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Despite their highly divergent situations, young people largely share the same values, ambitions, and difficulties. Despite the more complex social and economic context in which young Europeans are currently living, they are well equipped to adapt. National and European policymakers must facilitate this process of change by making young people stakeholders in their societies. Youth must be regarded as a positive force in the construction of Europe rather than as a problem. Although the European Union's individual member states must still bear the brunt of putting various youth-related measures into practice, it is important to give a European dimension to youth-related activities. A new framework for European cooperation must be developed and must comprise these two main aspects: applying the open method of coordination in the specific field of youth and taking better account of the "youth" dimension in other policy initiatives. The framework must also include provisions for listening to what young people have to say and must offer a forum for local initiatives while encouraging member states to cooperate more effectively and develop concrete ideas under existing European programs. (Appendixes constituting approximately 75% of this document contain a detailed discussion of the results of the consultation and an overview of European action on the youth front.) (MN)

A Virtual Research and Extension Communication Network (VRECN) is a set of networked electronic tools facilitating improvement in communication processes and information sharing among stakeholders involved in agricultural development. In developing countries, research and extension personnel within a ministry of agriculture, in consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders, can develop and implement a VRECN. The tools are artifacts of a planned and ongoing process of stakeholder involvement in mapping communication- and information-sharing relationships and identifying critical relationships that require improvement to reach agricultural development and food security goals. Creating a VRECN in a developing country requires a planned process of stakeholder engagement, multi-stakeholder assessments of communication and information needs, and collaborative workshops to determine the desired characteristics of a VRECN, management relationships, and development partnerships. Six steps are to conduct project preparation, information technology assessment, and VRECN prototype development; identify product and services for VRECN; create VRECN prototype and directory; evaluate product and services; identify and secure staff support; and evaluate project. A number of tangible products result from a preplanned process for creating a VRECN, particularly through efforts to establish stakeholder needs assessments and collaborative working groups. (YLB)

This monograph, itself a suggested set of standards, is designed to help college personnel determine the college's state of readiness for extended work force development. Two questions about that role are offered: (1) is the college, and are community colleges nationally, prepared to become the central player in a comprehensive education and training system; and (2) if they are not, how can they prepare themselves. This paper, a "call for action," attempts to help community colleges answer these questions in two ways. First, a self-study guide offers a series of questions that require college personnel to examine their institution's readiness to prepare workers for the new workplace. All responses must be evaluated within the context of local conditions, needs, and political considerations. The 19 questions relate to mission and organization, funding, assessing needs and documenting success, programs and delivery systems, staffing, and coordination. Second, the monograph offers 17 suggestions to assist local colleges in creating a vision and plan that will ready them to meet both local challenges and the demands of state and federal governments and to become part of a national community of prepared colleges. The suggestions relate to preparing the institution, preparing programs and faculty, and preparing the nation's community colleges. National Council for Occupational Education task forces, their objectives, and leadership are listed. (YLB)

Regional networking and knowledge transfer are considered with a focus on partnerships between business and higher education institutions, conditions for successful strategic allegiances, and the consequences of networking for the higher education mission. The experiences of Utrecht University (the Netherlands) are used to illustrate how a higher education institution can anticipate new societal developments. Linear models and the interactive model for innovation are reviewed as frameworks for understanding the knowledge infrastructure. In addition to beginning with a long-term objective, strategic alliances need to have parallel strategies and must respect each other's mission. A region can either be local or crossing state or country borders. Knowledge and knowledge transfer will be a key factor in international competitiveness and higher education institutions can play an important role in national systems of innovations. A solid base is formed in regional networks due to proximity, the common home market, and the relatively uncomplicated management of the network. Participation in networks forces higher education institutions to define their focal points of research and education in a more explicit way. Networking does, however, affect the management structure of higher education institutions in that the traditional structure of faculties and departments will no longer be suitable. (Contains 13 references.) (SW)

Discussion of whether and to what extent initial vocational training and adult education in European Community (EC) member countries can assume a modular form hinges on the issue of the module as an organizational principle. In such a context, modules are viewed not as closed teaching and learning units but rather as integral parts of a more extensive qualification or group of skills in the form of vocational training that is recognized by society and/or the labor market. From the participant's perspective, organizing vocational training in modules means that training can be tailored to individual needs. From the training provider's perspective, learning organized in modules is meaningful only if the modules have been clearly related to some overall qualification or recognized standard. Studies of modularization of education in six EC member states (Spain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Scotland) have confirmed that, to date, the concept of modular instruction has only been applied in isolated cases or with regard to certain target groups or problem areas. It is critical that the many unsystematic approaches to modularization be standardized and that modules be certified if they are to be transferred to standard training and further training systems and disseminated throughout the EC. (MN)

The key to success in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs is a philosophy of high expectations. The philosophy accommodates both client and societal concerns. Highlights of the philosophy include the following: respecting the client's goals; giving nonjudgmental acceptance, constant encouragement, and emotional support; communicating the idea that responsibility is liberating; making the program mandatory; and ensuring that work will be there at the end. Five overarching principles guide the process of bringing a high-expectations program to life: allow responsibility to flow to the information--toward line staff; invest in recruiting and training line staff; motivate with meaning and with measures; recognize "accountability drag"--and hold it down; and leadership is hard, but simple. A special implementation problem is inducing effective and efficient performance from partner agencies linked through contracts and client-referral mechanisms. Possible approaches are as follows: giving technical assistance, absorbing the risks entailed by outlays on long-lived assets, micromanagement, quantitative measures of performance, and payment for performance. The principal suggestion is to let as much of the work as possible be done by middle-manager operations specialists rather than by agency leaders. Agency contracting and purchasing staff are critical to the collaborative process and should be better mobilized to help top managers meet their program objectives. (Sixty-nine selected publications are cited.) (YLB)

