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In response to recent state legislation, school districts in New York developed plans for universal prekindergarten (UPK) programs for the 1998-1999 academic year. Based on an analysis of the first year prekindergarten program plans for 63 upstate New York districts (with follow-up information on 29 districts) and 32 New York City districts, this report is designed to assist districts in developing universal prekindergarten programs. The report identifies a number of promising practices proposed in the district plans, and provides recommendations to both district planners and state officials regarding ways to further enhance community planning and program delivery. In addition, the report details key provisions of the UPK law. Ten basic principles guided the plan analysis and selection of promising practices, clustered under five key policy dimensions: (1) collaboration; (2) universal access; (3) developmentally appropriate practice; (4) diversity; and (5) teacher preparation. For each of the policy dimensions, the report details key findings, identifies promising practices, and makes recommendations for program improvement. Challenges requiring further state action are also identified in the areas of transportation, cross-district contracting, per child allotment, and predictability of funds. The report concludes that while the New York State Universal Prekindergarten Program has the potential for enhancing the development of preschoolers and improving the quality of local early care and education systems, the program's ultimate success will depend largely on how it is implemented by local districts. Five appendices include an annotated bibliography, parent and provider surveys, and sample forms. (KB)

A study was undertaken to understand the role of electronic communication technologies (ECTs) in maintaining work-related communication. The study site was Sun Microsystems, a company at the high end of the curve in terms of its commitment to and employees' experience with ECTs. An electronic focus group (n=40, 4% response) and an e-mail survey with 396 responses (15% response) were used for data collection. No significant differences were found in use of or response to ECTs as a function of age, gender, or years in the company. Most employees used ECTs for the vast majority of their workplace communication needs, but the value of ECTs was limited for certain types of communications, such as discussions on complex and sensitive issues. They were insufficient for team building, consensus building, and conflict resolution. Most agreed that relying on ECTs for communication increased the likelihood of miscommunications and loss of privacy. Respondents saw ECTs as a less immediate form of communication and this became more true with the constant increase in the number of messages people were trying to deal with. Group work could sometimes be limited by ECTs, depending upon the group's size and expertise in communicating electronically. Some just felt the need for face-to-face communication. At the same time, many respondents reported ECTs, especially e-mail, helped them meet new people at Sun and develop and maintain social relationships. (Appendixes contain 28 references and the survey instrument.) (YLB)

A study examined Chiat/Day inc. Advertising's team-based virtual office in which work could occur at any location inside or outside the office at any time. Three sites used three workplace strategies: full virtual (FV), modified virtual (MV), and conventional (C). Interviews, observations, and archival data were used to assess project teams doing similar work at each site. Findings indicated that the greater number of employees and larger office size of the MV office with multiple floors limited interaction outside of teams and strategic business units. The FV and C offices with smaller staffs on a single floor made interaction with other teams easier. Common rooms led to better communication, coordination, and team spirit and helped reduce hierarchical interaction patterns. Activity hubs fitted out with cafeteria-like furniture and food and beverages were valued spaces for working and informal socializing. Dedicated spaces in the FV for support disciplines and creative teams enhanced communication and collaboration. Technology was used primarily for keeping in touch and limiting paper copies. The small, private rooms did not provide adequate opportunities for concentration and creative concept development. Implementation of the virtual office did not drastically change the work process. The more significant change included removal of assigned workstations and addition of dedicated project rooms that enhanced team identity and cross-functional communication. (Contains 48 references.) (YLB)

A study addressed the impact of household composition--preschool, school-age, or no children--and nature of the home workspace--dedicated room or area--on IBM employees' satisfaction, stress, and work effectiveness. The IBM program allowed 300 employees who spent about 70 percent of their time with clients to work in home offices. Surveys, interviews, observations, photographs, and archival data were used. Findings included the following: employees worked roughly 35 percent of the time from home and 27 percent from customer sites, with no significant variations as a function of household composition and nature of home workspace; the home office was used most, with no differences as a function of household composition, home workspace, or gender; 76 percent were somewhat or very satisfied with the mobility program, with no significant variations as a function of household composition or home workspace; 52 percent reported overall work effectiveness as better or much better; and 18 percent reported it as worse or much worse. Employees with dedicated rooms rated their overall work effectiveness somewhat higher. Over 77 percent rated professional communication at work as somewhat or much worse; 88 percent rated their ability to socialize with co-workers as worse or much worse; 46 percent reported positive or very positive spillover (between work and family life); but 41 percent reported the impact on role conflict was negative or very negative. (Appendixes contain 49 references and survey instruments.) (YLB)

