BUILDING PEDAGOGICALLY STRONG EXPERIENCES
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

• Emphasize Effective Communication: Shy Away from School-to-Work Jargon
• Work with Receptive Constituencies and Situations
• Use Professional Development Activities To Create Partnerships
• Simulate the College and Adult Experience
• Make Portfolios and Alternative Assessments More "User Friendly"

                By definition, school-to-work programs are comprised of a career- or work-based component. Unfortunately, the idea of sending students to the workplace conjures up all sorts of negative images of stereotypical vocational programs that exist primarily to occupy the time of students that no one else wants. Consequently, programs around the country have suffered because teachers and parents refuse to take the chance that their student/child's educational experience will be comprised of spending time in a company's back room filing documents or at a reception desk answering phones. Since the integration of the work into the school day may incite fear and anxiety in many educators and parents, school-to-work proponents must exercise caution when discussing and advocating guided outside experiences as a part of school-to-work reform.

                Successful programs find innovative ways to promote and develop guided work experiences and not to evoke the fear of the workplace that often disconnects college-bound students from school-to-work programs. First, many programs seek to communicate more effectively about guided workplace learning experiences, usually without using the traditional vocational education jargon. Second, they concentrate their energies initially on constituency groups that are more receptive to work-based contact. Science and business disciplines, for example, have long traditions of work-based, application-oriented education, especially in higher education. In addition, academic educators, although often skeptical of business interference in education, find business exposure less threatening when it is part of a professional development experience. Third, several successful programs emphasize one benefit of guided work experience that is neither a threat nor an obstacle to future success in college and career: the simulation of college and adult experiences. Many school-to-work programs appear guarded when they report the guided work experiences of their students to higher educational institutions. Successful programs do not assume that institutions of higher education, students, or parents embrace or even consider alternative student records. Instead, they work slowly with these individuals and institutions so they can grow to understand and respect the advantages of guided work experiences.

Emphasize Effective Communication: Shy Away from School-to-Work Jargon

                During telephone interviews, the majority of the school-to-work coordinators indicated one dilemma in instituting guided work experiences in a diverse student population--communicating such activities to parents, teachers, students, and postsecondary institutions in a language and format that they understood and welcomed. While many school-to-work coordinators stated that they had reason to believe that guided work experiences take place in postsecondary institutions and in professional training, they also stated that they encounter one of two responses when they begin a dialogue about school-to-work reform. College admissions officers, faculty members, students, and parents either demonstrate a lack of knowledge of school-to-work or they appear aware of the reform but refuse to use school-to-work jargon or vocational terms when discussing any of the programs in which they are involved.

                Postsecondary institutions, students, and parents often ask "What exactly is the school-to-work experience?" and "What are you trying to do?" Postsecondary institutions seem concerned about any extra burdens that the reform may entail by asking "What exactly is it that you want us to do?" Once vocational education-type jargon is used to propose education reforms, those involved in postsecondary education often seem disinterested in continuing the conversation.

                University of Maryland faculty, in attempting to determine the gaps between the system's applied curriculum and traditional courses, discovered that the language used by those working on applied academics is not only uncommon to academic college faculty members but reminded them too much of vocational education. Despite the fact that many of the guided work experiences associated with the applied curriculum were successful in teaching students the same academic skills and knowledge found in traditional courses, academic faculty found that the development of applied academic courses lacked the pedagogical theory to which they were accustomed. Once four-year college, community college, and secondary school faculty began speaking the same language and recognizing the consistencies among course material and focus, conversions between applied and traditional curricula took place quickly.

                The Director of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Cooperative Education and Career Services Department in New York stated that "colleges are doing school-to-work, they just are not calling it that." Indeed, he and many others interviewed during this project noted that semantics is a big problem in moving the school-to-work reform platform forward in postsecondary institutions. Higher education faculty and staff often interpret work-related education as being of a lower level with less prestige and academic rigor. One regional school-to-work liaison in New York admitted that New York has spent too much time trying to "retro fit" school-to-work jargon into its activities, stay on top of the "reform word of the day," and use the proper "systemic jargon" in reports and conversations. This undue concern with how reform activities are verbalized cripples the ability of reformers to understand the real meaning behind the reform and communicate with other constituencies. To remedy this situation, New York State is putting together focus groups that will be given an opportunity to put the mission statement into their own words and, from this, more effectively communicate with other groups.

               The Academic Planning, Policy and Evaluation Group of the State University of New York System, like many other state university systems, conducted a mail survey of its institutions in August of 1997. The survey was divided into five parts: (1) communication and collaboration with K-12 institutions, (2) curriculum development and instruction, (3) teacher preparation, (4) admissions, and (5) connection to the local economy. It was mailed to academic vice presidents, deans of enrollment, and directors of schools of education or teacher preparation programs.