Federal and state policy makers face 11 issues in implementing the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Amendments of 1990. A preliminary issue is whether federal policy makers or the states should establish further definitions of and restrictions on what constitutes tech prep (articulated secondary-postsecondary technical preparation programs). Assuming substantial state participation in defining policies related to tech prep, the next issue is the relationship between the secondary and the postsecondary state agencies. Another issue is the types of approaches to or models of tech prep appropriate for federal funding. Still other issues include whether states should allocate funds for tech prep by a competitive process or by formula; the kind of process states should establish to set state policies and develop state plans; fields of study that should qualify for tech prep programs; and whether there should be limitations on the ages of postsecondary students supported by tech prep funds. Other issues are the practices federal and state officials should encourage to ensure that as many students as possible complete tech-prep programs; steps they can take to ensure that tech prep programs are well connected to other programs in both secondary and postsecondary institutions; requirements in local applications; and the type of relationship between tech prep programs and efforts to integrate academic and vocational education under basic state grants. (YLB)

Vocational education deserves greater recognition, redefined purposes and methods, and a future in the mainstream of public education. Job-specific occupational training should be offered without sacrificing educational preparation generic to all vocations. Secondary vocational education should help students acquire core competencies that will promote job success. Schools should allow flexibility for students who must work, implement dropout identification programs, and coordinate programs to help potential dropouts gain job-seeking and job-keeping skills. Schools can renew and broaden their vocational mission by serving as vocational education catalysts and coordinating with business and industry to provide vocational education. Local schools should not necessarily house all vocational programs. Guidance counseling should be available to all students, cover all courses of study, equally encourage all occupations, and prevent sex bias in occupational planning. Certification for vocational educators needs to be overhauled to provide flexibility to allow recruitment of teachers from business and industry and their preparation through a combination of internship and inservice education. Inconsistencies between the New York State Education Department's occupational futuring plan and the Regents Action Plan should be eliminated by monitoring, evaluation, and revision. Learning opportunities for all students should stress the importance of adaptation to future change at work. (YLB)

Six exploratory papers by different authors from both the corporate sector and the public school systems present several relevant perspectives on business/education collaboration. The first, by Dr. Marsha Levine (who also provides the introduction to the collection), suggests three analytic frameworks for planning and implementing public/private ventures: (1) interinstitutional collaboration, (2) public-private partnership, and (3) a systems approach, relating schools to external organizations. The second, by Maurice Leiter of the United Federation of Teachers, takes a pragmatic view of public and private entities' shared reliance on a prosperous economy. The third, by Larry Cuban, a former school superintendent, identifies conflicting interests in corporate involvement with public schools, balanced by a shared concern for developing students' problem-solving skills. Richard Caldwell, in the fourth paper, identifies legal barriers to corporate involvement in public schools, the most significant being the question of equitable distribution of corporate resources in educational aid. The corporate view is presented in the fifth and sixth papers by representatives, respectively, of Control Data Corporation (Marcia Appel and Susan Schilling) and AEtna Institute for Corporate Education (Badi Foster and David Rippey). The former sees computer-based education as requiring fundamental changes in the relationship among education, business, and government, while the latter describes AEtna's external programs and establishes criteria for collaboration: accommodation, reciprocity, standards, and communication. (TE)

This report presents results of a task force analysis and synthesis of responses from the field regarding the discussion paper, Continuing Education: The Third System. It consists of seven components from which the task force analyzed responses. Within each of these sections, the analysis outlines points of consensus; points of controversy; and points of differences between school boards, colleges, and universities. The seven categories are definition and philosophy, adult basic education, coordination (local and provincial coordination and the roles of institutions), infrastructure (training of adult educators, provision of counseling and information services, information for future planning, and research), access to continuing education (TV Ontario, correspondence education, and distance education), legislation and funding, and francophone response. A list of points raised by respondents and not covered elsewhere in the report is also provided. Appendixes, amounting to approximately one-half of the report, include a distribution list of the discussion paper; a list of respondents; a review of selected literature relating to continuing education, entitled "Historical and Developmental Trends in Continuing Education"; and a copy of the response form. (YLB)

A partnership between the federal government and state and local education agencies is required to solve existing problems in vocational education. The federal government's strategy involves directing money to underserved populations; encouraging planning at all levels to produce more employable graduates; promoting research and demonstration of effective educational models; and establishing programs to employ and stimulate employment of youths and adults. The federal government discharges its responsibilities by supervising the state planning system, implementing the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, establishing state Research Coordinating Units, sponsoring research and demonstration activities through a contract with the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, and administering the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act. States must plan, develop, and disseminate occupational and career information, encourage innovative practices, and provide a general system of fiscal and program accountability. Local school districts must develop planning and working linkages with the community, provide feedback, and operate programs and delivery services. Three areas for improvement are cooperation among education providers, flexibility in programming, and involvement in occupational development. The scholar should evaluate, conduct research, assess the federal strategy, and redefine vocational education within the broad structure of education, training, and work. (YLB)