A study examined the social implications of a workplace strategy in which employees who previously worked together in a main office became virtual office workers. The study site was a Digital Equipment Corporation flexible work program implemented at its Newmarket, England, office, where a large traditional office was closed and its employees became mobile workers. Thirteen employees representing all job types--consultants, customer service, and sales personnel--were interviewed. Findings indicated the new mobile work pattern was successful from an organizational perspective, but the response was more mixed in terms of individual employees' reactions. Mobile workers developed a new appreciation for face-to-face contacts. Unplanned interactions involved intense sharing and catching up. Informal socialization declined significantly. Different types of socialization occurred in different locations. Cross-functional and brainstorming communications were primarily handled face to face and were less common. The telecenter support staff, as the only permanent staff, became the informal social directors of the organization. Coping strategies included turning to the community and the development of new community-oriented hobbies and activities. Service employees and systems integration consultants who had busy work schedules at client sites seemed least concerned about the social changes in the workscape. Salespeople's' reactions were mixed. The technical consultants who had worked closely together had a difficult time adjusting. (Contains 65 references.) (YLB)

This document reports a study that examined implementation processes for new workplace practices--nonterritorial offices--in five international organizations in four countries. The organizations are IBM and Ernst & Young in the United Kingdom; Digital Equipment's Natural Office in Sweden; SOL Cleaning Company headquarters in Finland; and Shimizu Institute of Technology in Japan. Part I compares the "success" of the projects according to whether cost- or business-driven, solution- or process-oriented, and strategic- or independent-initiative strategies were applied. Project success is measured across such factors as user satisfaction, work effectiveness, project duration, project acceptance, and implementation cost. Findings are discussed for such other factors as project innovativeness and organizational learning. Part II describes in detail the findings from each organization. For each company and site studied are a brief description of the innovation occurring at the organization; a summary of the implementation process across time for all sites examined; an analysis of user satisfaction and work effectiveness using the combined data collection techniques; a comparison of the implementation processes across all sites and the subsequent changes in employee satisfaction and work effectiveness; and lessons learned and conclusion sections discussing research findings. Appendixes include descriptions of three sites, instruments, and 30 references. A separately published "Summary Report" is appended. (YLB)

This report identifies the range and extent of innovative workplace practices in place among 16 international organizations participating in the International Workplace Studies Program (IWSP). Information comes from interviews with organization representatives, written reports, summaries prepared by the organizations, and an extensive literature search. The report is organized by three primary sections: flexible work scheduling, flexible staffing, and flexible work locations. Each section defines the new working practice and describes a range of different alternatives available under it. Where available, demographics for the flexible work practices are provided for the United States, European Community countries, and Japan. They include incidence of the flexible practice among corporations and the work force, incidence according to business type, and incidence by job types. An example is provided of a sponsor initiative for each flexible practice that describes a program implemented at one or more IWSP sponsor organization(s). A sponsor comparison and cultural implications section is included for each flexible work practice. Finally, each section discusses the implications to facility/facility management to address issues that arise as a result of implementation of the flexible work practices. A conclusion is followed by appendixes, including IWSP sponsor descriptions, literature search methodology, flexible scheduling and staffing participation rates, directives, and regulations and a 66-item bibliography. (YLB)

Telework Centers are work locations used by firms to acommodate staff who live near the telework center location. A study examined the impact of using telework centers on communication, work groups/departments, performance, supervision, travel/environment, and type of work done in various locations. A case study approach was used to investigate 10 telework centers and 2 resort offices in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Questionnaire, interview, and archival data were collected. Telework centers had primary (transportation issues, economic development, marketing) and secondary drivers (quality of life, cost reduction, better way of working, disaster recovery). Goals and objectives for telework centers related to the drivers were reducing traffic congestion and employee stress due to commuting and promoting use of new telecommunications and economic development in rural areas. Standard technology at most telework centers included telephones, computers and modem, printers, fax machines, and copy machines. Employees were very positive about their experiences; telework centers enhanced their productivity. Japanese workers experienced a greater sense of social isolation and difficulty in self-management. Self-reports consistently showed greater productivity. Remote work required new management attitudes and skills, such as skills related to setting clear performance and quality targets. Telework center use patterns appeared to reduce fuel consumption and traffic congestion. (Appendixes, amounting to over one-half of the report, include case studies of telework centers and resort offices, interview questions, and 32 references.) (YLB)