                Several of the report's findings suggest that postsecondary institutions take part in school-to-work activities but do not directly associate them with the school-to-work movement.[19] When asked to characterize their institution's curriculum development over the last ten years, 52% of the four-year schools indicated "in the classroom, an increased emphasis on the application of knowledge to non-academic settings." Sixty percent of the institutions indicated "increased emphasis on `hands-on' instruction" and 88% indicated "integration of courses across separate disciplines." Ninety-two percent of the universities indicated "increased use of learning experiences outside the classroom (e.g., internships, field trips) as integral components of courses and majors."

                Yet four-year institutions also state that a high school student's work-based learning or employment experience has "little influence in the admissions decisions." Since 92% of the four-year institutions surveyed indicated they communicate their expectations through "one-to-one interactions with high school staff," communication is clearly ineffective. The three most frequently reported ways of communication regarding changes in K-12 curriculum and instructional methods were "informal contact with K-12 educators" (84%), "general media" (92%), and "updates and newsletters from the State Department of Education" (88%). Only 32% of the four-year institutions indicated coordinating activities with any school-to-work partnership; but 97% of the two-year colleges indicated activities with school-to-work partnerships (State University of New York System Administration, 1998).

                Shrinking college acceptance rates induced counselors at Champlain Valley Union High School in Vermont to visit the admissions offices at three selective colleges (Bates, Colby, and Middlebury Universities) that have traditionally been attended by many of their students. All three schools indicated that they have become more selective and base their assessments almost entirely on standardized test scores, classroom grades, and weighted class rank. All three were skeptical of "alternative programs" such as Graduation Challenge, saying that they would "almost discard it" when reviewing a student's transcript, given the difficulty of evaluating the quality of learning in such outside educational experiences. One school suggested that alternative programs be attempted only in conjunction with advanced courses.

                Two schools, however, indicated a subtle movement toward acceptance of more application-oriented measures--one stated that student interviews were a "critical component of the admissions process"; another spent more time analyzing student essays. All of the schools emphasized the need for consistency in student records--if AP courses are offered, all advanced courses need to be listed as AP, not "honors." In addition, colleges must be informed of the difficulty level of new courses. Secondary educators in Vermont have begun a dialogue with postsecondary institutions that may eventually lead to the acceptance and respect for outside learning activities among Vermont's selective liberal arts colleges.

Work with Receptive Constituencies and Situations

                Many of the directors and coordinators interviewed during this project mentioned a "liberal arts wall" that school-to-work reformers face. Many liberal arts institutions refuse to acknowledge the use of activities outside the classroom and question the benefits of experience-based learning in higher levels of academic training. This is not to say that all educators in the postsecondary community lack an interest in understanding and refining many of the application-based philosophies and pedagogical strategies that school-to-work promotes. Many school-to-work leaders have found it in their best interest to nurture the enthusiasm of those who appear more receptive to educational experiences outside the classroom rather than to fight to be understood by those who wish to hold on to traditional ideas.

                Four of the states investigated for this project are involved in an effort directed by the Educational Commission of the States (ECS) to connect learning and work in postsecondary education.[20] The ECS project, as one participant described it, is an initiative that came out of an interest in how work and learning are being integrated beyond school-to-work and Tech Prep forums--"outside the traditional school-to-work notion." The six states involved in the program, each approaching the issue of work and academic integration in a different way, are Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

                New York State's project is designed to encourage institutions of higher education--both public and private--to develop strategies by which their students may self-consciously better prepare to meet the demands of both work and life beyond their formal education. All four participating institutions[21] intend to use this project to "enable students to draw informed, meaningful connections between learning, work, and life choices" presuming "the importance of academic advising and career counseling." Each school, after signing a written commitment to the program, is working to develop school-based reform that is concentrated around three strategies: (1) curricular/course interventions, (2) experiential learning models, and (3) assessment initiatives. Individual projects will be integrated into a model that can be used as a tool by other institutions to identify and assess school-to-work and applied learning outcomes.

                TheOklahoma ECS project has brought together the state governing board, Oklahoma Board of Regents, University of Oklahoma, and National Geographic Society to determine the activities that will get students interested and better prepared for careers in geography. Project participants are connecting high school teachers with high school students on a postsecondary track who have voiced an interest in careers in geography. Students and teachers are then linked with postsecondary history and geography programs around the state to create a curriculum that will integrate school-to-work ideas at the higher education level.