Vocational education programs cannot and should not serve all the population groups targeted by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA). Rather, they should and must collaborate and cooperate with the manpower community. In order to do that five major policy issues need to be dealt with: getting agreements to collaborate, prime sponsor and local education agency linkages, vocational education delivery system, education credit, and extended school days, facilities, and teachers. Although there is a basis for collaboration, there must be someone to play the role of facilitator/catalyst. In the absence of preexisting trust between CETA and vocational education, the development of a sense of shared interdependence is needed. Toward these ends, vocational education must examine the redefine the scope of responsibilities of the discipline, documenting the effectiveness and costs of current programs while discarding those which are no longer useful. It also must gear itself to serve the needs of a rapidly aging population. Each student should have his or her own IEP (individal employment program) developed, with the granting of academic credit for work experience as appropriate. The traditional school day must be extended, as must the settings in which vocational education can be offered. Inservice education for school personnel also is essential. Vocational education must respond to the demographic time bomb set to go off in 1995 by instituting systematic changes capable of accomodating these population shifts. Time is running out for the vocational education and manpower communities to work together voluntarily. (Answers to nine questions from the audience of educational research and development personnel are appended.) (MEK)

On an overall basis, the United States is still the cheapest free world country in which to produce goods. If the United States is to retain this distinction, however, steps must be taken to reverse the trend toward yearly declines in the rate of gain in U.S. productivity. One way in which vocational education can help increase the productivity of the American labor force is to place less emphasis on the job- and industry-specific skills that can be taught most effectively by industry itself and to concentrate instead on preparing students for a world of work in which they must never cease learning and growing. In general, vocational education has neither the facilities nor personnel to provide effective training in high technology areas. What vocational education can do, however, is to train workers in the basic, transferable skills that they will need to succeed in the job-specific training that is best provided by the private sector itself. Vocational educators also need to develop courses that will teach students how to handle, manage, and just get along with others. To do this most effectively, teachers and administrators alike must make increased efforts to ascertain first hand exactly what skills business and industry require of their prospective employees. (A series of questions and answers is appended.) (MN)

The changing nature of available work and the economic pressure of its international neighbors are necessitating rapid changes in U.S. education. Educators must eliminate the inapplicability and the crudeness of the present division between academic, vocational, and general educational programs in the secondary schools. The major challenge in the years ahead will be to create a more comprehensive continuum to cater to the gamut of human intellectual capabilities. Instead of vocational schools per se what is needed are schools of applied knowledge where people of various ages gather at different points in their lives to receive education and training in a variety of fields, including preparation for technical, paraprofessional, and artistic endeavors. Such a school or center will have two foci: it will concentrate more on concrete, more practical forms of education, and it will direct considerable resources to the transition from school to work. The school will be a center of learning and its boundaries will be near such transitional offices or units as placement or job service offices, work-study coordination agencies, guild or union facilities, and military and college recruitment outposts and social service welfare offices. (MN)

This document discusses measurement-driven instruction, necessary conditions for effective management, and effective program coordination in the context of the design, implementation, and coordination of future Follow Through programs. The discussion of measurement-driven instruction addresses several issues, including selection of objectives, test specifications, test items, instructional support systems, and revisions and remediation. Two measurement-driven instructional programs operated by the Detroit, Michigan, public school system are very briefly described. The section on effective management includes guidelines for promoting effective educational change and provides lists of conditions shown by research to be characteristic of effective schools and classrooms. The final section, discussing effective program coordination, provides suggestions for problem solving. First, the use of content as an integrating force is discussed. Second, school level planning is illustrated with examples from the Detroit Achievement Program, which requires each school to have an annually updated achievement plan. Third, some issues regarding equal educational opportunity are presented. An appendix includes three examples of competency-based instruction dealing with identifying main ideas, employing appropriate mechanics in writing, and problem solving in arithmetic. The examples describe the competency, provide a sample test item, describe test questions, provide guidelines for analyzing students' answers, and offer suggestions for instruction and possible teaching activities. (RH)

Vocational education for tomorrow must be an educational delivery system rather than a subject-matter content area. It must blend and interrelate the various areas to provide core competencies, employment skills, and employability skills in a truly integrated and comprehensive educational program. Academic and vocational education must not be placed in conflict with one another; rather, the secondary vocational curriculum should be redesigned in such a way as to allow for the extrapolation of academic competencies from the vocational curriculum. What is needed is an integrated curriculum approach focusing on the development of academic skills in an applied setting. Th regional area vocational school is particularly suited to such a curriculum. Whether offered at a comprehensive high school or area vocational school, vocational education must place more emphasis on codeveloping programs with local businesses and preparing students for the inevitable retraining that they will need throughout their working lives as the relentless pace of high technology reshapes the labor market every 5 to 10 years. Because vocational education is not a training program but rather an educational program preparing students to set the direction of their own lives and careers, it must integrate the job skills currently sought by employers with sound training in the basic skills, including technological literacy and career development skills. (MN)

In 1999, the Committee on Lifelong Learning of the Ministry of Learning in Alberta, Canada, conducted a series of consultations on lifelong learning to identify ways of helping adults return to learning to improve their employment potential and realize their career goals. The committee received input from more than 450 Albertans in 14 rural and urban communities. The committee synthesized the input received during the consultation process into the following recommendations: (1) enhance the flexibility of learning opportunities; (2) promote a coordinated approach to recognition of prior learning and promote course/program transferability; (3) enhance community-based learning; (4) promote trades as a career choice; (5) provide more opportunities for applied learning; (6) encourage learning providers to collaborate for adult upgrading opportunities in adult settings; (7) improve adult literacy; (8) enhance provision of English-as-a-second language programming; (9) build confidence for adults to pursue lifelong learning; (10) increase awareness of adult counseling and career development services; (11) support funding for lifelong learning; (12) encourage government and employers to support lifelong learning; (13) achieve effective use of technology, including learning technologies; (14) encourage seniors' participation in lifelong learning; (15) develop a directory of learning opportunities and supports; (16) develop a policy framework for lifelong learning; and (17) communicate the importance of lifelong learning. (MN)

