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This descriptive and evaluative report on the Napa County Business/Education Partnership (NCBEP) project describes the efforts of Napa Valley College (NVC), the Napa Valley Unified School District, and the County Office of Education to involve educators and business representatives in the development of a regional planning process for career-vocational education. Following introductory sections and information on the project's mission and goals, part I describes the final organizational model for the NCBEP, including information on the functions and membership of the executive, steering, needs assessment, planning and development, and student services committees, and the Regional Subject Area Advisory Committee for Business Education. Part II reviews the process of model development, which included: (1) forming a regional planning group; (2) developing the organizational structure; and (3) establishing committees designed to: assess the needs of regional employers, identify current gaps and duplications in vocational education programs, establish accountability criteria, develop a regional data collection system, identify coordination issues, develop action plans, examine student support services, and assess business curricula countywide. This section also discusses the impact of the state budget crisis. Part III discusses the relationship of NCBEP to the goals of the California Plan for Career-Vocational Education. Part IV summarizes interim and final evaluation findings. Finally, part V offers recommendations for the model's replication. Appendixes provide the employer needs assessment report and survey instrument; sub-committee report summaries; and the evaluation survey instrument. (PAA)

To create the foundation for the development of a model curriculum for the 1990's for the training of Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), Napa Valley college conducted a statewide study comparing vocational nursing program curricula with employer requirements. To assist the study, an advisory committee was established, which included practicing nurses, and representatives from nursing programs, care provider agencies, and the licensing board. Through a series of questionnaires, data was collected from employers of vocational nurses (118 questionnaires returned out of 258 sent out), from accredited vocational nursing programs (47 questionnaires returned for a 60.8% response rate), and from currently employed LVN's (56 questionnaires returned for a 25% response rate). Five regional workshops were held in May and June 1990 with 85 nursing educators and administrators attending to validate the data and make recommendations for a model curriculum to meet current service needs, taking into account affirmative action concerns and requirements. Major findings of the study included the following: (1) the need for LVN's is increasing; (2) graduates are currently meeting the needs of agencies; (3) the need for LVN certification in intravenous therapy and blood withdrawal skills is increasing; and (4) there exists a need for student assistance in basic skills, English as a Second Language, and access to child care. Appendixes include extensive graphic data tables, the names of advisory committee members, and copies of the study questionnaires; model curriculum components are outlined. (JMC)

Cross-Age Tutoring and School Store, two courses combining classroom learning and application of specific skills outside the classroom are evaluated. Students in Cross-Age Tutoring were taught tutoring and communication skills and spent four days per week tutoring at nearby elementary schools; students in School Store were taught business and interpersonal skills and operated an on campus store. These courses are examples of the "Alternatives" or "Service Opportunities" approaches to substance abuse prevention. The general goals of the courses were to foster positive attitudes and behaviors regarding self, peers, and school. These changes were expected to reduce, in subsequent years, student acceptance and use of psychoactive substances. Process data included: a survey of participants at the end of the course, observation of selected course sessions and practica, and interviews with teachers and some students from each course. Both courses (including practica) were well received by the students. Analyses of covariance did not reveal a coherent pattern of treatment effects. The lack of treatment effects was attributed to a possible failure of the courses to require sustained effort for mastery of goals, and to stimulate adequate commitment among the participating students. (Author/GK)

This study provides a follow-up assessment of an innovative drug education program for seventh and eighth graders. Students learned Lasswell's framework for understanding human needs and motives, a systematic decision-making procedure, and information about the pharmacological, psychological, and social consequences of licit and illicit drug use. The course focused primarily upon "soft" drug use--tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. One social studies class from each of nine matched pairs was randomly assigned to receive the drug education course. The remaining classes constituted the control group. The follow-up questionnaire was administered one year after the completion of the course. Testing covered (1) drug knowledge; (2) general attitudes toward drug use; (3) perceived benefits and costs of various types of substance use; (4) perceived peer attitudes toward, and use of, various substances; and (5) intentions to use, current use, and lifetime use of various substances. The only short-term effect of the course that sustained at follow-up was greater drug knowledge for grade 8 males. As compared to their controls, the experimental students were more opposed to hard drug use. (Author/GK)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Jigsaw as a strategy to prevent substance abuse. Jigsaw is a structered peer teaching program in which students teach part of the regular classroom curriculum to a group of peers. The goals of Jigsaw were to make student learning more active and student-student interactions more cooperative. As a result of these changes, students were expected to develop more positive attitudes, behaviors and norms regarding self, peers and school. Eventually, these gains should reduce students' acceptance and use of psychoactive substances. The treatment group consisted of 13 fourth-sixth grade teachers and their 261 students. Thirty teachers and their 560 students served as the nonparticipant comparison group. The Jigsaw in-service training consisted of two-hour sessions, held once a week for nine weeks, and one review session held six weeks later. The trainer assisted teachers in their classrooms both before and after the training ended. Participant and nonparticipant teachers and students were pre- and post-tested and data regarding achievement and attendance were gathered from school district records. Teachers also rated their students' classroom behavior. (Author/CE)