                Many of those involved in school-to-work activities in the University of Maryland System state that much of the success in implementing reforms at the university comes from the top-down support of faculty and administrators who are not only receptive but committed to change. Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg is involved in school-to-work at the local level by chairing the higher education linkages committee at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. In a unique show of support for more application-oriented activities, the university officially sponsors research grants that promote integration at the postsecondary level.

                Two engineering schools in the University of Maryland System, Baltimore County and Eastern Shore, have used school-to-work funds to create more application-oriented programs for their students. One program is designing a senior capstone mechanical engineering course that is focused on the actual design and manufacture of a product in an industrial setting. The other program has proposed a faculty externship program to "investigate the applications of computer graphics and solid modeling in an industrial setting." Faculty visits to architectural and manufacturing firms as well as a series of workshops will be used to plan and implement an Advanced Computer Aided Design course that will cover computer graphics, geometric modeling and solid modeling, a course required for all Construction Management, Engineering Technology, and Technology Education majors (mdk16.usmd.edu/grant.html).

                Aided by the same special faculty mini-grants that are being used by Baltimore County and Eastern Shore,[22] content area academic faculty in the Department of Medical and Research Technology at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine have been encouraged to integrate work-based learning into their curriculum and develop interdisciplinary pedagogy. The school has recently implemented a baccalaureate-level biomedical research track designed to respond to employer-defined skill standards, integrating classroom simulations and structured externships into its curriculum.[23] The chair of the Department of Medical and Research Technology stated that, "although higher education does not advocate involving industry, we feel it is important to look at industry needs." The "progressive" curriculum follows accrediting guidelines and teaches the skills that are required in certifying exams published by key trade associations. In addition to technical skills, students learn interpersonal skills such as the ability to handle change and adapt. The program's course in "applications in biotechnology" requires students to work three days a week or perform research in a lab. At the end of students' senior year, they work full time in industry for three months. [24] This year, papers from four seniors in the program were accepted for presentations at the national meetings of the American Association of Chemical Engineers and American Society of Microbiology. The program has been so successful that the School of Medicine is making plans to expand the approach into the curriculum of other health careers and allied health care.

                The chair of the department states that the administration is behind the program. The dean of the School of Medicine has proven to be a supportive "visionary" who wants to build a "hybrid" department--one that maintains an applied and developmental research focus. In pursuing this reform, the chair has found, to her surprise, that the "hierarchy is more receptive than the grassroots faculty." She notes that the deans and administrators have realized that they can meet the needs of employers and students who are both their clients by concentrating on equipping students with the skills and knowledge to be productive/successful in the work world.

                The director of Cooperative Education and Career Services at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York believes that one of the major differences between engineering and other disciplines in higher education is that engineering has always worked under a school-to-work paradigm that supports the use of guided experiences outside the classroom. He points to the co-ops, internships, and exploration programs offered at countless universities around the country. Indeed, premier engineering schools such as those at Northeastern, Drexel, and the University of Cincinnati have strong traditions of practical application where students are required to prove that they can function well outside the classroom.[25] RIT, an institution with a long history of experiential education, is changing its instructional strategy by eliminating large classes/lectures and implementing more hands-on labs. Having the largest mandatory cooperative education program in the state, RIT attracts students with a definite career outcome in mind, usually students with a lot of work-based learning experiences.

                Not surprisingly, RIT is part of New York State's ECS project to connect work and learning. The institute is creating an assessment model that uses the learning outcomes and accreditation criteria developed by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The project's director finds the ABET learning outcomes have implications for both inside and outside the classroom. Students must be able to function in multidisciplinary teams, communicate effectively, design and conduct experiments, and analyze and interpret data.

                The New Visions programs in New York State have been more successful in health care occupations than in other areas such as criminal justice, communications, and manufacturing. Perhaps the reason for the success of health care programs stems from the wide range of career opportunities that the field offers. Indeed, the three credit elective course in "health care awareness" includes anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and applied chemistry and physics--each offers educational and occupational opportunities outside and inside the health care setting. Similarly, health care is more accustomed to integrated learning--professional preparation in medicine centers around a school-to-work experience the profession has labeled internship and residency. A New Visions program in environmental science is scheduled to begin in the fall of 1999, and a biological sciences program at Cornell University is being developed.

                OneNorth Carolina Department of Education staff member referred to science professors at the University of North Carolina as "the ones who carried the water" in the state's attempt to get applied classes and integrated curriculum accepted as four-year college prerequisites. Taking approximately six months of negotiation with the University of North Carolina to accomplish this "major coup," science was one discipline that was willing to accept a sequence of applied courses--Principles of Technology I and II--for college credit. Principles of Technology will now be accepted as one laboratory credit (applied physics), one of three science credits required for University acceptance: one lab, one physical science, and one life science.

