DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 379 432 'CE 068 140

AUTHOR Holdsworth, Tom; Schreiber, Ann

TITLE School-to-Work Transition: Local Programs. A Series

of Case Studies.

INSTITUTION Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, Leesburg,

VA.

PUB DATE Feb 95

NOTE 17p.

PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143)

EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS Academic Education; *Apprenticeships; Articulation(Education); Case Studies; *Educational Change;*Education Work Relationship; *Federal Aid; FederalLegislation; Integrated Curriculum; Partnerships inEducation; Postsecondary Education; *ProgramImplemehtation; School Business Relationship;Secondary Education; State Programs; StatewidePlanning; *Vocational Education

IDENTIFIERS Carl D Perkins Voc and Appl Techn Educ Act 1990;*School to Work Opportunities Act 1994

ABSTRACTInitiatives to improve vocational education--such as

tech prep. the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), and Goals

2000: Educate America Act -are full of promise. Case studies prepared

by the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America illustrate the

potential of these initiatives. Massachusetts and Wisconsin are two

recipients of federal STWOA implementation grants. Maryland andPennsylvania have strong provams in tech prep and apprenticeship.Oklahoma's Craftsmanship 2000 (C-2000) program has become a modelschool to work transition program. STWOA is divided into three main

parts: schdol-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting

activities. What education reform means for Massachusetts is more

funding to design new programs. Administration, faculty, and students

at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School are designing

a tech prep program. In Maryland, state tech prep grants are allowing

schools such as the Carroll County Career and Technology Center to

design their own plans. At Lebanon County Career and TechnologyCenter, Pennsylvania, a pilot school-to-work transition, programincludes academic teachers, employers, and college scholarship funds.

A pilot youth apprenticeship program at L.P. Goodrich High School in

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, falls under STWOA. The C-2000 machining

program at the South East Campus of Tulsa Technology Center,

Oklahoma, is a model for programs that receive grant money under

STWOA. (YLB)

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from the original document.***********************************************************************

a

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SCHOOLt°HRH

School-to-Work Transition:Local Programs

A Series of Case Studiesby the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America

S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONU1I I 11101101 finhrwr. nn0 Improvement

EU CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORM siTIONCENTER (ERIC)

This document has been reproduced asreceived nom the person or organizationoriginating a

0 Minor changes have been 0100e hoimprove reproduction quality

P (Ifs of VIPW Of opinions stated n^.ument do nu. necr,sagly repiesent

ikial OEM pa ufinr, in poky 2

-PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC1"

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"VICA's mission is to

help its student

members become

world-class workers

and responsible

American citizens."

Vocational students are ourbusiness. Whatever or whomevzr affects the quality of

their education and training is ourconcern. This includes their instruc-

tors, their present and future employ-ers, and the policies which affect allthree in addressing our mission.

VICA is an unwavering advocateof setting and meeting high academicand occupational standards. Suchstandards are in the best interest ofbusiness and labor, education, andmost of all students.

Federal education and trainingpolicy is among our top concerns.Initiatives to improve education in-cluding tech-prep, the School-to-WorkOpportunities Act, and The Goals2000: Educate America Act are full of

promise.Because these programs are new,

VICA has chosen to conduct a con-tinuing study of their implementationat the state and local levels. Our aimis to share current, practical informa-tion on how implementation is goingforward. Specifically, we are concen-trating on reform at the local level.After all, it's in the school or worksite where the "rubber hits the road."Through case studies such as the fol-lowing, VICA will highlight: what isworking for schools, employers,teachers and students; where there areproblems and how local programshave solved them.

Case Study SummaryFor this first edition of our paper, VICAselected five states and local programsas case studies. Massachusetts andWisconsin are two of the eight recipi-ents of federal School-to-Work Oppor-

tunity Act implementation grants.Maryland and Pennsylvania each havestrong programs in tech-prep andapprenticeship, and Oklahoma'sCraftsmanship 2000 program has been

a model school to work transitionprogram used nationwide.

Each local program is different

3FICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 1995

1

depending on the resources they be-gan with (existing employer support,existing tech-prep or apprenticeshipprograms), and the biggest challengesto be overcome first. What each havein common is integration of academicand occupational training, securingemployer participation and support,teacher training, and creating articu-lation agreements with postsecondaryinstitutions.

Following is a list of highlights fromeach state and program.

MassachusettsTri-County Regional VocationalTechnical High School, Metro-West Tech-Prep Consortium

Employer support: built uponan existing program closely resem-bling cooperative education withTexas Instruments for automatingequipment. Texas Instruments had"developed an elaborate in-housetraining program-216 hours of class-room instruction that cost $15,000 perperson." When production tripled butits employee pool was exhausted "itturned to local vo-tech schools."

Components: their school-to-work program includes aspects oftech-prep, co-op, academics, and ap-prenticeship.

Time for implementation: thetech-prep program has been runningfor two years. Estimate five to sevenyears before the program is fully in-

tegrated in vocational schools, col-leges, and comprehensive highschools.

Articulation agreements: has'..been a difficulty. Currently there are67 different agreements between highschools and colleges. Public collegescould be more responsive.

Standardization: needs im-provement, specifically in coursessuch as Principles of Technologywhere student attainment can varyfrom school to school.

Employability skills: are panof the grading process. Students in vo-

cational student organizations suchhas VICA have an advantage.

MarylandCarroll County Careerand Technology Center;North Carroll High School

Student focus: opens experi-ences to students who are not voca-tional students because" we have agood system for those who are."

Guidance opportunity: an areafor improvement is to be sure studentswho are encouraged into trades knowwhat is expected in the field. Studentsalso need initial training and screen-ing before being sent to the job site.

Articulation agreements: four-module day structure allows studentsto take community college courses forcredit while still in high school andto sign up for intern programs. "Withthis four-module program, grade pointaverages have gone up."

Employability skills: are partof the grading system.