This document summarizes the accomplishments of the first year of the Cornell Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration Project in Broome County, New York, a program in which six high schools and six employers in the Binghamton area have joined forces to prepare noncollege-bound young people for careers in manufacturing and engineering technology, administration and office technology, or health care. The first of the document's three sections provides an overview of the program, which placed 40 students in apprenticeships between fall 1991 and fall 1992, as well as discussions of the program's participating employers, schools, and parents and their motives for participation. Section 2 is an overview of research on the following topics related to creating the infrastructure for youth apprenticeship: learning objectives/competencies; work-based curricula; apprenticeship progress reports; teaching and learning at work; career pathways; school-based curricula; and the institutional base of apprenticeship. In section 3, the role of youth apprenticeship as a means of preparing students to perform all tasks within a broadly defined occupational area is emphasized and discussed in relation to the health care, office occupations, administration/office technology, and manufacturing/engineering technology fields. Sample instruments used by the project employers to evaluate apprentices' progress are included. (MN)

This monograph represents a collection of reports generated by a state-wide collaborative research project begun in 1982. The reports, based on information collected by a literature review and two surveys of representative samples of migrant workers in New York State, systematically analyze relationships between migrant workers' health conditions, general well-being, family life and their labor force productivity. The first section researches the background by reviewing the literature on migrant farmworkers and describing the sampling procedures. The second section, Health Status and Lifestyles, contains "Variation in Subjective Well-Being Among Black Migrant Farmworkers in New York State" and "Drinking, Farm and Camp Life: A Study of Drinking Behavior in Migrant Camps in New York State." The third section, Medical Utilization Patterns, includes "Medical Utilization Patterns of Migrant Farmworkers in Wayne County, New York" and "Health Characteristics and Utilization of Public Sector Health Facilities among Migrant Farmworkers in Orange County, New York." The fourth section, Housing Conditions and Economic Opportunities, includes four reports: (1) "A Tale of Two Homes: A Study of Housing Conditions of Migrant Farmworkers"; (2) "Migrant Farmworker Earnings: A Human Capital Approach"; (3) "Economic Rewards for Migrant Farmworkers"; (4) "The Economic Returns from Investment in Physical and Mental Health: A Case Study of Migrant Farmworkers in Rural New York"; and (5) "The Poverty Status of Migrant Farmworkers." (LP)

The report presents case studies of 7 community action projects which were undertaken by New York communities with populations under 10,000 and which show how local leaders can improve the quality of life in their communities. The report describes the background, initiation, expansion, implementation, consequences, and highlights of the projects, which included developing a maple festival; establishing a rural medical clinic; providing senior citizen housing; developing a complex to house senior citizens, a health care center, and a child development center; establishing an arts and crafts center; and providing a new library. The report notes that although the projects ranged from informal local efforts to formalized projects involving extensive outside assistance and funding, they had the following features in common: (1) the principal actors and beneficiaries were local people and the goals represented local interests, (2) the projects were public, (3) the projects were oriented towards solving local problems with extensive volunteer participation, and (4) the process was democratic. The report also analyzes each case study for elements central to success and presents patterns of the action process including establishing non-profit corporations for community action, using communication and publicity, fund-raising and funding, coordinating the community and forming networks, and leading the projects. (SB)

This report describes a community-based program of continuing education and support for family day care providers in Nassau County, New York. Chapters are: (1) Overview and Summary of the Pilot Program, (2) Situation Giving Rise to the Pilot Program, (3) Planning the Pilot Program, (4) Preparation for Implementation (including recruitment, negotiations with Nassau County, preparation of publications, site selection, in-service education), (5) Development and Conduct of the Program, (6) Evaluation of the Program, and (7) Recommendations. Appendices, comprising more than half of the document, include budget information, announcements and newsletters published by the program, and evaluative instruments used. (SB)

This paper summarizes a larger report of the findings of the Developmental Continuity Consortium, a collaborative effort of twelve research groups conducting longitudinal studies on the outcomes of early education programs for low-income children initiated in the 1960's. Summarized are: (1) Methods (problems of secondary analysis, problems of longitudinal research, sample selection); (2) Analysis of Program and Control (analysis of assignment to special education and of retention, of Stanford-Binet IQ scores, of Wechsler IQ scores, and of schooling variables from youth interviews); (3) Analysis of Parental Evaluations; and (4) Conclusions and Implications. (SB)