This document contains 27 essays and 5 policy statements regarding creation of a comprehensive and unified federal employment and training policy for youth and adults. The following essays are included: "In Search of the American Way" (Wills); "Rethink the Demand Side" (Smith); "The Federal Government as a Change Agent" (Nathan); "Making Sense of Federal Job Training Policy" (Spring); "Why Consolidation?" (Twomey); "Creating a National Human Resources Development System" (McGuire); "Future Directions for Employment & Training Policy" (Ganzglass); "Let's Build a System, Finally" (Butler); "Reinventing Federal Training Programs" (Carnevale); "Advancing America's Workforce" (Sofranac); "A Stitch in Time...Designing a Seamless Delivery System" (Pines); "A Labor Look at Job Training in 1995" (Roberts); "Youth Perspectives: Voices from the San Francisco Youth Coalition" (Eagleson, Bacher, Quizon); "Job Training Reform, Youth Development & Youth Corps" (Moore); "Approaching a New Era of Job Training" (Stoneman); "Developing Career Centers from the Inside Out" (Dorrer); Changing Our Approach to Federal Job Training Policy" (Strumpf); "Employment & Training" (Packer); "Management and Substance" (Sturomski); "Policy Opportunities for Teens in an Era of Change" (Hahn); "Anecdotes & Public Policy Prisms in Employment & Training" (Taylor); "Ensuring Equity for Young Women in Job Training" (Wurf); "Improving Employment Options of People with Disabilities" (Bartels); "Investment or Disinvestment?" (Kaplan); "Job Training Reform Must Assure Women Equity, Access and Specialized Direct Services" (Miller); "Vocational Education" (Jennings); and "A Community College Perspective" (Visdos). Also included are the following policy statements/recommendations: "Guiding Principles on Consolidation" (National Association of Counties and National Association of County Training & Employment Professionals); "Guiding Principles for Establishment of a Comprehensive & Consolidated Workforce Preparation & Development System" (U.S. Conference of Mayors); "Main Components of the G.I. Bill for America's Workers" (excerpted from President Clinton's Middle Class Bill of Rights); "Declaration of Intent" (excerpted from H.R. 511 introduced on January 13, 1995 by Representative Buck McKeon); and "Consolidating & Reforming Federal Job Training Programs" (joint statement by Senators Kennedy and Kassenbaum excerpted from Congressional Record, June 9, 1994.) (MN)

Australian commonwealth, state, and territory ministers for education and training established a joint working party to develop a draft national policy on adult and community education (ACE) in Australia. Recognizing that the precise boundaries of ACE are best set by individual states and territories, the working party refrained from developing any strict definition of ACE and instead based its draft policy on the following underlying principles: (1) adults have diverse and changing learning needs throughout their lives and therefore require a correspondingly diverse range of accessible and affordable education services with variety of provision and plurality of choice; (2) adult learning is best delivered through learner-centered curricula and methodologies; and (3) community-based services that support and strengthen existing community networks and help create new ones are likely to be highly responsive to the needs of their communities. The draft policy's framework was as follows: (1) realization of the potential of ACE; (2) access and equity; (3) opportunities and outcomes; (4) learning pathways; (5) quality; and (6) partnerships. Intended outcomes and strategies for achieving them were developed for each item. (Names and addresses of the working party members are appended.) (MN)

The Coalition on Women and Job Training has developed a women's job training agenda that focuses on nine issues related to women's full participation in training and achievement of economic self-sufficiency. The issues highlighted in the agenda are as follows: (1) the need to make long-term economic self-sufficiency the goal of all employment and training policies; (2) the importance of developing training programs to provide individuals with a mix of basic and advance academic skills, competencies in all aspects of industry, and a range of prevocational services; (3) the need for support services such as dependent care and transportation; (4) the importance of comprehensive and uniform evaluation of both student and program performance; (5) the need to ensure that women and other disadvantaged groups receive a fair share of the benefits of job creation efforts; (6) the potential pitfalls of instituting mandated employer contributions for worker training without ensuring gender and racial equality in allocation of the revenues raised; (7) the key role of apprenticeships in job training initiatives; (8) the essential nature of comprehensive welfare-to-work programs; and (9) the dangers of detrimental consolidation of agencies and services in the name of increased coordination. (MN)

The Nevada Council on Occupational Education (NCOE) recommends that the following agencies/organizations continue to bear responsibility for third-party (private sector) assessment and monitoring of vocational education and job training programs in Nevada: State Job Training Partnership Coordinating Council, private industry councils, state technical committees, and the State Council on Vocational Education. The NCOE further endorses retention of Nevada's current planning process and supports the development of a Human Resource Investment Council (HRIC) to be chaired by the governor or a designee and to include the state-level administrators of 10 federal vocational education, job training, and employment programs funded under 12 acts, including the following: Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, Job Training Partnership Act, Adult Education Act, Social Security Act (Title IV), Emergency Immigrant Education Act, and Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The HRIC should develop a coordination plan that includes the following: written cooperative agreement for use with participating agencies/governing authorities, description of all common participant goals for all federally supported human resource development efforts, uniform definitions of program participant eligibility, granting process, program funding priorities, and program evaluation process. (MN)