PennsylvaniaLebanon County Careerand Technology Center

Faculty: English, math, and his-tory/social studies instructors havebeen hired to work at the vo-techcenter. Also, employers are beingtrained so they know what to do withstudents on site. However, "if we aregoing to carry this on to any degreewe will need additional personnel."

Scholarship: students earn col-lege placement and are paid S5 perhour. Employers put 50 cents on thedollar into a scholarship fund for eachstudent, or into a general pool.

WisconsinLP. Goodrich High School

Components: New youth ap-prenticeship program which falls un-der school-to-work. Program re-sembles tech-prep, vocational educa-tion, and youth apprenticeship com-bined.

\ICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 19952

Standardization: industry part-nership has meant standardized cur-riculum. "Now I'm responsible to lo-cal industry," says an instructor ". .

.and this will be the first time in thestate of Wisconsin that machining willhave a unified curriculum availablestatewide."

Community support: STWOAhas generated more community sup-port than tech-prep because appren-ticeship forces the instructor into thecommunity.

Curriculum: is being revampedentirely. The program involves ap-plied academics and curriculum de-signers are working on a chemistryof materials course.

Student teamwork: VICA isused as way for the class to learnteamwork and to gain visibility fortheir program.

OklahomaCraftsmanship 2000South East Campus,Tulsa Technology Centerand Tulsa Junior College.

Business support: Craftsman-ship 2000 (C-2000) was created by in-dustry. "It was industry driven, in-dustry sponsored, and industry coor-dinated." The school was approachedthrough the Tulsa Chamber of Com-merce and an umbrella organizationcalled Career Partners Inc.

Components: C-2000 is calledapprenticeship training but resemblestech prep because it includes appliedlearning in math, physics, communi-cations and computer literacy.

Articulation: agreements withTulsa Junior College.

Time in program: C-2000 hasbeen running for three years. The stu-dent commitment requires three tofour years in the program, eight hoursper day, five days per week.

Faculty training: academicteachers are involved including planttours. Industry mentors also receivetraining on how to be teachers.

SCH

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Employability skills: are taughtthrough the VICA Professional Devel-opment Program curriculum.

VICA and Federal Policy:Carl D. Perkins Act of 1990(P.L. 101-392)The Carl. D. Perkins Vocational AndApplied Technology Education Act of1990 provides federal assistance forfive years from July 1, 1991 throughJune 30, 1996. Overall authorizationis for $1.6 billion per year in supportof secondary, postsecondary and adultvocational education programs. ThePerkins Act is up for reauthorizationduring the 104th Congress in 1995.

The stated purpose of the act wasto condense "from nine stated objec-tives in the former act to only one,with an economic mission. . .'it is thepurpose of this Act to make the UnitedStates more competitive in the worldeconomy by developing more fullythe academic and occupational sk1lof all segments of the population. Thispurpose will principally be achievedthrough concentrating resources onimproving educational programs lead-ing to academic, occupational, train-ing, and retraining skill competenciesneeded to work in a technologicallyadvanced society.'"

Major features in the legislationinclude: increased emphasis on ser-vices for "special populations" (includ-ing the poor, handicapped, disabled,single parents, those with limited En-glish proficiency or not properlyserved d).e to sex bias); increasedfunding for localities; decreased fund-ing for state administration; and tech-prep education...,

Tech PrepThe Tech-prep Education Program isintended to lead from two years ofvocational education at the highschool level to two more years at thetwo-year college level. Perkins pro-vides planning and demonstrationgrants for consortia of local educa-

\ICA: School-to-Work Tr5sitioii/ February 19953

if

tion agencies and postsecondary in-stitutions create a system wheregraduates would receive two-year as-sociate degrees or two-year cenifi-cates.

VSOsVocational Student Organizations(VSOs) such as VICA, are cited inthe legislation as authorized activitiesunder state programs "especially withrespect to efforts to increase minorityparticipation in such organizations;"as eligible for membership on statecouncils of vocational education; as asubject of study for the National As-sessment of Vocational Education(NAVE); and eligible for membershipon the Vocational Education AdvisoryTask Force.

The act defined VSOs as "those or-ganizations for individuals enrolled invocational education programs whichengage in activities as an integral partof the instructional program. Such or-ganizations may have state and na-tional units which aggregate the workand purposes of instruction in voca-tional education at the local level."

NAVEThe National Assessment of VocationalEducation (NAVE) funded underPerkins, published a five volume studyof the legislation and made recom-mendations for the next reauthoriza-tion. Under the section "Conclusionand Future Directions" the NAVEmakes these summarizing statements:

"The second wave of the educa-tion reform movements has per-formed an invaluable service in call-ing the nation's r ttention to the edu-cational needs of the non-college-bound students. . .these students arethe most serious problem in second-ary education..

"The 1990 Perkins Act attemptedto remedy some of these shortcom-ings by setting a reform agenda forvocational educationthe develop-ment and implementation of perfor-

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mance standards, integration, and techprep.. .

"The next Perkins Act (together withother related federal education legis-lation) should expand its reformagenda to restructuring education fornon-college-bound students in orderto effectively prepare them for work.. . it should rely more on states todevelop restructuring plans, andwithin such frameworks, to give localreform efforts greater coherence anddirection. It should also rely more onthe federal government to help de-velop resources to facilitate reform,such as industry skill standards, occu-pational competency tests, and cur-ricular materials."

The NAVE findings on vocationalstudent organizations stated: "In gen-eral, VSOs appear to be fair, equitableorganizations dedicated to improvingthe leadership and skills of vocationalstudents and the quality of the techni-cal workforce. Across all secondaryschools, minority students are repre-sented in VSOs in proportion to theirnumbers." In its summary recommen-dations, the NAVE stated "Congressshould permit or encourage states toallocate modest amounts of basic grantmoney to defray the costs of VSO par-ticipation. . . for low income studentsand to increase the recruitment ofminority students to VSOs."