This report summarizes the findings of the Developmental Continuity Consortium, a collaborative effort of twelve research groups conducting longitudinal studies on the outcomes of early education programs for low-income infants and preschool children initiated in the 1960's. The educational experiments conducted were of three general types: (1) home-based parent education programs; (2) center-based preschool programs; and (3) combined preschool center and home visit programs. Data discussed in this report include (1) data collected independently by each research group at the beginning of its program and over a number of years after the program ended; and (2) follow-up data collected in 1976-77 when the subjects were 9-18 years old. Measures used in the current follow-up study include Parent and Youth Interviews, IQ tests, achievement tests, and data from school records. Data were collected for program children and their control or comparison group. Combined results indicate that (1) early education significantly reduced the number of children assigned to special classes; (2) early education reduced the number of children held back one or more grades; and (3) children from all three types of programs surpassed their controls on IQ tests for up to three years after the end of the program. Results, conclusions and implications, methodological problems and further analyses are discussed. (SB)

A survey research study was conducted to determine the range and attitudes of youth in New York State vocational and 4-H organizations concerning traditional and changing sex roles. The survey instrument consisted of two parts: a short multifactor true/false quiz to sample knowledge of changes in male and female participation in employment, family, and marriage situations (test-retest reliability .55) and an attitude measure on the same variables plus educational and social activities (Spearman-Brown .62 reliability). Random sampling techniques, including stratification for region and vocational group, were used for every organization except 4-H. A total of 1218 scorable surveys were returned: 862 from females, 356 from males. Although knowledge among the respondents appeared to increase with age, survey results indicated that youths are not as knowledgeable as adults about changes in the labor force and the family and that they tend to hold traditional sex role expectations. Attempts to promote more liberal sex-role attitudes have apparently been more successful with females, since males were significantly less knowledgeable and more traditional in attitudes about changing roles. Further research should concentrate on reasons for the differences in response among the sexes and appropriate intervention strategies. (Author/MEK)

A study examined the process of awarding credit to youth participating in a special group of employment and training programs. Using a student questionnaire, field researchers collected data concerning 21 Youthwork, Inc., Exemplary In-School Demonstration Projects with one of the following four program focus areas: academic credit for work experience, career awareness, youth-operated projects, and private sector projects. Of the 21 projects studied, 18 offered credit for work experience as a regular program feature. In general, those projects affiliated with an alternative school, and hence under state education jurisdiction rather than local affiliation, were most likely to grant required credits for experiential learning. Fifteen of the 16 projects routinely awarding academic credit for program participation placed youth on a job. Only those projects placing youth in the public sector more than 70 percent of the time awarded credits for required courses. All the remaining credit-granting projects placed youth in the private sector and awarded elective credits. Among those factors ranked as the most important determinants of receipt of credits were employment-related factors such as employer evaluations, job attendance, and the job attitude of youth. (MN)

Through a study, strategies were investigated to increase the role of in-school youth in creating job opportunities. Drawing upon qualitative data provided by the Youthwork National Policy Study, researchers examined four youth-operated employment projects in order to isolate those factors that either hinder or facilitate the implementation of a youth participation strategy; they subsequently made recommendations on how best to implement a strategy for youth participation. Two factors that especially seemed to inhibit youth participation were the location of the project in a traditional school setting and the failure to encourage youth to take an active role in managing the project. Included among those factors found to promote the youth participation strategy were the following: a high ratio of adults to youth, the delegation of authority for the everyday activities of the project to the youth involved in it, relatively small numbers (10 or less) of youth working together, and access within the community to persons with expertise in the area of youth enterprise. Recommendations included a call for hiring staff members partly on the basis of their commitment to the idea that youth can and should manage their own affairs. (MN)

A longitudinal, ethnographic study examined the form and content of the linkages that have been established by the principal organizations involved in the implementation of the Exemplary In-School Demonstration Project. During the study, on-site observers utilized the following data collection strategies: document analysis, respondent and informant interviews, direct participation, and extensive observation of the various facets of given local projects. In all, 51 projects were investigated. The focus of the program observations was on the various linkages that projects have made with the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) system, with community-based organizations, with other youth service projects, with other components of the educational system, and with the private sector. Researchers sought to identify linkages that are generic across variations in program design as well as those that appear specific to each of the following four program models: academic credit for work experience, career awareness, expanded private sector involvement, and youth-initiated projects. While different linkages appear most appropriate to each of these four strategies for service delivery, it was consistently found that linkages work best in those settings where enlightened self-interest and reciprocity are evident. (MN)

The four programmatic school-to-work transition models being developed and implemented by Youthwork, Inc. are assessed. The thrust is both to distinguish these strategies, one from another, and to clarify the variations that occur within each of these four models: academic credit for work experience, expanded private sector involvement, career awareness, and job creation through youth-operated projects. An introductory chapter and another discussing methodology are followed by four substantive chapters, one for each of the four strategies being analyzed. Each chapter analyzes one strategy according to program administration, program curriculum, the form and content of granting academic credit, youth involvement in program operation, and staff-student relations. In addition, each model is studied from the perspective of one or more additional issues specific to the model. Recommendations for the generic as well as strategy-specific concerns are located at the end of each chapter. An analysis packet on program administration is appended. A summary and overview of those findings generic to all four strategies appear at the front of the report. (YLB)

