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Office of Student Services

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While promoting access and equity of vocational-technical education programs for students who are members of special populations remains a NCRVE priority (and is a requirement under the 1990 Perkins mandate for the Center), we recognize the need to improve the broad range of student services which facilitate the school-to-work transition of all students.

The OSS is NCRVE's Office of Special Populations expanded to include a broader focus on student services, which facilitate the transition of secondary and postsecondary students from school to work. OSS will work nationally to promote the full range of quality programs and services that assist all students (secondary and postsecondary) to transition from school to work. To achieve this mission, its objectives are to

During 1995, OSS will conduct the following activities. These activities are organized to correspond to each of its five objectives:

  1. Increase awareness and understanding of the critical need to provide a broad array of student transition services needed by all students.
    1. Topical papers. Three short topical research/resource papers entitled OSS BRIEFs will be produced.
    2. Conference presentations. The staff will submit proposals to present at state, regional, and national conferences related to its themes. The staff will also cosponsor conferences with the Council for Exceptional Children, the American Vocational Association, the National Association of Special Needs State Administrators, and the National Alliance of Partnerships in Equity.
    3. Dissemination. Information concerning upcoming presentations by the staff and the availability of the BRIEFs is disseminated through announcements submitted to professional newsletters and posted to relevant electronic resources. In addition, information about the BRIEFs is displayed at regional and national conferences. The entire text of each BRIEF is posted on relevant electronic bulletin boards and databases including VocServe and ACCESS ERIC. Copies of the BRIEF are distributed to those on the OSS's mailing list of over 8,000 professionals. It will also be available through the ERIC system.
  2. Increase the use of available resources.
    1. Topical resource guides. The OSS will publish two resource guides on student transition services topics (e.g., career counseling). These guides will be available through NCRVE.
    2. Resource service. The staff will continue to respond to information requests related to vocational education for special populations and expand this service to others interested in transition services. This free resource service is widely publicized. Clients are provided with up-to-date annotated topical listings of publications and human resources.
    3. Resource search. On an ongoing basis, the OSS staff will monitor relevant electronic bulletin boards and approximately 200 newsletters related to student services for information on new resources related to program improvement.
    4. Computerized information base maintenance. The staff will select and annotate relevant resources and prepare this information for entry into the OSS's computerized information base. Entries older than five years are routinely deleted from the database.
    5. Dissemination activities. Information on the availability of topical resource guides is disseminated through announcements submitted to professional newsletters, posted to relevant electronic resources, and announced during staff presentations at conferences.
  3. Initiate and support networks of professionals.
    1. Networking state personnel. The OSS will continue to serve as a hub for a network of the state personnel responsible for special populations programs. The network's purpose is to share information on state activities and resources related to program improvement and to reduce duplication of state efforts.
    2. Networking Letter. Relevant information obtained from network members and other sources is highlighted in seven issues of the Networking Letter, which is disseminated to each state administrator of vocational special needs programs, with copies to the state directors of vocational education.
    3. Networking with special needs association. The OSS will cosponsor the annual National Association for Special Needs State Administrators Conference.
    4. Network with career guidance organizations. The staff will work to become an integral part of regional and national organizations that promote career guidance and counseling programs.
  4. Promote exemplary programs and the adoption of model practices.
    1. Exemplary career guidance program search. The OSS will work with the U.S. Department of Education and the state guidance supervisors to conduct a search for exemplary career guidance programs. The exemplary programs are disseminated in a manner similar to Activity 4.4.
    2. Exemplary special populations program activity. Using the concept mapping technique, the vocational education programs recognized over the previous four years as exemplary by the Office of Special Populations will be studied in-depth to determine the validity of the current framework.
    3. National exemplary program conference. A national conference for counselors, teachers, administrators, and other professionals will be conducted, possibly as a pre-session to the American Counseling Association. This conference will feature exemplary career guidance and counseling programs identified through the search.
    4. Dissemination of exemplary program information. Program descriptions and contact information for National Recognition Program awardees is disseminated through (1) submitting results to state directors, personnel responsible for special populations, career guidance and counseling coordinators, and other relevant federal and national agencies in the OSS's mailing list; (2) publications (monographs) developed by staff and made available through NCRVE; (3) materials and other handouts distributed through the OSS resource service; (4) information submitted to guidance counselors and members of other associations with which OSS collaborates; (5) information submitted to professional newsletters; (6) announcements posted to relevant electronic bulletin boards; and (7) programs presented by staff at conferences.
  5. Maximize the impact of the OSS resources and activities through collaborative activities with state and national organizations.
    1. The OSS will collaborate with the National Association of Special Needs State Administrators during their annual conference. The staff will assist conference planners as well as make a conference presentation.
    2. The OSS will work with the Division of Career Development and Transition (DCDT) of the Council for Exceptional Children to plan and participate in their regional and annual conferences.
    3. The OSS will collaborate with the National Association of Vocational Special Needs Personnel to conduct a national survey to determine the impact of the 1990 Perkins Act on local programs. Results will be reported by December 1995.
    4. The OSS will collaborate with National Alliance of Partnerships in Equity officers to plan activities and disseminate information on issues affecting women.
    5. The OSS will collaborate with the National Career Development Association of the American Counseling Association and the AVA's Guidance Division to search for and disseminate information on exemplary vocational/career guidance and counseling programs for all students including special populations.

Deliverables

The following are deliverables of the OSS:


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