Policy Statement of theU.S. Department of EducationVocational student organizations havebeen endorsed through the years bythe U.S. Department of Education. Themost recent statement signed by Sec-retary of Education Richard W. Rileyand Assistant Secretary for Vocationaland Adult Education Augusta SouzaKappner states in part: "Recognizingthat the past performance and futurepotential of these 10 organizations arecompatible with the overall purposesand objectives of education today, theU. S. Department of Education stronglyendorses their objectives and seeks to

VICA: School-to-Work Tr..nsitiort/ Febn.rary 19954

involve their thinking in the improve-ment of vocational-technical educa-tion."

The statement highlights "the con-cept of total student development asbeing necessary for all vocational-technical education students to as-sume successful roles in society andto enter the labor market," and theU.S. Department of Education "ap-proves of Federal and State grantfunds for vocational-technical educa-tion to be used by the states to giveleadership and support to these vo-cational student organizations andactivities. . ."

The School-to-WorkOpportunities Act of 1994(P.L 103-239)The School-to-Work Opportunities Actof 1994 (STWOA) attempts major re-form of American public education,particularly at the high school level.STWOA programs are meant to beattractive to all students and providethem with clear pathways to careersand further education. The STWOAseeks to eliminate barriers in educa-tion which have "tracked" studentsrather than taking all students to highacademic and occupational standards.In designing and implementingschool-to-work, Congress looks toinitiatives such as tech-prep, careeracademies, youth apprenticeships,cooperative education, and business-education compacts.

The STWOA encourages state andlocal education to form partnershipswith business and labor. By makingthe private sector partners in educa-tion. reformers seek to integrate vo-cational and academic courses,teach "all aspects of industry," andintegrate work-based and school-based learning. The ST\VOA is tiedto The Goals 2000: Educate AmericaAct particularly in the academic andoccupational standards established bythe boards unoer Goals 2000.

The STWOA draws upon both the

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U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S.Department of Education and will beadministered by a separate STWOAoffice. Funding for STWOA is modestby federal standards. Congress ap-proved $100 million in Fiscal Year 94for planning and implementationgrants to the states. Funding in FiscalYear 95 is likely to be around $240million. Federal funding for STWOAwill come to a close after five years.The intent of the legislation is to startthe system, but from that point onstates and localities are responsible forschool-to-work programs.

The Act is divided into three mainparts: school-based learning; work-based learning; and connecting activi-ties including the following areas ofemphasis:

The school-based section con-centrates on career exploration andcounseling, initial selection of a ca-reer major, and integration of aca-demic and vocational education.

Work-based learning includesa coherent sequence of job trainingand work experiences coordinatedwith the school-based component,workplace mentoring, and generalworkplace competencies such as posi-tive work attitudes, employabilityskills, and participative skills.

Connecting activities includecoordination of work-based learningbetween students and employers;technical assistance for partnershipmembers in designing work-basedlearning components; training forteachers, workplace mentors, counse-lors; assistance to schools and employ-ers to integrate academic and voca-tional education; and linking youth de-velopment activities with employerand industry strategies for upgradingthe skills of workers.

Vocational student organizationsand the work they doare cited inthe legislation. Specifically, vocationalstudent organizations are eligible formembership on local partnerships,and state agencies are required to dc-

V1CA: Scnool-to-Work Transition/ February 19955

scribe "the manner in which the Statehas obtained and will continue toobtain the active and continued par-ticipation, in the planning and devel-opment of the statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system, of. . .vo-cational student organizations. . ."

Also directly related to the workof VSOs is the mandatory activity un-der the work-based learning compo-nent that the STWOA program include"instruction in general workplacecompetencies, including instructionand activities related to developingpositive work attitudes, and employ-ability and participative skills." Theseare the very areas developed by vo-cational student organizations as rec-ognized in the Perkins legislation andthe U.S. Department of EducationPolicy statement.

Case StudiesWhen it comes to the school-to-worktransition movement, programs differnot only from state to state but fromdistrict to district, from school toschool, and even from trade to tradewithin a school.

Education reform has states andlocalities scrambling to redesign theirprograms. The funding tied to educa-tion reforms has generated enthusi-asm for change and cooperationamong the general, business, aca-demic and vocational-technical tracks.

This reform is a painstaking pro-cess that's frequently confusing butgenerally embraced by the key play-ers who know how badly it's needed.

MassachusettsWhat education reform means forMassachusetts is more funding to de-sign new programs.

Since 1991, in conjunction with thereauthorization of the Carl Perkins Act,the administration, faculty and stu-dents at Tri-County Regional Voca-tional Technical High School in Fran-klin, Mass., have been going throughthe tedious process of designing a

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"We are continuously

upgrading the

sophistication of our

manufacturing

equipment, and there's

a large portion of our

existing employee

population that can't

keep up with it. Heaven

forbid that we've got to

dumb down our

manufacturing

technologies, when

the rest of the world is

going the other way."

tech-prep program and establishingthemselves within the Metro-WestTech-Prep Consortium, one of 11 inthe commonwealth.

With the tech-prep transition in fullswing, Massachusetts is now dealingwith more changes. One of eightstates to receive funding through thefederal School-to-Work OpportunitiesAct passed last May, Massachusetts re-ceived a $27.5 million grant$5.5 mil-lion annually for five years. In addi-tion to getting the school-to-workfunds, the commonwealth received a$330,000 planning grant from the fed-eral government to create school-to-work implementation designs. Tri-County is in one of the design areas.

According to Karen Ward, educa-tion specialist with Massachusetts'school-to-employment services unit,the school-to-work funding will beused to connect state and local pro-grams and curriculum. School-to-worktransition will become an umbrellaprogram for tech prep, cooperativeeducation and apprenticeship train-ing.

"Every school district will be re-quired to have a consortium of localpartners, secondary schools, postsec-ondary schools, businesses, labor or-ganizations and community-based or-ganizations," Ward says. "So everyhigh school is responsible to write awork force development plan.