                Realizing that many of today's workers are generalists who need to adapt to a myriad of situations and circumstances, faculty at Babson College in Massachusetts began developing a new interdisciplinary focus for their undergraduate business curriculum that utilizes integrated courses, customized learning tools, and field-based learning opportunities. Babson, a small college of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and graduate students, has had its undergraduate business school ranked number one by U.S. News and World Reports since 1989. The innovative undergraduate curriculum is based on the college's MBA program that was recently revised to offer students practical and fieldwork experiences that integrate the academic disciplines and support individual learning needs. The curriculum will now include ethics and social responsibility; international and multicultural perspectives; leadership, teamwork, and creativity; numeracy; and rhetoric.

                Student progress is based upon the achievement of 27 core competencies, mastered at three developmental levels: (1) foundation, (2) intermediate, and (3) advanced. Throughout the levels, the curriculum emphasizes learning by doing and gives students some autonomy over their education. The foundation level requires students, in small learning teams with the help of a faculty mentor/advisor, to formulate, in writing, a plan of how to master the competencies. The students also take an integrated humanities and quantitative methods course; take part in a yearlong Foundation Management Experience (FME) to design and manage a business; and obtain feedback on the development of their competencies from local business members, alumni, and MBA students. At the intermediate level, students take integrated liberal arts classes and are required to register for a three-semester sequence that centers around critical thinking. The advanced level requires students to complete a "learning plan" that was developed during the intermediate level. More than a major, the "learning plan" is a self-directed course of study based on the students' career goals and the further development of core competencies. The plan stresses field-based study, academic coursework, and purposeful thought about educational goals and processes.

                At the secondary level, Academies of Finance programs around the country now enroll over 7,000 students in 114 high schools in 26 states. Created by the National Academy Foundation in 1982, the Academy of Finance is an elective two- to four-year program. Academy programs, which supplement a standard high school curriculum, pursue three educational goals:

1.	The integration of classroom instruction with workplace experience
2.	The attainment of understanding and practical skills that will allow students to start careers and make informative choices concerning the financial services industry
3.	The orientation of students to the college experience by providing them with the opportunity to earn college credit

                Academy of Finance students take courses in the general high school curriculum as well as two to three specialized courses each term designed by the National Academy Foundation and leading educators and industry representatives.[26] In addition to these courses, students must take two years of mathematics and one year of accounting, and are strongly encouraged to take a foreign language. The National Academy Foundation reports that more than 90% of its students pursue a postsecondary degree at either a two-year or four-year college (Academy of Finance brochure, n.d.). In the New York City Academy of Finance, which consists of 11 high schools, there were 343 graduates in the class of 1998. Of these, 328 were accepted to postsecondary institutions--309 to four-year colleges and 19 to community colleges. The remaining students entered full-time employment, the armed forces, or were undecided about their future at the time they were surveyed.

Use Professional Development Activities To Create Partnerships

                In order for school-to-work to overcome the opposition of its skeptics, learning experiences offered outside the traditional classroom must be high-quality. These experiences must function as more than job placements and, therefore, require more and better professional development for employers and educators than has traditionally been expected or needed. Many reform efforts are using training to advance partnerships between constituencies that have had limited contact. Training offers secondary educators the opportunity to forge new relationships and work toward common goals with industry and higher education. As educators and industry representatives work together, a sense of cohesion and mutual respect forms; misperceptions are weakened if not eliminated. Postsecondary faculty/administrators, academic teachers, and industry leaders who are not "sold" on the benefits of school-to-work can take part in the development of applied learning instruments and have the opportunity to see for themselves what students gain from guided learning experiences that take place outside of school. Perhaps the most important part of the process is the time that professional development allows for unhampered communication. Skeptics are allowed to take part in applied learning experiences that are similar to the guided learning activities of students. Employers often become intricately involved in professional development activities by hosting educators in their workplaces. They learn to appreciate the intricacies of curriculum development and gain a new respect for educators.