This product of a Leadership Training Institute/Vocational and Special Education contains a series of policy papers intended to identify and address several issues that relate to developing effective cooperation and agreement among agencies. Four papers address these topics and issues: (1) State Planning for Interagency Cooperation, (2) Training Educational Personnel to Implement Effective Interagency Cooperation and Agreements for Serving Handicapped Learners, (3) Preparing Vocational and Special Education Personnel for Working with Students Who Have Special Needs, and (4) Effective Linkages for Interagency Cooperation. Each paper suggests major issues for further consideration and/or recommendations. An epilogue summarizes the papers' contents. (YLB)

Ten topic papers examine federal laws and programs affecting persons with disabilities and make recommendations for improved use of federal money. The papers cover: (1) equal opportunity laws, examining the status of disability-related equal opportunity laws and identifying gaps in coverage, shortcomings and inconsistencies in interpretation and application, and deficiencies in enforcement; (2) employment, focusing on transition programs, supported work, placement initiatives, and sheltered employment; (3) disincentives to work under social security laws; (4) prevention of disabilities, addressing existing programs, problems, and gaps in legislation and programs; (5) transportation, focusing on urban mass transit, air travel, bus travel, Amtrak, and private transportation; (6) housing, dealing with federal housing assistance and loan programs as well as nondiscrimination and fair housing requirements; (7) community-based services for independent living, which explores services for individuals with various levels of handicap and the costs and benefits of community-based independent living services; (8) educating children with disabilities, dealing with early childhood and preschool programs and integration of special education classes and programs into regular educational settings; (9) personal assistance, which outlines issues and national policy for providing attendant services; and (10) coordination of policy development and of program administration. (JDD)

This paper discusses an approach to educational improvement through collaboration between schools and universities. It develops the concept of symbiosis between unlike institutions in which each recognizes need for the other in seeking to fulfill its self-interest. The first section defines the essential characteristics of successful renewal: that workers at all levels must have optimal opportunities to combine their expertise, and that there must be a continuous infusion of both relevant knowledge and alternative ideas for practice stemming from inquiry into the enterprise. Accordingly, the first section reviews past symbiotic efforts at educational reform that have collectively contributed insights to a partnership strategy. Based on these insights, the essentials of school-university partnerships are defined: (1) complementary dissimilarity among the partners; (2) overlapping self-interests and the recognition of such by all partners; and (3) commitment among all partners to the belief that the potential gains in satisfying self-interest are worth the efforts and inevitable sacrifices of close collaboration. The last part of the paper describes the principles, mission, goals, and structure of the National Network for Educational Renewal, which consists of 14 partnerships in different states. (TE)

The need for cooperation between bilingual teachers and teachers of English as a second language is addressed in this position paper. Operational definitions and characteristics of bilingual education and English as a second language are presented, and the interrelationship of bilingual education and English as a second language is clarified. The position of the international organization of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages regarding bilingual education is established, and activities to assure the successful achievement of the stated goal are identified. The position of the international organization is endorsement and support of the bilingual approach to education; it is recognized as providing students of limited English proficiency with equal educational opportunities. English as a second language is an integral and essential component of bilingual-bicultural programs in the United States. (SW)

This paper defines and discusses the nature of management; outlines the primary management functions and activities, emphasizing the importance of communication and coordination to successful management; and examines the place of communication as a management function in the library setting. After a discussion of the key role of coordination in management, various approaches to organizational coordination are outlined, including chain of command, grouping of activities, formation of committees, and informal discussions. Some of the basic definitions of the manager's role within the organization and the qualities common to managers and administrators are then reviewed. A discussion of the tasks and functions of the manager with respect to problem solving, planning, staffing, and coordination is followed by a discussion of the nature, importance, and purpose of communication within organizations. The relationships between organizational communication and conflicts in library administration, time usage in libraries, and library effectiveness are then addressed. The activities of librarians that are facilitated by effective communication are briefly reviewed. A reference list and three figures accompany the text. (JL)

This occasional paper provides a comprehensive review of literature pertaining to one of the major activities of the Center for Educational Renewal: the establishment of school-university partnerships for mutual improvement and the creation of a national network for purposes of supporting and communicating among the partnerships. After a brief introduction, the second section reviews the literature that defines key terms used throughout the monograph: networks, collaboratives, cooperatives, partnerships, and other terminology. Section 3 provides a historical perspective on school-university collaboration, while section 4 examines contemporary examples. Section 5, "The Whys, Wherefores, and Whatnots of Collaboration," examines the reasons individuals and organizations offer for seeking collaborative arrangements, and considers the benefits claimed for such efforts. It then reviews the obstacles reported as creating difficulties for those who seek success through collaboration, and concludes with a set of suggestions for making collaboration succeed. The final section examines implications for study and action. A selective annotated bibliography is appended, followed by a standard comprehensive bibliography. (TE)

The Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) designs and tests methods of creating and strengthening cooperation among providers and between providers and users of rural public services. PRI has defined six types of collaboration (voluntary, involuntary, formal, informal, direct, and indirect) and strives for voluntary collaboration among agencies, with a balance between formal and informal collaboration. Collaboration occurs in varying degrees ranging from simple awareness of another organization's existence (cooperation) through planned participation on projects (collaboration) to a planned overlapping of boards and a joint setting of policy (integration). Both among and within organizations, horizontal and vertical collaboration are necessary. Ideal collaboration involves perfect communication and understanding of expectations and implementation among all relevant persons at all working levels of all involved organizations. Still, certain conditions must be present for a voluntary collaborative arrangement to succeed. The conditions include personal commitment of involved individuals, obvious benefits to involved organizations, organizational support for individuals, and effective communication. Feeling that collaborative relationships develop hierarchically, PRI attempts to further collaborate by teaching workshops to meet organizational needs at four progressively complex levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, intraorganizational, and interorganizational. PRI itself illustrates how to use this conceptual framework in implementing an active collaborative program. (SB)