"With the $27.5 million, Massachu-setts will fund school districts withschool-to-work opportunities grants inaddition to the federal planninggrants."

With or without the funding,school-to-work transition has been anissue at Tri-County for some time.

Gilbert Fletcher, an engineering su-pervisor for Texas Instruments in Attle-boro, Mass., contacted the schoolwhen he faced an employee short-age.

In the mid-1980s, Texas Instru-ments developed automating equip-ment. For the first few years, the corn-

VICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 19956

pany hand picked the best localpeople to run the new equipment butfound the talent supply quicklytapped out. So it developed an elabo-rate in-house training program-216hours of classroom instruction thatcost the company $15,000 per per-son. With production tripled but itsemployee pool exhausted, it turnedto local vo-tech schools.

"We came upon Jack Jones, whowas then principal at Tri-County,"Fletcher remembers. "He knew intu-itively what we needed. He said, `Whydon't we develop a program, call itindustrial technology, and we'll aimat exactly the skill set that you're look-ing for.'"

Texas Instruments provided fund-ing and equipment, and the programwas developed. Students and instruc-tors went on tours of the Texas 1-1-struments facility, and the promisingstudents were brought in for prelimi-nary training. The best became in-volved in the new program, whichclosely resembled cooperative edu-cation.

The company started gaining twonew employees a year, on average,at a fraction of the cost of doing itsown training, and the school found away to get its students into industryto test a career choice.

Therefore, long before the School-to-Work money came to Massachu-setts, Tri-County was meeting a needfor school-to-work transition. Theschool was building a framework forprograms that gave students work-based learning, school-based learn-ing with advanced college placement,and an opportunity to earn money.

One of the first students to reapbenefits from both the Texas Instru-ments and tech-prep programs wasPaul Renaghan, now a senior at Tri-County. Through the Texas Instru-ments industrial technology programlast year, Renaghan trained on thecompany's equipment at the school.He also trained a( the facility for one

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"We must be able to

make some

assumptions about

what principles of

technology students

are exposed to, so

that when an

employer sees that a

student had

Principles cf

Technology 1 and 11 in

high school, he

knows the student

can function at a

certain level."

week in the spring and another in thefall. Later he was hired for full-timesummer employment, and he returnedthis year as a co-op student throughthe school's metal fabrication course.

As part of this tech-prep program,Renaghan attends Northeastern Uni-versity on Saturday mornings, earn-ing credits in Engineering Design Iand II and precalculus.

"There is such a need for this typeof program for American industry,"Fletcher says. "It's almost desperation.

"We are continuously upgradingthe sophistication of our manufactur-ing equipment, and there's a largeportion of our existing employeepopulation that can't keep up with it.Heaven forbid that we've got to dumbdown our manufacturing technolo-gies, when the rest of the world isgoing the other way."

Like everyone involved in theschool-to-work transitions at Tri-County, Joe Beasley, director of theMetro-West Tech Prep Consortium,sees education reforms strengtheningprograms and ultimately helping stu-dents meet the needs of companieslike Texas Instruments.

"I think tech prep will play a vitalrole in the foundations of school-to-work programs," he says.

"School-to-work includes the stat-utes of tech-prep, tech prep being thestrongest proponent. If we look at theschool-to-work program, we havetech-prep, co-op, academics and ap-prenticeship. We're not going to tryand marry tech-prep and co-op. Butwe are at least trying to put them inthe same room together."

Massachusetts education reformleaders and the staff at Tri-Countyknow what they're up against in firstdefining programs, then designingand shifting programs and programthinking.

"We approached it here in this con-sortium by not talking about curricu-lum reform or curriculum develop-ment, but by talking about curricu-

N'1CA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 19957

lum matching . . . the curriculum fromthe secondary schools to the postsec-ondary schools," Beasley says. "Wedid it by subject matter, following na-tional standards for principles of tech-nology."

Change takes time. At this point,the tech-prep program has been upand running for two years. Accordingto Beasley, it will take five to sevenyears before the program is fully in-tegrated into vocational schools, col-leges and comprehensive highschools.

One of the difficulties has been es-tablishing articulation agreements withcommunity colleges.

"In terms of articulation, we cur-rently have 67 different agreementsbetween the high schools and col-leges," Beasley explains. "My obser-vation is that the public colleges needto be more responsive to articulation.

"In some cases, they've come andlooked at our curriculum and foundthat their programs were not as strong.They get cold feet, and they backaway from making agreements. I don'tthink they've realized that tech-prepcould possibly be their biggest recruit-ing sources."

Tri-County is also working on staff-ing the tech-prep program. The Metro-West Consortium is conducting work-shops to help existing staff make thetransition.

John Kowalcyk, the school's prin-ciples of technology instructor, saysthe shift has been slight and relativelypainless: "It hasn't been difficult at all.The program is very well organizedarta the curriculum is laid out for you."

Kowalczyk, who has worked on acurriculum matching team, adds, "Sci-ence teachers have talked about howwe could hold accountability to theseprograms . .. using standardized test-ing. The colleges are very concerned.They don't know what an A studentin my physics class has learned.

'Right now we're looking at seri-ous discrepancies from one school to

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"A lot of our problems

with enrollment are

because the people

who are supposed to

encourage students to

go into the trades don't

know what's going on

in the field or here at

the tech center."

another in principles of technology.We're teaching PT here on a five-classes-per-week basis; half theschools are doing two classes perweek.

"We must be able to make someassumptions about what principles oftechnology students are exposed to,so that when an employer sees that astudent had Principles of TechnologyI and II in high school, he knows thestudent can function at a certain level."

In this principles of technology pro-gram, competencies are critical. So,too, are employability skills or work-place basicsso critical, in fact, thatthey have become part of the overallgrading process for all courses at Tri-County.

