Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.

Preface

Changes in work continue to raise questions for employers, educators, and policymakers about the kinds of skills and competencies that young people need in order to succeed in work and further education, especially right after high school. As a result, many recent efforts have begun to reconceptualize skills in ways that potentially expand the content and range of learning experiences that are afforded to high school students. Important issues arise concerning the emphasis of academic skills, the mainstay of the high school curricula, over non-academic skills and work-related competencies.

This exploratory study examines issues and evidence related to academic skills, non-academics, and work along three lines of inquiry. A literature review highlights issues and conceptual dilemmas that arise from different perspectives on skills. Two new data analyses, each from a different perspective, examine some important relationships between skills and work. In addition to this technical report, a companion piece will synthesize these findings for a practitioner audience.

This research was supported by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE), University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. It was conducted within the RAND Education Program, under the directorship of Roger Benjamin. The study is one of a series of projects conducted by RAND researchers for NCRVE on skill changes in work and the implications of those changes for education policy and practice.

Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.