A survey was conducted of Napa Valley College (NVC) graduates who completed a degree or certificate program in the 1984-85 academic year. Surveys were sent to 320 graduates to determine what percentage achieved their educational goal by the time they left NVC; graduates' satisfaction with their NVC experience; the extent to which they took advantage of the resources available at NVC; and graduates' employment and transfer experiences. Study findings, based on a 56% response rate, included the following: (1) 89% of the graduates indicated that they were either employed on a full-time basis (50%) or were attending college (39%); (2) 37% stated that their primary reason for attending the college was to earn an associate degree and then transfer to a four-year college; (3) 90% indicated that they had achieved their major educational goal by the time they left NVC; (4) of the students who did not achieve their goal of transfer to a four-year college, 25% did not do so for financial reasons (25%) and 25% because they accepted a full-time job instead; and (5) 85% of the respondents felt that they were adequately prepared to succeed in the courses they took during their first year at NVC. Based on study findings, recommendations were developed for improving the image of the NVC, making information about financial aid more accessible to students, ensuring that students receive personal attention, improving students' college survival skills, and increasing student involvement in learning. The survey instrument is appended. (RO)

Designed to assist staff at Napa Valley College (NVC) in their efforts to develop short- and long-range plans for the institution, this report reviews recent reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding trends in the labor force. Following introductory material, the report looks at occupations with the largest job growth, the 20 fastest growing and fastest declining occupations from 1984 to 1995, and projected changes in employment for college-educated workers by occupation. Major trends in the labor force that may affect NVC are reviewed, including: (1) an increase in the importance of college degrees in the labor force; (2) increased participation of women in the labor force; (3) a decline in labor market participation among persons aged 55 or over; (4) increases in employment of electronics and engineering technical personnel; (5) increases in employment in health-related occupations; and (6) changes in employment prospects for office clerical workers, hotel and restaurant industry workers, protective service occupations, computer occupations, machine tool and welding occupations, education-related occupations, and scientific occupations. Finally, the report assesses the growing use of technology in the workplace. Each trend is discussed in terms of its implications for program and curriculum planning at NVC. (AYC)

A study was conducted to document the progress of students who entered Napa Valley College (NVC) in fall 1984 with the educational objective of earning a degree or certificate. Persistence rates, changes in enrollment status, grades, and withdrawal patterns of 2,319 first-time college students were monitored from fall 1984 to spring 1986. Study findings included the following: (1) 42% of the original sample group were still enrolled in spring 1985, and 24% were still enrolled in spring 1986; (2) semester-to-semester persistence rates tended to be higher among day students than evening students; (3) 36% of the students persisting at NVC in spring 1985 changed their enrollment status from full- to part-time; (4) among students who did not re-enroll in spring 1985, 55% received all F's, W's, and/or No Credit grades in fall 1984, an additional 22% received a mixture of passing and unsatisfactory grades, and the remaining 22% failed and/or withdrew from one or more of their courses in fall 1984 and then withdrew from all classes in spring 1985; (5) the decision of students to withdraw from college took place during the first and, to a lesser extent, second semester, in which they were enrolled; and (6) students who received unsatisfactory grades in one term were likely to receive unsatisfactory grades in subsequent semesters. (EJV)

In November 1984, a study was conducted at Napa Valley College (NVC) to assess student satisfaction with the college's programs and services. An in-class survey was completed by 835 day and evening students enrolled in credit classes during the fall 1984 semester. Study findings included the following: (1) most students were attending NVC to prepare for transfer to a four-year institution (35%), obtain an associate degree (15%), or complete a vocational/technical program (9%); (2) the four most common reasons for choosing NVC were location, course offerings, low cost, and quality education provided by the college; (3) availability of the courses wanted by students at times convenient for them was the only feature of the instructional program with which a sizeable percentage (23%) of the students expressed dissatisfaction; (4) well over half of the students lacked sufficient information to express an opinion about student voice in college policies, student government, and opportunities for involvement in student activities; (5) the longer the students were enrolled at NVC, the more likely they were to use support services; and (6) student characteristics could best be described as diverse with respect to educational objectives, age, level of formal education, and outside job commitments. Data tables and the survey instrument are included. (Author/AYC)