According to Beasley, students whoare in vocational student organizationssuch as VICA have an advantage inthese areas.

"VICA has a large role at Tri-County. We have over 90 students in-volved, and I think the VICA studentsare good examples for the others.They're always here, they completeprojects, they're very deft students. Ithink it's the work ethic they learnthrough VICA."

MarylandWhile Maryland has not received fed-eral School to Work Opportunities Actfunds, state tech-prep grants are al-lowing schools such as the CarrollCounty Career and TechnologyCenter in Westminster, Md., to de-sign their own plans.

The center serves five feederschools, and its students are in tradi-tional vocational-technical programs,cooperative education programs andtech-prep programs. Longtime teach-ers and school staff have establishedsolid working relationships with lo-cal industry in this rural community.By drawing on this experience, thecenter is piloting new programs that

)en-minded administrators and fac-ulty have readily accepted.

VICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 19958

The center has a school-to-worktransition program plan known asPathways to Careers, according toJudy Loar, assistant supervisor for theCareer and Technology Education, thecounty school system has a school-to-work transition program planknown as Pathways to Careers.

"Part of the plan includes openingup some experiences to students whoare not vocational students, becausewe have a good system for those whoare," Loar says.

"We'll probably be using a lot ofthe same things that we have beendoing in co-op, but we're still work-ing on how we'll put that in place.

"We already have principles oftechnology at Westminster HighSchool. It's being team taught by tech-ed teachers and physics teachers.There is an applied math course inthe works for next year."

Pathways to Careers will not re-place the cooperative education. GeneDolly, the center's co-op work coor-dinator, has a solid program in place.It not only puts students on the job,but has employability training builtinto the grading system.

"If students meet the requirements,they take their required subjects in themorning, btit whenever their subjectsare over, they go to the job instead ofcoming to the center," Dolly says.

"I go to make my visits and keeprecords. Being here as long as I have,I have a list as long as your arm ofemployers."

This year, in addition to his co-opposition, Dolly is teaching brick ma-sonry part time. Dolly worked in thetrade for 22 years before going intoteaching and after more years as amasonry instructor, he became the co-op coordinator.

With the new program changes,Dolly is concerned that students maynot have initial "basic training" orscreening before they go to a worksite. Ile feels the center should havea role in making sure students have

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"Last year, 37

percent of the

students in Maryland

going to college were

going to community

college."

the minimal physical or mental pro-pensity to be in the fields they've cho-sen.

"I can tell by watching themwhether they have the innate poten-tial to be able to manipulate a trowel.A lot of our problems with enrollmentare because the people who are sup-posed to encourage students to gointo the trades don't know what'sgoing on in the field or here at thetech center," says Dolly.

That's been a consideration in pro-gram design according to Loar.

What I could see happening is thatwe'll do more clustering so that thestudents in construction trades getsome masonry, electricity, carpentry .. . so the instructor can tell if the stu-dent has the gift to do one trade butnot another," says Loar. "I would notwant to see instructors not teachingany of those skills. I really feel thatschool is the best place for them tobe learning the basics."

The center's craft committees andteachers from all disciplines are be-ing pulled into the program planningto consider all facets of the school-to-work program planning, fromcourse matching to work-site learn-ing experiences. Part of the pilot pro-gram design includes tours and jobshadowing experiences for tradition-ally academic teachers.

Loar says, this type of communica-tion and the program changes at thetech center will not only strengthenprograms and give more studentsmore options, but ultimately improvethe image of vocational-technical edu-cation.

"I think because it's being inte-grated with Goals 2000, it's bringingus more into the mainstream with theemphasis being on all students," sheadds. Loar hopes this will eliminatesome of the problems with the typeof students who come to the tech cen-ters.

"Tech centers are still the majorway that most of the school programs

are developed across the UnitedStates. We have not had the best repu-tation about the kinds of students' eget," Loar explains.

"We're taking a look at are studentswho have been regular academic stu-dents, [and) who decide in their se-nior years that they want to be archi-tects, but they've had no traditionaldrafting classes. We're making ar-rangements so that they can come intothe drafting class at the tech centerfor a short period of time.

"They wouldn't be regular students,but would become part of what thisImilding is all about. I think this kindof thing will change the image of thetype of student electing to come here."

Besides changing the image, tech-prep programs have garnered inter-est in articulation programs.

"Last year, 37 percent of the stu-dents in Maryland going to collegewere going to community college,"explains Loar. "The result is, the Mary-land Higher Education Commissionbegan looking closely at this and ar-ticulation between high schools andcommunity colleges and four yearcolleges."

The Pathways program has helpedestablish articulation because it spellsout what's required. Right now thecenter has several agreements withlocal colleges.

One of the simplest agreementswas with North Carroll High Schoolin Hampstead, Md. The site of a newtech-prep to pilot program, its four-module day structure has been con-ducive to community college articu-lation.

A comprehensive high school,North Carroll's Pathways program willlook like a tech-prep program ext._ nd-ing itself into school-to-work. Rich-ard Weaver, who is leading the projectat North Carroll, says it's a work-basedlearning program that falls into three

categories:Seniors who elect to take courses

at the community college for credit,

\'ICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 19119

SCHOOL

TO WORK

"VSOs will be the

enrichment part of

this. Kids learn a lot

from VSOs. They pick

up as much as they do

in the classroom,

probably more."

while being enrolled in the highschool.

Students who go out on workrelease programs who will now bemonitored more closely by the school.

Students who sign up for internprograms in more professional careerareas.

Students can earn eight credits ayear. They only need 20 to 21 creditsto graduation. So students who meetthe required 20 or 21 by their senioryear, can elect one of the above op-tions. The pilot is still in its organiza-tional stages and students will be in-volved in it by February 1, 1995.

"The exciting part of this is that Isee students all the time, and I ask;hem, What do you intend to do whenyou get out of school?'" Weaver says."A lot of them have no idea, or theyhave a misconception of what the jobis. This will give them a chance tofind out.

