.
Project researchers can provide assistance and materials on various aspects of reform such as learning expectations, learning process, organization, partnerships, staffing, facilities, and finance. Contact: (612) 624-1740.
Getting to Work: A Guide for Better Schools, is a comprehensive, five-module package of strategies, activities, and case studies for teachers and administrators engaged in whole-school reform. First and foremost, Getting to Work is about helping all students master a high level of academic knowledge and skills--preparing them for a lifetime of learning and working. Workshops covering the many topics in the modules are available. Contact: Jane Sanborn, (510) 849-4942; or Kristi Rossi, (310) 796-8278.
Urban School Reform field consultants are available to work on-site with urban schools and communities to put ideas about reform into practice. Contact: Erika Nielsen Andrew or Mimi Steadman, (800) (old phone deleted).
NCRVE's Office of Student Services (OSS) responds to requests from educators for technical assistance and information on a wide range of student services, including better serving the nation's increasingly diverse school populations. The OSS staff disseminate information about exemplary career guidance and counseling programs, publish briefs, present at conferences, and maintain a comprehensive database of resources and professionals in the fields of vocational-technical education and student services. This database can be accessed on the World Wide Web at <http://ncrve-oss.ed.uiuc.edu/>. Contact: Carolyn Maddy-Bernstein, Donna Dare, or Jim Layton, 217-333-0807.
NCRVE's At Your Fingertips Project assists teachers and administrators in using locally available data to monitor school and program performance. Workshops are available in developing a performance indicator system on-site. Contact: Kristi Rossi, (310) 796-8278, or Fena Neustaedter, 510-849-4942.
School and Workplace Standards: Educators and policymakers can receive assistance from NCRVE in their efforts to integrate school and workplace standards, and information on the role of skill standards, in broad state education reforms and in workplace reform strategies. Contact: Thomas Bailey or Donna Merritt, 212-678-3091.
Performance Measures and Standards: The Center provides materials and assistance to states, communities, and school districts interested in developing and using performance measures, industry skill standards, and academic standards. Contact: Steve Klein, 510-849-4942.
Employer Participation: NCRVE can help schools and communities create strategies and identify incentives for employers to participate in school-to-work programs. Contact: Katherine Hughes, 212-678-3091.
Professional Development: Getting to Work: A Guide for Better Schools, is a comprehensive, five-module package of strategies, activities, and case studies for teachers and administrators engaged in whole-school reform. First and foremost, Getting to Work is about helping all students master a high level of academic knowledge and skills--preparing them for a lifetime of learning and working. Workshops covering the many topics in the modules are available. Contact: Jane Sanborn, 510-849-4942; or Kristi Rossi, 310-796-8278.
Community Colleges and Workforce Development: The Center disseminates innovations in this area to faculty, practitioners, and policy leaders nationwide. Based on research and information gathered from two-year postsecondary institutions, the Center offers workshops and presentations on such topics as the integration of academic and occupational education, comprehensive career preparation for high performance workplaces, developmental education within an occupational context, and administrative implementation strategies. It offers community college faculty workshops to assess current curricula and develop new ones. Contact: Norena Badway, 510-643-7482.
Whole-School Reform: High schools around the country are building whole-school reform efforts incorporating many work-based learning strategies (for example, job shadowing, mentoring, internships, and teacher externships) with the purpose of helping all students achieve high academic standards while simultaneously preparing for both college and careers. Contact: Mayo Tsuzuki Hallinan, 800-(old phone deleted).
School-Based Enterprises: Materials and assistance can be provided to teachers, administrators and business partners for developing work-based learning experiences on-site at high schools, especially in communities where out-of-school work placements are scarce. Contact: Jim Stone 612-624-1795 or 218-733-7502.
New Designs for Two-Year Institutions: NCRVE consultants can help technical institutions, community colleges, and proprietary schools comprehensively redesign their educational programs based on new models drawn from exemplary efforts in the United States and around the world. The Center's designs emphasize the integration of vocational and academic skills. They also emphasize articulation between secondary and postsecondary education, and partnerships between schools and communities. Contact: New Designs for the Two-Year Institution, (612) 624-1740.
Community Colleges and Workforce Development: The Center disseminates innovations in this area to faculty, practitioners, and policy leaders nationwide. Based on research and information gathered from two-year postsecondary institutions, the Center offers workshops and presentations on such topics as the integration of academic and occupational education, comprehensive career preparation for high performance workplaces, developmental education within an occupational context, and administrative implementation strategies. It offers community college faculty workshops to assess current curricula and develop new ones. Contact: Norena Badway, (510) 643-7482.
More information about NCRVE's Educational Development Services is now available on the World Wide Web at <http://ncrve.berkeley.edu/EDS/>.