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The River Bend Tech Prep project was undertaken to develop a tech prep curriculum in high schools in the Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) district in Illinois to improve students' academic skills and eventual employment opportunities and contribute to the region's economic growth and stability. The following activities were completed during year 1 of the project: (1) three high schools implemented applied academic curricula, developed student recruitment materials and procedures, met regularly with interdisciplinary tech prep teams, and held staff development activities to address students' needs; (2) planning for tech prep implementation in five additional high schools was completed; (3) a plan was developed to extend tech prep to seven additional high schools in the LCCC district; (4) instruction in postsecondary mathematics, science, and communications courses offered at LCCC as part of its advanced technology degrees was modified; (5) support for the tech prep program was elicited from local businesses and industries; (6) activities to increase parents' understanding of midlevel technology career opportunities and educational requirements were conducted; and (7) an active counselor committee to help promote understanding of the tech prep curricula was created. (Listings of project-developed resource materials and project participants are appended along with project publicity materials.) (MN)

Calhoun, School, and Southwestern High Schools, within the Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) district in Illinois, formed interdisciplinary planning teams of academic and vocational faculty, guidance counselors, and administrators during the 1990-91 school year. Building on administrative and teacher support, each site developed standards for identifying and recruiting tech prep students, developed a model program sequence, and targeted specific courses for development and revision. In conjunction with LCCC faculty and staff, over 60 secondary personnel and 20 LCCC personnel participated in inservice and industrial practicum activities. A steering committee planned and participated in activities. Five additional high schools were added to the project as planning sites for 1991-92. The project achieved three objectives: (1) recruited, assessed, advised, and monitored student participants in the Tech-Prep Associate Degree Program; (2) enlisted academic and vocational teachers in the program and curriculum development; and (3) forged alliances among high schools, community colleges, universities, and industry. (This document contains a workshop agenda and a flyer on articulation credit at LCCC. Three appendices provide a general education task force summary of 1990-1991 highlights, list of tech prep team members, and project information and press releases.) (NLA)

The study surveyed the needs of Lewis and Clark Community College's (LCCC) diversified adult basic education (ABE) clientele and analyzed the similarities and differences among urban and rural participants, male and female, basic and secondary levels and age groupings. Based on an indepth investigation of sources of information relevant to ABE student needs and their assessment, a 96-item questionnaire was developed which sought primarily to identify student needs related to nine need areas: psychological, interpersonal, occupational, financial, family, health, legal, educational, and programatic. Results were based on 236 returned questionnaires (of 310 sent to be administered to LCCC students). Data presented in 14 tables are analyzed in detail. Fourteen research highlights are listed and concluding remarks summarize the data. Two important findings were: (1) the appearance of no large differences in the way in which the various groups responded to the questionnaire items related to expressed needs and (2) the fact that all groups of students consistently perceived the educational, occupational, and psychological need areas as being of highest priority to them. Appended are bibliographic references, a sample letter of request, an instructor questionnaire on student needs (with results), a copy of the student questionnaire, and responses to the two open-ended student questionnaire questions, grouped by need categories. (Author/MS)

The paper is intended to meet the Human Renewal Service demonstration project objective: to review the status of supportive services of adult basic education programs, focusing on how exemplary services were developed, implemented, and evaluated. The first of three major sections looks at what constitutes supportive services and why they are needed. Section 2 provides an overview of current supportive services. These services are placed in two main categories (1) recruitment and (2) retention and followup practices. The techniques utilized in recruitment by means of media, personal contact, and interagency cooperation are explored. The need for supportive services emphasizing student retention and attempts to meet nonacademic needs through orientation programs, student assessment, guidance and counseling, and referral services are discussed. Section 3 reviews three programs providing supportive services of an exemplary nature: (1) an aural-visual recruitment model; (2) recruitment, retention, and followup services provided by counselor-aides; and (3) the White Plains ABE supportive service system. A summary of the entire report and concluding remarks are presented. The report also contains a list of 20 references. Appended are a 57-item selected bibliography of reviewed programs of supportive services and a counselor-aide inservice training evaluation form. (Author/MS)

The primary objective of this project, initiated at Lewis and Clark College, Oregon, was to identify the most valid, reliable, and salient research findings on teaching, learning, and teacher education, and to use those findings in the development and implementation of revised preservice and inservice programs. Particular areas of current research were identified and teams were established to analyze that research and provide specific recommendations for program modification. A central philosophy and set of teacher competencies was developed out of the recommendations to guide subsequent changes. A new model master of arts in teaching program was developed, and the old preservice and inservice sequences were modified to reflect the common approach. An extensive assessment procedure was installed to monitor the move towards more effective teacher preparation and provide direction for continued improvement. This report discusses each step of these processes in detail. Program assessment instruments are appended. (JD)