"The program is not limited to anyone level of students. It's top academicto the lowest-functioning, general-track student."

Students who meet their require-ments early can take college coursesfor credit and explore their careeroptions. Students on work release willno longer be in un-monitored situa-tions. And, the internships will allowstudents to get a feel for their careersduring either nine-or 18-week ses-sions.

"We're not looking at putting kidsat the local fast-food restaurant as partof this program. There's been someconcern that this will take studentsaway from taking some other higherlevel courses here," says Loar. But

we're not saying that everybody hasto do this. This is the student's choice."

"We've had good administrationsupport. We have a principal with alot of vision. With this four-moduleprogram, grade point averages havegone up," says Weaver. "Studentsseem happier with only four classesat a time to concentrate on.

FICA: School-to-Work Transition,' February 199510

"This is just a step in the processof moving this school from a subject-based program to an outcome based/tech prep program."

As the programs are designedWeaver sees a direct connection withvocational student organizations ingiving students employability skills.

"If VSOs can get built into theschool-to-work transition movement,now at the beginning, and kids be-come aware of them, we can tie theminto this. VSOs will be the enrichmentpart of this. Kids learn a lot fromVSOs. They pick up as much as theydo in the classroom, probably more."

Roland Phelps, the school system'stech-prep coordinator, taught technol-ogy education and industrial arts for

20 years."Many times these were the stu-

dents who really didn't have any di-rection and no specific skill training,"Phelps says. "What I saw, and whatthis whole movement has pointed out,is that these kids will pick up a courseon their own, and they'll float backand forth between meaningless typesof employment. No career goals areset."

To Phelps, the tech prep/school-to-work movement is just what edu-cation has needed.

PennsylvaniaAt Lebanon County Career andTechnology Center in Lebanon,Pa., apprenticeship training is nowcalled sehool-to-wcrk transition. Apilot program here includes academicteachers, employers and college schol-arship funds.

Dean Ruch, program coordinatorfor the metal manufacturing program,says the program is no longer strictlyvocational training. They've hired En-glish, math and history/social studiesinstructors to teach at the tradition-ally vo-tech center.

Curriculum is project-based and re-quires academic integration. By add-ing these disciplines, students get the

12

SCHOOL

TO WORK

"I need to ensure that

the academic

teachers understand

machining to make

the studies relevant."

whole scope of what their trade in-volves on a project basis. Besides themetals and machining aspects, stu-dents now get into development anddesign.

Faculty has changed, curriculumhas changed and now employers aretrained to ensure that they know whatto do with the students once they'reon site. If the student has problems,whether they're trade or employabil-ity related, the academic as well asT&I instructors at the center solve theproblems.

"Employers need to know what therequirements are," says Ruch. "If thestudent could not figure out trigonom-etry and the employer did not havethe time to spend training, then Iwould bring the problem to my mathinstructor and he would remediate.And, as the cooruinator, I need to en-sure that the academic teachers un-derstand machining to make the stud-ies relevant,"

Local support for the program isgood. According to School DirectorStephen Kachniasz, . support for themachining program has increasedsince employers have worked withstudents and know they are gettingquality training.

Students in the pilot do earn ad-vanced college placement through theprogram. They also get paid $5 anhour, and employers have agreed toput 50 cents on the dollar into a schol-arship fund for each student. If a stu-dent doesn't use the fund, his or hermoney goes into a general scholar-ship pool. Ruch hopes the incentivemay encourage students to tv coursesat the local community college,

The program is good. The commu-nity supports it, but to meet nationalstandards, it's going to take commit-ment and dollars according toKachniasz.

"If we are going to carry this on toany degree, we will need additionalpersonnel," he says. "We may be mak-ing progress with this metals program,

VILA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 199511

but if we are to expand this and doquality programs in other areas, weare going to need financial support."

WisconsinAs Congress was working to pass leg-islation to create a nationwide school-to-work transition system, Wisconsinwas busy designing programs thatincluded the federal design guidelines.So when Wisconsin was one of theeight states to receive funds from theSchool to Work Opportunities Act(STWOA)$4.5 million in May1994program transition was alreadyin the works.

The logical place to begin was inWisconsin's apprenticeship trainingprograms. Youth apprenticeship hasa specific legal meaning in the state.It refers to the program authorized bythe state legislature and administeredby the Department of Industry, Laborand Human Relations (DILHR), theagency in charge of the laws that gov-ern youth at the work site. Only stu-dents enrolled in DILHR-approvedyouth apprenticeship programs re-ceive a State Certificate of Occupa-tional Proficiency.

Because of state child labor laws,students under the age of 18 couldnot work in a manufacturing setting.So instead of the work-based learn-ing, teachers such as John Schrum atLP. Goodrich High School in Fonddu Lac, Dvis., taught a two-hour, twocredit course at the high school.

"We have had a semester of manu-facturing, which is part of the tech-nology component, and we have hadmachine tool processes, which is oursecond course, plus the two-creditcapstone course which has been ma-chine tool technology," he says.

Now Schrum's program is one offour pilot youth apprenticeship pro-grams which fall under the STWOA.The new apprenticeships combineclassroom instruction with work-based learning to provide studentswith solid academic skills and com-

13

TO WORK

"With tech-prep,

programs are

Instructor driven.

There Is no standard

curriculum. You teach

them what you think is

important or what is

demanded. Under

youth apprenticeship,

we are getting

organization and

standards."

petencies in a chosen occupationalcluster. Students who complete theprogram will be prepared to pursuetheir chosen careers and enter thework force directly after high school,continue on to a technical college,apply for registered apprenticeship orenroll in a four-year university.

Programs are administered throughthe Wisconsin Department of Indus-try, Labor and Human Relations(DILHR) in cooperation with the Wis-consin Department of Public Instruc-tion and the Wisconsin Technical Col-lege System (WTCS).