The point is made that teacher educators must not be categorically included or excluded from teacher center activities, but should be considered on the basis of their personal worth and their individual teaching and/or research competencies. Stronger links are needed between the educational research community, as well as the research on teaching community, and teacher centers. Individual teachers and teacher educators can provide the means for this critical cooperation. Although stress is likely to be encountered by teachers and particularly teacher educators attempting to assume the linking role, the transition is not only possible but is essential for the improved reception of educational research into the teaching community via the teacher center. (LH)

The way in which university academic service units evolved historically is considered, a theoretical framework is outlined representing the present organizational relationship between the managerial perspective of these units and the university policy-making perspective, and a model is proposed for integrating academic service units into university policy formulation activity using institutional research as the primary organizational facilitator. Examples of academic service units are admissions, the registrar, financial aid, and institutional research, but they can include any professional-staff unit that deals directly with the curricular sector of university administration. These units directly affect the university policy-making process in the way they interpret and implement policy decisions, and if they are not integrated into the process, the potential exists for the formulation of piecemeal and ineffective policies. It is suggested that academic service unit professionals are differentiated from university policy makers and among each other based on functional roles within the university's operational framework, and that a coordinator is needed to maintain intergroup communication through the exchange of systematic information. The proposed model would enable overall university goals, policies, and plans to be defined utilizing the insight and information of all major participant groups in the policy formulation process. Feedback to goal setters by the operational or managerial professionals is included in the process. It is suggested that institutional researchers can help define issues and policies based on a university-wide perspective, and that they provide technical understanding to develop and evaluate the data base. A bibliography is appended. (SW)

Key ingredients of long-range planning described in the literature during the last 10 years, the role of an office of institutional research, and a coordinated long-range planning process as it might occur in a public four-year college or university are described. A successful long-range planning process is characterized by centralized coordination of planning, involvement of the chief executive, use of a planning council, and decentralized planning. The data generated by an institutional research office for program reviews, accreditation self-studies, and similar efforts can be applied to the planning process. Self-studies can be used to develop new or revised goals and objectives and the means to achieve them, and institutional researchers can analyze data and forecast future conditions. Four planning models are cited, including Parekh's (1975) planning kit, which outlines the process through a series of matrices, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (1978) planning manual. The next stage of the planning process is to develop a mission statement or revise the existing statement if necessary. The economy, energy costs, and demographics are among the factors that affect college planning. The relationship between the institutional mission and the goals of each academic department and academic support unit needs to be evaluated, and considered in relation to the final college plan. The importance of integrating academic, financial, and physical planning is emphasized. (SW)

Founded in 1945 as a non-profit national organization for home economics students in secondary schools, Future Homemakers of America (FHA) provides a framework for youth-planned and -directed activities to enrich the home economics curriculum. It emphasizes cooperation as a means of helping youth grow as individuals and contributing family and society members. Whether operating within the classroom or as a separate entity, FHA chapters conduct activities related to class skills and knowledge. Youth participate at the National Board of Directors and represent the organization at state and national meetings. FHA concerns in leadership development and personal growth are preparation for the student's future dual role of homemaker/wage earner and development of values and relationship skills. Chapter involvement has resulted in individual growth programs, cooperative chapter projects, hands-on experiences, and teen-operated businesses. One member's personal concern with teenage pregnancies developed into the National Peer Education Project. In addition to being active collaboratively within the National Coordinating Council for Vocational Student Organizations structure, FHA has joined with 11 other national groups to form the National Collaboration for Youth. Legislative needs of FHA are recognition by name in the legislation and making vocational education monies available for youth travel. (YLB)

Intended to illuminate the issues surrounding the coordination of vocational training systems in developing countries, this document raises questions about what should be coordinated, how, by whom, and for what purpose. After an introduction, the following six sections are presented: (1) "The Nature of Coordination," which distinguishes coordination from management and defines coordination as bringing parts or separate entities together in a proper relationship, thereby causing them to function together for a wider purpose; (2) "Coordination amongst Nonformal Skill Providers," which offers advice on coordination issues relevant to private institutional training and training both within and outside government; (3) "Coordination with the Formal Education System," which raises issues regarding the coordination between general education, occupational skills acquisition, vocational education, and vocational training; (4) "Coordination with the Outside World," which discusses the relationships between training and manpower, training and technological change, training and the labor market, and training and the business/industrial enterprise; (5) "Mechanisms for Coordination," which describes a "coordinating ministry" model and a "training council" model; and, finally, (6) "Summary and Conclusions." (CML)

Existing Department of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) policy and practice in link courses are reviewed, and some proposals are made on the development of that policy. Issues or questions raised by these policies are juxtaposed with the presentation of link program policy. Chapter 1 considers the background of the link course program and defines the link program as being comprised of part-time courses usually conducted within a TAFE institution to offer secondary students a sample of a wide range of employment areas. Bases of operation for the link program are discussed in chapter 2. These include mutual commitment and mutual planning by secondary schools and TAFE institutions, use of exclusive resources, access to an adult learning environment, curriculum guidelines, cautions related to narrowing students' vocational options in link courses, counseling, and staff development. Chapter 3 focuses on data collection policy. The 1982 record-keeping situation is summarized; an assessment of commitment/cost is outlined, and a centralized transitional education record system is proposed. Chapter 4 addresses the priorities and responsibilities for financing. Appendixes include an interim link course policy and record-keeping forms. (YLB)