An assessment is provided of the ability of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsors and local educational agencies to cooperate in the development of innovative educational and training programs for low-income youth. The data presented are based on observations and interviews conducted at 40 of 47 operational sites administered by Youthwork, Inc. Following an introduction are four substantive chapters, one on each of the four program areas where projects were selected and funded: expanded private sector involvement, job creation through youth operated projects, academic credit for work experience, and career information. Key areas of investigation in each of the programmatic areas include the form and content of CETA/school collaboration and communication, the impact of the Youth Employment and Training Program's 22 percent incentive on inter-institutional cooperation, and the question of whether the Youthwork programs have created duplication and redundancy in efforts to assist in-school youth. Recommendations for the Department of Labor and Youthwork, Inc. are located at the end of each chapter. A methodological appendix includes two analysis packets covering CETA/school relations and a statement of key issues on that topic. (YLB)

Forty-eight of the Exemplary In-School Demonstration Projects being conducted under Title IV, Part A of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) of 1977 were analyzed to (1) provide an initial discussion of some of the basic aspects of the various strategies employed by the projects and (2) assess some of the fundamental assumptions about the transition from school to work and the manner in which different strategies are thought to assist in that transition. During September 1978 to August 1979, projects were studied, and four broad strategies were identified. These strategies are expanded private sector involvement, career awareness, job creation through youth-operated projects, and academic credit for work experience. This report is a tentative outlining of the strategies and their variations, with no new data reported. It outlines the distinguishing characteristics of each of the broad strategies and the alternatives available within each approach, without providing conclusions about the merits of each. (KC)

As part of research on 48 programs funded through the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) of 1977, this study addresses two issues behind the creation of viable work experience programs: design and implementation. The purpose of the study is to help those responsible for organizing youth employment programs to identify points in program design and implementation whereby the quality of the educational experience that participants will have can be increased. Five work experience programs provided written materials, observations, and interviews used for case studies in this report. The study consisted of four parts: (1) curriculum design (the set of learning activities); (2) curriculum principles (assessing the design); (3) concepts and behaviors (assessing the content); and (4) context for implementation (the art of the practical). After examination of data from the five projects in these four areas, recommendations were made for improvements in each of these areas. (KC)

Part 1 of the report focuses on project operations to train paraprofessionals for employment in human services, briefly describing the community college instructional program with reference to enrollment, courses, grading, fieldwork, supportive services, proficiency examinations, preceptor training, articulation, the advisory committee, instructional resources for child care, and career exploration in secondary schools. Part 2, the longer section of the report, provides an evaluation of the project in the following areas: status of human service paraprofessionals in Cortland and Tompkins Counties (N. Y.); progress toward career development in the two counties; the effect of participation in educational development on aide job performance; details of the development of proficiency examinations; and conclusions regarding the human service training project. The salutary outcomes of the project included the development and implementation of a curriculum and the demonstration of successful cooperation between community college, university, and community agencies in the operation of the program. About 70 pages of appended materials include: a course evaluation form, student performance self-rating inventory, proficiency examinations for two courses, summative evaluations of five preceptor workshops, announcement of a seminar on supervision of paraprofessionals, the members of the advisory committee, and a rating scale for evaluating an aide. (Author/NH)

During the 1975-76 and 1976-77 academic years, a project was undertaken to design, implement, and evaluate an inservice course for home economics teachers in the state of New York. Eighty-two junior high and senior high teachers participated, representing both rural and urban areas. The objectives of the course dealt with improvement of specified planning and classroom teaching competencies, which were identified in a literature survey to determine inservice needs of teachers. Individualized learning packages, including instruction in the use of recently published New York State Home Economics curriculum guidelines, were sent to the participants. The teachers used audio and/or video tapes to record their classroom teaching and returned the tapes to the course instructors for feedback and evaluation. The effectiveness of the course was evaluated in terms of its (1) meeting identified needs of teachers, (2) being evaluated in a positive manner by them, and (3) resulting in actual changes in their classroom teaching. Participants evaluated the course by keeping logs and writing summative assessments. Overall, their comments indicated that the course satisfied the inservice needs which it was designed to meet. Recommendations for future improvements included an increase from two credits to three (in view of the amount of work and time required), better quality tapes, and more efficient and speedy feedback from course instructors. (ELG)