For John Schrum, who's been withthe tech-ed department at Goodrichfor 27 years, the shift means a youthapprenticeship program that will fi-nally put students on site with indus-try. The pi' -A is called youth appren-ticeship, but if categorized using tra-ditional education definitions, it's re-ally a tech-ed teacher involved in aprogram that resembles tech-prep,vocational education and youth ap-prenticeship combined. Nonetheless,it meets the guidelines of the STWOA.

"We need to work in partnershipwith people in industry," Schrum says."We need to find out what they aredoing and what we should be teach-ing in our programs."

The partnership with industry has:neant standardized curriculum.

"Now I'm responsible to local in-dustry. If curriculum needs to changeto meet industry needs, it's up to us(educators)," he explains. "With tech-prep, programs are instructor driven.There is no standard curriculum. Youteach them what you think is impor-tant or what is demanded. Underyouth apprenticeship, we are gettingorganization and standards. If a kidcomes out of Racine, or Milwaukee,or Fond du Lac and they have done ayouth apprenticeship in manufactur-ing, we know what to expect.

"My role is training, and this willbe the first time in the state of Wis-consir, that machining will have a

unified curriculum available state-wide," he says. "We will be able toget students out on the work site Stu-dents in their junior year will take in-school training, and then from 12 to3:30 p.m. they will be on the job site,just as regular apprentices. They willbe working with a mentor in indus-try. In the summer between their jun-ior and senior year, they will be full-time with that company. Their senioryear, they will continue with that train-ing program the same number ofhours per week on site."

For Schrum, the STWOA changeshave generated more community sup-port, more than he's had with tech-prep because apprenticeship trainingforces him into the community. Butthe responsibility is shared with localindustry, education and labor.

"Most of the people have been verysupportive. Most of the students in-volved have parents who work for theindustries. I haven't had the time towork with labor on the curriculum yet,but a local technical college is study-ing the requirements of job entry intomanufacturing and working out atransferable credit program."

Articulation agreements are in theworks, and the new program hasforced new networking.

"We want to bring the high schoolsand technical colleges together," hesays. "We want to improve instructionfor the students. They'll be able learnwhat the real work force is like andearn some money, and we'll be ableto see where their training is deficient.I'll be accountable for the competen-cies, but I'll have to work with indus-try."

Besides trade competencies, theprogram involves applied academicslike principles of technology, andcurriculum designers are working ona chemistry of materials course.

"You could say we're revampingthe whole thing, but were doing it instages. We have our math peopleworking on an updated program. We

PICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February199512 14

SCHOOL

TO WORK

"I think once we get

the program going and

have positive results,

more students will see

the overall value of

their education and

why they need to take

courses like math."

are looking at the tech prep track andthe postsecondary track. A studentcoming through my youth apprentice-ship class should be able to enter afour-year university, or graduate witha youth .i.pprenticesbip certificate, orgo to the technical college. or possi-bly be employed in the field immedi-ately. We want the students to havethese options."

Schrum admits, this programchange has been a lot of work but ithasn't bothered him. However, keep-ing up with trends and finding theright equipment for training has beena challenge.

"I think once we get the programgoing and have positive results, morestudents will see the overall value oftheir education and why they needto take courses like math," he says.

Work-based training is essential,but Schrum doesn't watt students tolose experience of being students, sohe schedui,.s their work site trainingso they're back to the school beforethe day ends.

"I want them back at the school by4 p.m. so they have school activitiesavailable to them. Sometimes pro-grams are set up so the kids neverhave a chance to come back and par-ticipate in sports, chess club, VICA orother activities."

Schrum says VICA affords the classan opportunity for teamwork and vis-ibility. The machining classes at Fonddu Lac have no windows, so there'sno opportunity for anyone to see whatthe students are doing. Local compe-titions have provided visibility andsupport, and community service ac-tivities do the same. And involvementat this level has helped him get hisstudents to participate in VICA lead-ership activities, too.

Oklahoma"School-to-Work transition was noteven a glimmer in the eye of our statedepartment when the Craftsmanship2000 program was designed," says

VICA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 199513

Sheila Hellen, campus director at theSouth East Campus of the TulsaTechnology Center in Tulsa, Okla.

"Industry was the driving force.They created the whole thing. It wasnot being talked about nationally. Itwas something that was industrydriven, industry sponsored, and indus-try coordinated. The other groupscame along afterwards," Hellen ex-plains.

Up and running for three years, theCraftsmanship 2000 (C-2000) machin-ing program has become a model forschool-to-work programs nationwidethat are now receiving implementa-tion grant money under the School-.to-Work Opportunities Act. Industryapproached the school through theMetropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Com-merce and an umbrella organization,Career Partners Inc. Initiating the pro-gram were Hilti, an international fas-tener company based in Liechtenstein,and several other Tulsa-based com-panies including American Airlinesand Whirlpool. Career Partners Inc.is the actual employer and takes careof details like workers compensation.

"Industry wanted a more qualified,more skilled work force, and theyknew they had to start with theschools to get that. They (Hilti) werehaving to send some of their moreinvolved technical work overseas toget people to do it and do it well,because the work force power wasnot here at this location."

C-2000 is called an apprenticeshiptraining program, yet it resembles techprep because it incorporates appliedlearning in math, physics, communi-cations and computer literacy, andfeatures articulation agreements withTulsa Junior College. In addition, itinvolves the extensive work-basedlearning components of apprentice-ship training. Students in the programare also heavily involved in the VILAProfessional Development Program, avocational student organization cur-riculum featuring school-to-work con-

15

SCHOOL

TO WORK

"A lot of kids spend a

lot of time running

around trying to

figure out what

they're going to do.

This program gives

them a direct

avenue."

necting activities and SCANS(Secretary's Commission on Achiev-ing Necessary Skills) competencies.) d, the formal partnership estab-lished through Career Partners Inc.,makes it a good model for programsgetting started.