The vocational education system was started in the United States by a collaborative effort of employers, educators, and unions. If vocational education is to meet the critical skill needs of industry, Federal policies providing for broader governance and an incremental approach to the planning and delivery of vocational education programs are necessary. Rather than relying on government corrective action to adjust curricula after skill needs have already changed, vocational education planners need to build adjustments to changing technology and labor markets into the system. Federal vocational education policy must encourage States and local school districts to deal with all elements of the school-to-work transition, including job placement, job search education, and employment assistance services. When planning for the delivery of occupational education to adult learners, Federal policymakers need to focus on efforts to assist adults in making occupational adjustments and to aid employers in upgrading their labor force. It is imperative that Federal policymakers take steps to meet national skill shortages, promote entrepreneurship, and integrate the multitude of Federal human resource development efforts currently underway. (MN)

Schools connect students with peers and mentors, channel youthful energy into productive pursuits, teach essential academic skills and knowledge, and give overwhelmed parents room to breathe and work. Adapting to the challenges of COVID-19 gives America's schools the opportunity to provide what is uniquely possible in the schoolhouse while seeking new ways to fully use technology and community partnerships. As communities and public officials start to think about the problems ahead, states, districts, and schools should consider at least six different buckets of work: (1) school operations; (2) whole child supports; (3) school personnel, (4) academics; (5) distance learning; and (6) other general considerations. Together with a task force of accomplished educational leaders--including former state chiefs, superintendents, federal education officials, and charter network leaders--this report sketches a framework that can help state policymakers, education and community leaders, and federal officials plan appropriately for reopening. [Written with Chris Cerf, Carrie Conaway, Sharif El-Mekki, Dale Erquiaga, Kaya Henderson, Duncan Klussmann, Wayne Lewis, Phyllis Lockett, Candice McQueen, Karega Rausch, Nina Rees, Gerard Robinson, Andrew Rotherham, Ian Rowe, Irvin Scott, Hanna Skandera, David Steiner, Joanne Weiss, and John White. For a shortened version of the report "A Blueprint for Back to School. Education Studies," see ED606267.]

This paper explores the barriers and possible solutions toward the implementation of the goal of a coordinated service system for young children with special needs and their families. The components of the vision of a comprehensive, interagency, multidisciplinary, coordinated service system are outlined, such as interdisciplinary cooperation, a significant family role, and services for all eligible children. A table lists some of the grounding assumptions in the health, special education, and social services professions. The paper discusses whether change called for by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act should be revolutionary, which would attack these grounding assumptions, or evolutionary, which would preserve the grounding assumptions. The paper then considers how the actual implementation of the vision would vary by context, how the steps necessary to move from the current system to the new vision must be determined, and how to develop strategies by which appropriate resources are obtained for the new vision. (Contains 36 references.) (JDD)

This paper presents a summary of early care and education policies for young children (ages 3-5) and then offers recommendations on how these efforts might be coordinated at the state and local levels. The policy summary is organized around the components of early care--child care, early childhood education, and early intervention for children at risk of developing a disability. Under child care, specific policies that either reduce the cost of child care, promote quality and expansion, or support parents' education and employment are identified. Under early childhood education, the increasing emphasis on providing services for "at-risk" children is noted. Under early intervention, policy and attitudinal challenges are seen in efforts to provide early intervention services in mainstream settings. Six specific recommendations address: (1) coordination of structures through establishment of coordinating bodies at both state and local levels; (2) creation of administrative structures which administer programs in all three service areas; (3) establishment of personnel standards; (4) development of quality assurance structures; (5) allowance for blended funding so that children need not be served by categorical funding streams; and (6) provision of family friendly service options. An appendix lists seven organizational resources for information on early childhood policies and programs. (Contains 27 references.) (DB)

The need for employment training delivery systems to work cooperatively in preparing a trained work force is described. A brief review of the literature lists seven major employment training delivery systems which operate independently of each other; discusses the problems associated with their lack of cooperation; and argues that cooperation among these systems is essential at this time. The delivery systems listed are: the military, the Job Training Partnership Act, business and industry, apprenticeship, universities, public vocational education, and proprietary or independent schools. Five major principles which should be incorporated into cooperative programs are presented along with examples of procedures for achieving each principle. The principles, which were identified by a questionnaire survey of representatives of the seven major delivery systems, are: (1) reduce competition and encourage cooperation among the providers of employment training; (2) ensure the quality and relevance of employment training; (3) ensure that employment training programs are accessible and available; (4) increase the efficiency of employment training; and (5) ensure ongoing planning and evaluation of the employment training system and its components. (DC)

The report describes the planning and implementation of a 12 month longitudinal approach to establishing linkages between agencies serving the vocational needs of handicapped persons in New Jersey. Plans called for a statewide workshop with regional leaders followed by regional workshops with local leaders. Planning steps included selection of workshop participants and locations. Highlights of the statewide conference are presented along with information on followup. Brief evaluation comments cite project weaknesses (such as need for attracting more participants from agencies other than the public schools) and strengths (including the use of group leaders and recorders to facilitate discussion). Sample agendas and lists of participants are appended. (CL)

the position statements of the Association for Retarded Citizens address major issues in early intervention for preschool age children with possible handicaps. Among statements offered are that public support should be maintained in maternal and child health block grant and in preschool incentive grants and demonstration programs; that multi-faceted screening programs should be available to all children at birth; that categorical labeling should be postponed until there is adequate proof of a specific condition; that a variety of services should be available to young at-risk and developmentally delayed children and their families; that parents should be afforded the opportunity to become involved in the intervention program; and that services should be coordinated among public and private agencies. (CL)