                Program coordinators (teachers) in New York's New Visions program in the health occupations are given opportunities to develop professional, working relationships with three different peer groups as part of their yearly professional development activities. During the year, coordinators must consult with academic teachers at various home schools for reviews of applied curriculum and other classroom materials. Consultations include one meeting per month, visits one or two times a year, and sporadic telephone calls. This connection, more than just a one-time exchange of ideas, has had a positive effect on the classrooms in at least two home schools we investigated. Not only are the academic consultants less skeptical about the academic rigor of the courses in these "vocational" programs, they are beginning to try some of the approaches in their own classes. New Visions coordinators then spend the last week of school with other New Visions coordinators to share ideas and curriculum. The coordinators also attend the annual conference of the New York State Health Educators Association as part of their professional development. By connecting with educators at all levels, outside and inside the secondary arena, coordinators are given an opportunity to increase the level of rigor and sophistication that their programs provide while promoting the school-to-work principles.

                Approximately 1,000 teachers in Maryland have completed the first phase, or strand 1[27], of the state's efforts to train educators in blended instruction. The state's professional development process is not only used as a way of "getting the word out" to teachers in the classrooms but of sharing knowledge about school-to-career reform with various constituencies who question the validity of outside learning experiences. One of the benchmarks of the blended-instruction strategy is to use professional development as a way to expose university personnel to the integration process. In addition, the state brings "great teachers into the university system to show the faculty how teaching has been transformed."[28]

                To participate in the blended-instruction workshops, local schools must apply as a "team." The teams must include one academic/content area representative, a career/tech education person, at least one member from the postsecondary community, and an industry partner. Interest from the University of Maryland System has been strong; 50 faculty members attended one of the state's workshops in an effort to, as one state official put it, "raise the academic rigor of the projects." Not applying as a team, faculty members were assigned to various workshops. A University of Maryland faculty member commented that the blended instruction workshops were an "eye opener" for the faculty. Not only could they see the connections and pathways, they began to understand what the state grants for integration were all about. It is no longer necessary to recruit for subsequent workshops; faculty now come on their own.

                In addition to offering funding to encourage faculty to develop applied and interdisciplinary curricula, mini-grants offered by the University of Maryland have also become a mechanism for getting faculty members involved with secondary educators who are doing similar work but whose paths do not usually cross. As a precursor to the grant, faculty members must attend an "intersegmental educators conference." The latest conference hosted over 400 secondary and postsecondary educators. One University of Maryland faculty member believes that part of the difficulty some states have in getting postsecondary faculty involved in school-to-work reform is that they simply never ask for their participation. A professional development-type forum provides a friendly, nonthreatening exchange of ideas. After observing high school students participate in labs, construct diets, and analyze food samples in a nutrition science program in Montgomery County, one University of Maryland Nutrition Science professor stated, "I won't be able to teach my lab the way I have always done it."

                Towson State University in Maryland requires its preservice teachers to participate in a guided work experience before graduation. During their instruction, teachers in training act as a teacher aide. While internships are not uncommon among teacher training programs, what makes the Towson State program unique is that teachers are given a formal mentor and are required to keep journals and develop a portfolio. In addition, their total program has become less lecture/theory and more on-the-job training. Although individuals involved in this new applications-oriented teacher training are not certain about the results, the program is being evaluated externally to determine its impact on teacher performance.

                InNew Hampshire, school-to-work is considered an "all students, all teachers" reform--not a program but a "strategy for educational improvement." A major focus of the strategy is on teacher externships. The State Department of Education, in partnership with the University of New Hampshire, is embarking on its second year of the "Educator at the Workplace" fellowship program. In this summer program, which lasts five weeks, teachers spend one week attending professional seminars at the university and three to four weeks at a work site developing the curriculum project they specified during the application process. Although only 14 to 15 teachers in the state have participated in the program so far, regional coordinators hope that the fellowship will induce school-to-work buy-in at many different levels across the state. Unlike externships in other states where teachers are simply sent to visit and observe a workplace environment, teachers prepare to enter the workplace and develop specific goals.

                Two unique aspects of this fellowship make it particularly likely to succeed. First, the application process requires teachers to think specifically about how they can utilize the workplace in the classroom--to have specific goals before entering training and the workplace. The experience is not simply one of workplace observation but use of the workplace as a medium for curriculum development. Second, the fellowship does not end with the individual's training and workplace experience. As part of their fellowship agreement, fellows commit to return to their schools and districts and teach their peers the process they have learned. The fellowship and school-to-work principles already have support from the university, including commitments from the School of Education, the Vice President of Academics, and the Provost.

                On the wave of major reforms that are taking place in Minnesota through graduation standards, the education departments at Minnesota colleges are considered to be the constituency group "most worried about changes." Although professional development in the state "is not where it needs to be," the state's Board of Teaching Standards is changing to be more consistent with the new graduation standards. In addition, the Department of Education and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) are focusing their work on a "preK to 14+ world." A summer 1998 education conference for K-12 superintendents will feature a discussion between the President of UMN, Chancellor of MNSCU, and the Commissioner of Education around the theme that "learning and work are synonymous terms."