In winter 1983, a survey of Napa Valley College (NVC) graduates was conducted to determine the percentage of 1983-84 graduates who achieved their goal by the time they left NVC; graduate satisfaction with instructional quality and with the overall quality of NVC; graduate satisfaction with employment or transfer preparation; employment patterns; and salaries. Each of the 391 students who received a degree or certificate from NVC during 1983-84 and for whom addresses were available were mailed a questionnaire. Study findings, based on a 61% response rate, included the following: (1) 94% of the graduates were either employed (57%) or attending college (37%); (2) 46% of the respondents had originally attended NVC to prepare for immediate entry into a career, while 32% had attended to prepare for transfer to a four-year college; (3) 86% of the graduates felt that their primary educational goal had been achieved; (4) of those degree recipients who did not feel that their educational objectives had been achieved, 45% reported that they needed additional courses to pursue a new career or academic interest; and (5) 87% of the transfer students remained in a field at least somewhat related to their NVC major, with 75% of the transfer students indicating that they were satisfied with their preparation. Recommendations for strengthening the educational programs and services of the college are included. (AYC)

In November 1984, all administrators, classified staff, and faculty at Napa Valley College (NVC) were surveyed concerning a wide range of topics related to working at the institution. The survey, which was completed by 17 administrators (71%), 60 classified staff members (42%), 71 full-time faculty members (63%), and 79 part-time faculty members (44%), was designed to determine the extent to which staff members were satisfied with such aspects of the college as college programs and services, equipment, opportunities for professional development, participation in college governance, employer-employee relations, and educational quality. Study findings included the following: (1) more than 85% of the faculty members expressed satisfaction with the college's procedures for admissions, registration, and grade reporting; (2) faculty, classified staff, and, to a lesser extent, administrators expressed a need for increased opportunities for professional development; (3) 80% of the administrators and 41% of the part-time faculty expressed dissatisfaction with teacher evaluation procedures; (4) the majority of classified staff reported that their opinions, ideas, and suggestions were considered seriously by their supervisors, and indicated that they generally received information in a timely manner. The survey instruments and recommendations for strengthening college operations are included. (Author/AYC)

In November 1984, a random sample of Napa County residents was asked to complete a survey concerning the educational programs of Napa Valley College (NVC) to determine the extent to which NVC was meeting the county's educational needs. The survey was completed by 207 of the 400 community members in the sample. Study findings included the following: (1) 76% felt that NVC was doing a "good" or "excellent" job of serving the residents of Napa County and 89% felt that the quality of education provided by the college was "good" or "excellent"; (2) 70% of the respondents indicated that either they or a member of their household had enrolled in an NVC course or program in the last 5 years; (3) 86% of the respondents who had attended NVC were no longer enrolled for reasons including lack of time (32%), interested only in selected courses (20%), and had graduated/transferred (18%); (4) all of the individuals who had attended NVC reported that their participation in the college's classes had helped them in one or more of 11 areas of achievement covered on the survey; (5) residents said they learned about NVC through brochures mailed to their homes (72%) and through the class schedule (56%); and (6) 30% of the respondents indicated that they would be interested in taking a course at NVC in the next year, with most expressing interest in business, accounting, computer software, art, photography, and language classes. The questionnaire is included. (Author/AYC)

An innovative drug education course was taught to seventh and eighth graders and evaluated in a true experiment. Students learned Lasswell's framework for understanding human needs and motives, a systematic decision-making procedure, and information about the pharmacological, psychological, and social consequences of licit and illicit drug use. The course focused primarily upon "soft" drug use. Process evaluation consisted of documentation of classroom activities by an outside observer, interviews with experimental and control students and teachers; and questionnaire surveys of experimental students. Overall, students gave mediocre ratings of the course with respect to interest, usefulness, and clarity; classroom teachers were critical of the outside instructor's teaching style and the course content. Outcome evaluation involved testing: drug knowledge, general attitudes toward drug use, perceived benefits and costs of various types of substance use, perceived peer attitudes toward, and use of, various substances, and intentions to use, current use, and lifetime use of various substances. Analyses showed that the course produced a pattern of predicted effects for grade 7 females, but not for grade 7 males or grade 8 males or females. For grade 7 females, the course increased drug knowledge, decreased perceptions of favorable peer attitudes toward soft drug use, and decreased personal involvement in use of both alcohol and marijuana. (Author/GK)