Above all, we want to thank the many individuals whom we interviewed for this study--nearly 250 people who provided us with their assessments of education and employment conditions in their local area. Virtually all of them were forthright and generous with their time even though we could not promise that this study would ever benefit them directly. We also spoke with many others individuals, again too numerous to mention by name, in the course of determining which educators and employers would be the most worth interviewing, and we thank them as well.
This research originated in a series of community case studies of education and training programs conducted by Norton Grubb and Lorraine McDonnell, assisted by John Lederer and Liz Alpert. Norena Badway and Clair Brown made helpful comments on early drafts, and Erica Grubb provided invaluable advice on legal issues.