Wisconsin, one of the six states involved in the ECS project to link work and higher education, is identifying students at the secondary level who may be interested in teaching, involving them with work-based learning experiences, and tracking their progress through higher education. The state is trying to better define teaching and learning philosophies that support outside learning activities and establish accompanying curriculum that will help institutionalize school-to-work principles. Those involved believe that once the principles that support learning outside the classroom are developed and understood, they will move into the classroom.

Simulate the College and Adult Experience

                Student acceptance into a postsecondary institution is not sufficient evidence that school-to-work programs actually work. Students must successfully complete college before school-to-work reformers can congratulate themselves on providing students with the skills they need to tackle their new academic and personal environments (Cargill, 1994). One of the primary benefits that guided learning experiences outside of the classroom can offer students is an opportunity to function as more independent, mature individuals in a controlled environment with a strong support system of teachers and other concerned adults. Block scheduling, a school restructuring method that is often used in school-to-work programs, is considered essential by several of the coordinators interviewed during this project so that their high schools can become a more college-like environment for students. Offering a guided learning experience to students makes it easier for high schools to emulate the autonomous environment that college students and adults face. Given guided learning experiences such as the ones described below, students will be spared the culture shock that often comes upon entering the college community and the "real" world.

                New Visions coordinators interviewed in New York pointed out that participation in the health care program has given several cohorts of students a better opportunity to demonstrate mature, adult behavior than participation in a traditional high school program. After the first five weeks in a traditional classroom environment at the worksite (mornings at their home school; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hospital), students spend only Monday in their workplace classroom. Tuesday through Friday afternoons they complete academic- and career-oriented assignments that bring together their learning experiences during job rotations throughout the hospital. Teachers are not looking over their shoulders to make sure that students have completed their assignments and projects; students must budget their own time for their weekly assignments. This type of independence from the teacher "bridges the gap between high school and college."

                The senior-wide Graduation Challenge project at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont, was first conceived as a way for students to learn to conduct themselves in an interview and gain independence and maturity. Rather than being given a topic to investigate, it is up to the student to choose an area of interest and take the initiative to find a work-based learning experience. Students must schedule their own work hours and find their own "community consultant"--an employer or community representative to act as a workplace mentor. Initially, students complained about the being left alone to handle workplace difficulties. After contemplation, however, they felt capable of handling future problems with adults because they were forced to do so in their program. They also seemed grateful that the program forced them to learn to budget their time and prioritize in a way that traditional academic classes did not.

                McKeel Academy in Polk County, Florida, does not consider itself to be a vocational-oriented school, yet nearly all aspects of its operation emphasize school-to-work concepts. Nearly all of its students, with its first senior class graduating in 1999, have been able to attain above average test scores in the district and the state and are expected to pursue a college education. Students are introduced to career clusters in grades 6 through 8. By the time students reach the 9 ^th grade, they choose between one of five career clusters and take integrated academic courses.[29]

                What makes McKeel Academy's reform effort unique is the adult environment that has been simulated for its students--in this case inside the school. Class performance as well as the achievement of employability skills such as arriving to class on time, being prepared, and participating in class exercises enables students to earn McKeel money.[30] Income and social security taxes are deducted from the students' earnings as well as $50 per pay period for savings. Money can also be deducted from student accounts if behavioral problems occur such as running in the hall--which is considered a speeding ticket. Students can earn bonuses for perfect attendance, honor roll, and participation in school-sponsored contests. Students can earn one vacation day, to be spent on a job shadow with a friend or relative, if they have perfect attendance for the semester.

                Through this innovative system, students are able to learn how to manage their lives before they must do so in college or the work world. They must maintain their checkbooks as well as handle a variety of budgeting issues discussed in their classes. In addition, the McKeel dollar is a great motivational tool for high school students who plan to attend college. The school's business partners provide a matching college scholarship fund in a ratio of 1 to 10 for all students. Currently, the largest college scholarship fund has reached $500. Students also participate in the Polk County Business Roundtable and perform real-life projects that are similar to work experiences, part-time jobs, or job shadows.