Depending on the student's situa-tion, C-2000 requires a three-to four-year commitment. Students make thecommitment their sophomore yearthen spend their junior and senioryears on the Tulsa Technology Cen-ter South East Campus, working inindustry during their summer breaks.On the job, they work with mentorsand are monitored by their instruc-tors. They graduate from their homehigh schools in their senior years, thenreturn to the Tulsa Technology Cen-ter and enroll in the computer numeri-cally controlled machining program.They're also enrolled in classes atTulsa Junior College for six to ninehours for two semesters. Then, inwhat's usually the fourth year of theprogram, they attend the communitycollege taking advanced level courseswhile working. To date, the first groupof students enrolled in C-2000 are nowin the third year of the program. In-dustry employers seems pleased.

"It takes a very mature student tomake the commitment to go to schooleight hours a day, five days a weekfor four years," says Hellen. "Studentshave to be pretty focused to enroll inthe program and pursue it from be-ginning to end. So far, industry ispleased with the level of studentsbeing developed by the program. Atthis point these students are devel-oping some real skills that are verybeneficial to the employer. If theirCraftsmanship assignments are com-plete, some industries have assignedthem to work on actual companyprojects."

Program success looks good at thispoint, but the road to change has beenpainstaking. Its taken countless hoursfrom all parties to get this program

set up."I think any time that someone

from the outside comes in and says,'I think there's a better way for youto do your work,' there's a little bit ofsensitiveness. It's very different fromanything we've ever done before.Most of what we do in education iseducation driven. This is industrydriven. What has evolved has is anexcellent communication process be-tween industry, education and theChamber of Commerce. It's evolvedto such an extent that the industryfolks are here on a regular basis, walk-ing through our halls. It's a veryfriendly sort of thing," says Hellen.

Herb Stauffer, the machine shopinstructor has been teaching for nearlyeight years and has been with the C-2000 program since its inception.When he was first approached by thepeople organizing the program, hewas elated but wary of what it wasgoing to take to get the program run-ning.

"The commitment has been good.That's eased my concerns. The coop-eration between industry and the par-ties involved has been goo]."

That type of cooperation was criti-cal in the curriculum design. Staufferuses a package that incorporatesindustry's training materials with hisown. He also worked with the aca-demic teachers to make sure all com-ponents fit. To better understand whatthe students are learning, the aca-demic teachers tour the plants.

Besides faculty needing exposureto industry, the industry mentors haverequired exposure to education.

"The mentors really are placed ina teaching situation," says Hellen."The students are not there to pro-duce for the company. This is not asource of cheap labor. The mentorsneeded training in the characteristicsof adolescents as far as how they learnand behave. Employees are a verydifferent group of people to work withthan high school juniors, seniors and

V1CA: SchooltoWork Transition/ February 1995

1614

SCHOOL

TO WORK

"What we have to

remember is that what

we're attempting to do

Is develop a totally

different way of

delivering education to

our nation"

recent graduates. The mentors haveto make sure the students have theinformation they need and the skillsthey need to complete their assign-ments."

Stauffer worked in industry for 30years before he started teaching andknows where entry level employeesare lacking skills. That experience plusthe state-of-the-art equipment at theschool earned Tulsa Technology Cen-ter the opportunity to pilot this pro-gram.

It's been a lot of extra work forStauffer, but he had a hunch it wouldwork, so he stuck with it.

"is lot of kids spend a lot of timerunning around trying to figure outwhat they're going to do. This pro-gram gives them a direct avenue," saysStauffer. "Sometimes, the students arethe biggest obstacle to this program.They do not see the potential untilthey get through the first year. But,they do well once they know what'sexpected of them and they realizetheir potential."

Stauffer teaches a traditional voca-tional training program in the morn-ing and the C-2000 program in theafternoon.

"Students do better in the C-2000program because they're out in indus-try. They get their hands on it," saysStauffer. "They experience what's re-ally happening in the work world."

With the students actually visitingthe work sites, teaching the employ-ability skills hasn't been difficult.Nancy Kirchner, a reading specialistwith the Technical Center's EducationEnhancement Center (EEC) is the all-school VICA advisor. C-2000 is set upso that the students are at the EEC

twice a week. And during that time,she works with them on the. VICAProfessional Development Program(PDP).

"The program (PDP) has job-teach-ing skills, communications skills, [and]written skills, and because of the re-wards system, the students get cx-

17ACA: School-to-Work Transition/ February 1995

15

cited," says Kirchner. "So much ofwhat they get is applicable to whatthey need on the job. They not onlyneed the hands-on skills, they needto be able to work as team players.They need good communicationsskills. PDP has all of this and busi-ness and industry have been very sup-portive of students leaving work forVICA activities.

"We require that every Craftsman-ship 2000 student be involved in aVICA contest at least at the districtlevel," says Kirchner. "In fact, the yearbefore last, the first year C-2000 stu-dents went to nationals and competedin the VICA Knowledge Bowl.

"Industry wants students with com-munication skills and teamwork anda sense of responsibility. Students getthis through VSOr. I've had a lot ofstudents say they were glad they werein VSOs. VSOs give them the confi-dence and a sense of responsibilityto help them overcome their fears.And we all know fear is a great in-hibitor," explains Kirchner.

For the partners in the program,especially Hellen, C-2000 has meanta phenomenal investment of time.

"What we have to remember is thatwhat we're attempting to do is de-velop a totally different way of deliv-ering education to our nation," Hellenexplains. "You have to temper yourfrustrations of investing so much ofyour time in one program with theidea that you're creating somethingnew and innovative. And, it's like athree-legged stool (industry, educa-tion and VSOs). It takes all three legsto support the stool. You take one ofthe legs away and you're not verybalanced.

"I think we also need to remem-ber that there is no formula for howschool-to-work transition programsneed to be developed. If whomever'sgiving the grants says you need tofollow our formula for how you puttogether school-to-work, it won'twork."