New Products

The following new reports are available from the NCRVE Materials Distribution Service. You may order these documents by phone (800) 637-7652, by e-mail, NCRVE-MDS@wiu.edu, or by sending your request and/or purchase order to: NCRVE Materials Distribution Service, Western Illinois University, Horrabin Hall 46, Macomb, IL 61455.

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.

Monographs

Community College Innovations in Workforce Preparation: Curriculum Integration and Tech Prep--W. N. Grubb, N. Badway, D. Bell, and E. Kraskouskas
A surge of interest in the preparation of the workforce has affected all institutions in the past fifteen years. Most of the innovations in workforce preparation are occurring in community colleges, because individuals educated at them are "the backbone of our economy." This monograph describes two innovations--curriculum integration and tech prep--that emerged independently of federal funding and that have widespread support. W. Norton Grubb, NCRVE's Berkeley site director, describes the many forms they take, and clarifies their benefits to students, to employers demanding high-order skills, and to community colleges themselves. (This report is the result of a collaborative effort among NCRVE, the League for Innovation in the Community College, and the National Council for Occupational Education.)
MDS-783     January 1997     $3.00

Educator, Student, and Employer Priorities for Tech Prep Student Outcomes--D. D. Bragg
So far, evaluation of tech prep programs has been weak in that it tends to be based on compliance with external regulations, rather than on the programs' desired outcomes. Accountability is a key factor in the battles for funding and for public support, and the lack of a clear sense of the results of innovative programs shortens their life span. This study of perspectives on tech prep student outcomes will help in efforts to design assessments and to improve accountability. It will also help develop the basic model of tech prep into one more accessible and effective for all students, rather than for the "neglected majority" only.

MDS-790     February 1997     $9.50

School-to-Work for the College Bound--T. R. Bailey and D. Merritt
The 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act articulates an educational reform that includes innovative approaches to classroom teaching, guided learning experiences outside the classroom, and increased career counseling and guidance. Initially, this approach targeted students not headed for college. But researchers now see that school-to-work can serve as a model for teaching all young people, preparing them for both college and work. Indeed, educators have always known that students learn best when--as in school-to-work--lessons are contextualized, students are in charge of their own learning, and connections are made across subject lines. By building the case for school-to-work as a college preparatory strategy, Bailey and Merritt hope to expand its use so that all students can benefit from it. This report will interest all educators, policymakers, and researchers interested in the possibilities for school-to-work.

MDS-799   Published format    April 1997   $7.00
MDS-799x  Photocopied format  April 1997   $5.00

School-to-Work Policy Insights from Recent International Developments--D. Stern, T. R. Bailey, and D. Merritt
Traditional vocational and academic education does not provide the best preparation for the emerging knowledge-based economy. This report, prepared for the U.S. Congress by NCRVE director David Stern, describes how many industrialized countries are restructuring education to better prepare students for both careers and higher education. Recent efforts converge on four principles:

Stern analyzes reforms based on these principles in Germany, Japan, Australia, Denmark, and other countries. The reforms taking shape in some American schools and communities--combining academic and vocational curriculum with work-based learning and high standards for all students--appear likely to provide the best preparation for young people entering an economy where learning and work are increasingly intertwined. The fact that most industrialized countries are undertaking similar changes suggests the reasons for them are strong and pervasive. This paper's international perspective on school-to-work will interest policymakers and practitioners alike.

MDS-950     December 1996     $6.50

Leader Effectiveness Index: Directions for Administering, Scoring and Preparing Feedback Reports--J. Moss, Jr., Q. Jensrud
What makes an effective leader? NCRVE research has produced the Leader Effectiveness Index (the LEI), a portrait of the most important qualities of effective leaders. These seven traits include fostering collaboration and ownership, creating a shared vision, and establishing a good learning environment. This how-to guide for the Leader Effectiveness Index (LEI) gives complete directions for its use, including sample indices and scoring worksheets. The companion study MDS-815, the Leader Effectiveness Index Manual, includes a theory of leadership and a description of the development of the LEI. This product is one of many NCRVE reports on leadership, such as studies on the role of leaders in times of intense change (MDS-402) and on how good leaders help develop a competent workforce (MDS-399).

MDS-1050    LEI Directions and one set of instruments   November 1996   $12.00
MDS-1050a   LEI instruments only                        November 1996   $ 5.00

Working Papers

Traditional and Cognitive Job Analyses as Tools for Understanding the Skills Gap--L. M. Hanser
Employees find themselves struggling to succeed in the new high performance workplaces of the 90s. But what skills are actually needed, and how can they be measured? Hanser suggests that because the high-performance workplace requires more abstract operations--problem-solving, inference, diagnosis, and judgment--cognitive task analysis may be a better way to describe jobs than traditional, task-focused analysis. This research will be of special interest to those involved with school-to-work transition, which has been hindered by the inability of traditional job analysis to identify skills needed in the high performance workplace. This report is an innovative effort to bring together the fields of industrial and cognitive psychology with school-to-work transition literature.

MDS-1027     November 1996     $3.25

The Economic Imperative Behind School Reform: A Review of the Literature--C. Stasz
The idea of a skills gap--a mismatch between skills learned in school and those required in the jobs created by today's economy--has received a lot of popular attention. Stasz, NCRVE's RAND site director, synthesizes and critiques the evidence for a skills gap. She concludes that there's little direct evidence to support the need to improve students' skills, and notes that in fact, most employees may continue to support the low-skill equilibrium. What evidence there is about a skills gap points more to skills wanted by employers, as opposed to skills needed. Stasz faults school-to-work reforms for failing to address curriculum reform except at the most general level, and notes that research as well fails to make concrete suggestions for changing schools, tending to point out directions for more research and for policy. The economic imperative has historically been a powerful force for school reform; however, if it is to substantively change America's schools today, there is a long way to go.

MDS-1028     November 1996     $3.25

Reprints

Assessing Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Outcomes: What Are the Alternatives?--D. D. Bragg
For many years evaluation of vocational-technical education has been influenced by federal policy, leading to the traditional use of outcomes such as program completion and job placement. Current reforms emphasize the need for accountability and focus more attention on alternative assessment methods. This study examines the assessment practices of two-year postsecondary institutions. Bragg finds that institutions considered innovative in their assessment practices measure a wide variety of outcomes, including outcomes not usually associated with vocational-technical education, such as transfer success. Newer alternative methods such as portfolios, peer assessments, and capstone (senior) projects are increasingly used. Bragg recommends that assessment of vocational-technical programs be geared more closely to the rest of the postsecondary curriculum. She stresses the complexity of assessment and outcomes and encourages policymakers to respect this complexity and to value local solutions.

MDS-910     Reprint Series     $2.00

Table of Contents | Previous Article