Make Portfolios and Alternative Assessments More "User Friendly"

                Even postsecondary institutions that appear to have embraced experiential learning are often reluctant to abandon traditional admissions measures such as ACT and SAT scores in favor of skills and knowledge learned outside the classroom and reported in portfolios, résumés, references, and essays. RIT's director of Cooperative Education and Career Services states that it is still too early to see the implications for students who use work-based experiences on their college applications. The director cites preliminary studies that indicate that work-based learning "may not mean a whole lot." He still sees most universities looking at traditional measurements such as SATs, GPAs, clubs, and activities. Although he does note that school-to-work may strengthen students' applications, he cautions that these experiences are still in the "other category." He asked himself a hypothetical question to indicate RIT's position on school-to-work experiences: "Would we be willing to take a kid with a 1000 on SAT and 85 high school average with some
co-op experience over a 1300 SAT and 95 average?" His answer: We are "not there yet" but "when it comes down to two very close students, we will take the kid with experience."

                Some colleges may be turning around. Four-year institutions in the State University of New York System were asked how a portfolio comprised of student work and comments from teachers and supervising adults would be treated if received in their office. Surprisingly, only 3% indicated they would not be considered in admissions decision, 53% indicated a portfolio would "definitely be considered in admission decision," and 43% indicated a portfolio "would be considered only for supplemental information in `borderline' cases."

                Indeed, many colleges, as the academic counselors at Champlain Valley Union High School in Vermont discovered, do consider portfolios and extracurricular and community service activities but only in borderline cases. Many explain that they do not have the resources to uncover the student competencies embedded in detailed essays and work assignments. Failing to account for a college admissions office's need for brevity, secondary institutions have failed to offer postsecondary institutions the types of information that will allow them to make easy, overt connections between what they consider to be nontraditional student experiences and activities and the traditional high school curriculum. If colleges see connections between school-to-work or school-to-work-type experiences and the courses and skills they understand, they may be less resistant to accepting these experiences and even, over time, grow to value them.

                As part of the ECS program to encourage higher education to link work and learning, Syracuse University in New York is developing a systemwide assessment program. The program includes raising awareness about learning outcomes and skills improvement among students and faculty.[31] The university's Chancellor, realizing a need for greater awareness of assessment, was willing to confront the stigma that surrounds student evaluation and testing in higher education and directed this top-down initiative. The project will analyze current assessment activities throughout the university and see how they compare with the kind of outcomes that the university and its departments want to see. Through this exercise and the dialogue that will accompany it, university faculty will learn better assessment techniques and students will learn to articulate and structure their educational experiences so that they can gain the skills they need to succeed.

                Given the myriad changes in pedagogy and assessment that promise to stem from the new Minnesota Graduation Standards, many educators are confident that a new type of student will be entering the world of higher education--one who enjoys a responsive and dynamic learning environment. These new experiences require a new type of record for documenting student achievement. The state is not expecting postsecondary institutions to adapt to these changes alone or overnight. They have worked to uncover the needs of college admissions personnel and have taken these needs into account in their new dual or two-page transcript. Traditional information such as course, letter grade, class rank, and standardized test scores can be found on one page; a series of bar graphs representing new standards-based information is on the second page. Various standards that the student has attempted, including the title of the performance task, the achievement score (1-4), and whether the activities took place outside or inside the school will be indicated. These bar graphs will show the relative strengths and weaknesses of students and illustrate patterns and evidence in a concise format for college admissions personnel. In effect, these two documents create another view of the student's achievement without sacrificing information or time needed to decipher many new, nontraditional transcripts.

                Minnesota officials are aware of the importance of "positioning" the new transcripts. Parents must be educated so that they are not "scared off" by the new information and format of the transcripts. At the same time that new information is being presented it must have some semblance of familiarity so that postsecondary instructors and admissions personnel will find it beneficial in making decisions. The state has already received a statement from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State College and University System indicating that they will look for and "use" the profile for admissions purposes. In addition, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State College and University System stated that they feel the profile is a "value added" document that provides additional insight and information.

                One of the school-to-work coordinators interviewed in Minnesota mentioned another "real challenge" in gaining support for alternative assessment--students. Indeed, at Red Wing, staff members are concerned that this year's 9 ^th graders, as well as those who will be entering the 10 ^th and 11 ^th grades, will perhaps be as resistant as colleges to new assessment methods since "they know how to take a test the old way." The school-to-work coordinator of the Winnacunnet School District in New Hampshire voiced similar concern over student acceptance of new assessment techniques. The senior seminar requires students to work with teachers, uncover and investigate a community issue, develop and implement a study focusing on that issue, and propose a solution to the problems highlighted in the study. While a good opportunity to do college-type work, the project was initially met with intense resistance from college prep students who wanted a more traditional assessment scheme.