Employers are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies for information technology (IT) positions because of rapid growth in the demand for IT workers, high turnover, and the unique characteristics of IT work. In response to the growing demand for IT workers, public and private education and training providers are expanding their offerings and public and private organizations are working to match jobseekers with IT job vacancies. To increase their success in meeting employers' and jobseekers' needs, these services must align more closely with employers' internal labor markets and tailor themselves to the unique characteristics of IT work and workers. Education and training providers must understand the specific enduring and perishable hard (technological) and soft knowledge and skills required for success in IT jobs. The consensus of the research is that successfully solving IT problems requires not just theoretical knowledge and abstract skills but also the ability to apply such knowledge and skills to the social and technical context of the problem at hand. Working together to create internships for students and trainees could be the first step toward more sustained partnerships between IT employers and education and training providers. The regional training consortium is a promising model for creating sustainable partnerships to integrate work and learning. (Contains 37 references.) (MN)

This document uses interviews with 18 practitioners as the basis for an examination of the barriers to and promise of strategies intended to build effective, comprehensive, community-based service initiatives for children and families in a deregulated policy environment. Four major barriers are identified: (1) structural/legal barriers, reflected in legal constraints, regulations, and procedural requirements; (2) barriers to collaboration related to staff knowledge and commitment, which may result from a lack of technical expertise or rigid attitudes among administrators and service providers that limit the ability of initiatives to work collaboratively; (3) political support barriers, which relate to challenges of establishing and maintaining external support for an initiative among political and policy officials, key constituency groups, and the general public; (4) management information and evaluation data system barriers, which concern difficulties in constructing cross-agency data networks and outcomes-based assessment systems necessary for effective planning, budgeting, management, and evaluation. Policy directions at the state level holding promise for overcoming these constraints are also delineated: (1) coordinate state agency program strategies and resource allocation policies; (2) move toward an accountability system based on achieving desired results for children and families through reducing procedural regulation of service delivery; (3) invest in cross-agency information infrastructures; (4) encourage more integrated pre-service training experiences for service administrators and front-line providers; (5) provide monetary incentives for collaboration; (6) help ensure multi-year funding for comprehensive initiatives. A description of The Finance Project and a list of resources available from the Project's Working Papers Series conclude the document. Contains 22 references. (KDFB)

This paper discusses the nature and availability of early childhood care and education in Illinois and advances recommendations to improve the current system. It argues that current multiple federal, state, and local funding streams, with different eligibility requirements and administrations, divide families and programs into artificial and inappropriate categories, and lead to serious inequalities in quality and comprehensiveness. Despite a recent surge in the number of coordinating bodies, planning initiatives, and service integration efforts, Illinois families still face a maze of programs, eligibility requirements, application procedures, and unconnected services. The following recommendations are offered: (1) the creation of a cabinet-level state department of early childhood services; (2) the creation of a state-level entity within the governor's office with the authority to ensure collaboration of early childhood services across agencies; (3) the development of mechanisms to ensure that early childhood issues of access, quality, and coordination are part of local community planning efforts; (4) the development of an expanded state prekindergarten program to include children from birth through age 5; and (5) the development of a centralized computer information system. (MDM)

This paper begins by presenting tips on developing technical training partnerships from the perspective of the local director of the Ohio Industrial Training Program. This section indicates that every linkage needs a catalyst and that the role of the Ohio Industrial Training Program is to be such a catalyst. The issues and concerns of which the company must be made aware are discussed. The next section provides tips gained from the experiences of a joint effort by the United Auto Workers and General Motors at the Mansfield-Ontario Plant. Training requirements, course content, and student/trainee issues, such as counseling, grading policy, and employee assessment are considered. Some practical tips are suggested for pushing to get the most out of the partnership. Tips from a technical college's perspective are offered next. These include suggestions for facilities and equipment, a customized course development process, faculty/staff requirements, student services, financial management, and marketing of training programs. The paper concludes with Ohio Board of Regents background information concerning EnterpriseOhio, a statewide network of Ohio's public community colleges, technical colleges, and university branch campuses, which is intended to develop a productive and technologically advanced work force for Ohio's industries and businesses. Organization, programs and services, and working groups are discussed. (YLB)

Many believe that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 represents the most sweeping national education reform legislation in decades. NCLB's provisions have created numerous potential opportunities and challenges for career and technical education (CTE), including in the following areas: (1) teacher quality; (2) expansion of the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 (Ed Flex); (3) professional development; (4) assessment; (5) counseling; (6) adequate yearly progress; (7) opportunities for Native Americans, Hawaiians, and Alaskans; (8) comprehensive school reform; (9) women's education; and (10) opportunities for other specific groups, such as individuals with limited English proficiency and immigrants, inmates of correctional institutions, and homeless children. Specific implications of NCLB for CTE are as follows: (1) some state CTE programs with a role in core academic courses will have to adhere to new requirements regarding teacher qualifications; (2) NCLB makes various Perkins Act programs eligible for participation in Ed Flex; and (3) all students, including CTE students, will be expected to perform at "proficient" levels on state assessments by 2014. Eight World Wide Web sites dealing with NCLB are listed. (MN)