                To eliminate the problem with alternative assessments, New Hampshire's Department of Education, with the assistance of 50 secondary and postsecondary administrators and teachers, is attempting to develop a pilot admissions project at the postsecondary level using competency-based admissions criteria. Facing tremendous internal difficulties with transfer credits, this is an appropriate time for the University of New Hampshire to consider new evaluation schemes. Basing admissions and transfers on student competencies likewise seems prudent. School-to-work reformers must seize this opportunity to work with university officials and bring their new pedagogy and assessment strategies to the table.

                A coordinator from a New Visions program in New York believes that listing nontraditional school-to-work courses on transcripts "opens up the door" for a dialogue between students and admissions officers during the interview process. In her estimation, the fact that many colleges have no idea what school-to-work courses are or what material they contain could benefit students who will then be given an opportunity to explain the value of their experiences and the knowledge gained through those experiences. Unfortunately, not all colleges require interviews. Moreover, when colleges do grant interviews, students have already been screened based upon a transcript that may or may not be understandable to those assessing it. What may be a benefit to one student, may also be a hindrance to another.

                AlthoughNorth Carolina students do not use portfolios at this point, a portfolio assessment model is currently being piloted in seven school systems, representing 20 schools and including grades 4, 8, 10, and 12. In line with the state's strict standardization of education, all students have a "standard electronic transcript" that does include a field for work-based learning. Although many states and state universities are working to include one line on their standardized applications for a student to indicate their participation in a school-to-work experience, many reformers question the benefits of one line in fully capturing the school-to-work experience. The school-to-work coordinator of the Red Wing School District in Minnesota stated that colleges are still unlikely to admit a student with "auto service" on his or her transcript. Not only do school-to-work reformers need alternatives to SAT/ACT measures, those alternatives need to communicate information succinctly and accurately. In addition, reformers need empirical evidence to convince colleges that alternatives are reliable and trustworthy.

               [19] The survey found that although postsecondary institutions do create partnerships that focus on assisting K-12 students and educators, the institutions do not see these partnerships as having much impact on the institutions' own programs and courses. Furthermore, they see their involvement in activities labeled "school-to-work" as "almost always limited to vocational and career education."

               [20] A representative from the New York State Department of Education described the ESC program as unique in that various higher education institutions are becoming increasingly interested despite the lack of formal state mandates and state or national funding.

               [21] The New York State plan is based on project models being piloted at four institutions: (1) City University of New York--LaGuardia Community College, (2) Rochester Institute of Technology, (3) State University of New York--Delhi, and (4) Syracuse University. These four institutions differ in size, assembly, and locality. Two of the four postsecondary institutions are four-year institutions--Rochester Institute of Technology and Syracuse University. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), a large, comprehensive university in upstate New York, is involved with the project through the Cooperative Education and Career Services Department. Syracuse University, a large, private, liberal arts and research institution with a large College of Arts and Sciences constituency, directs its efforts through the Office of Professional Development of the School of Education.

               [22] These mini-grants, although sponsored by the university, are funded by the Maryland State Department of Education under a grant from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, Title IIIE Tech Prep.

               [23] Faculty worked with employers from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies using the DACUM process to define the skills, knowledge, and attributes that new employees need. The bioscience research program requires students to have workplace experiences in either academic or industry labs. Medical technology students are placed in health care facilities during their program (mdk16.usmd.edu/grant.html).

               [24] The program specifies that internships are to be in research and development labs and not in manufacturing labs which are used primarily by two-year schools and Tech Prep programs.

               [25] Northeastern's bachelor's degree in business administration is a five-year program in which students spend one year in the workplace before graduation.

               [26] Specialized courses include Banking and Credit; College Accounting I and II; Computer Applications; Economics and the World of Finance; Financial Planning, International Economics, and Finance; Securities Operations; Strategies for Success; and External Collegiate Courses in Finance.

               [27] In strand 1, teams develop integrated projects but concern themselves more with the process than the product of their efforts. The State Department of Education has published 45 projects so far which pair an academic discipline with a career cluster. In strand 2, individuals who have already completed strand 1 focus on aligning applied curriculum around broad themes.

               [28] Many in Maryland feel that the state is constantly fighting the "for all students" battle with school-to-work. They have, however, come to realize that it is important to have more than just school-to-work reformers involved.

               [29] The school's five career clusters are (1) Business and Information Technology, (2) Health and Consumer Science Technology, (3) Environmental and Agriscience Technology, (4) Construction Technology, and (5) Technology Productions.

               [30] Students can earn up to $5 per class and up to $35 per school day. They do not earn actual money but rather accumulate checkbook balances that are adjusted in the school's computer system.

               [31] This information refers to a Syracuse University internal document entitled, New York State ECS Plan: Models and Strategies for Connecting Learning to Work in Postsecondary Education, June 1998.