How can we give students options when their public schools are failing them?
What exactly is NCLB and how is it effecting our education system?
How do we ensure that all children are prepared to enter kindergarten?
Why are we struggling to recruit and retain teachers? What reforms do the candidates propose to solve the teacher shortage and improve their working conditions?
With a struggling economy, should lawmakers place further emphasis on federally-funded school-to-work programs? Moreover, do they work?
Who are the key players changing education today?
Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)
School-to-Work Programs (STW)
A local labor force to improve the local economy?
Although a significant majority of teenagers transition from school to the workforce without breaking a sweat, many find the adjustment to be quite challenging. Moreover, a substantial number of teens are disconnected from school and employment altogether. From the rigors of choosing whether or not college is in your future, to exploring alternative options, several questions evade a cloud of uncertainty regarding that transition between school and work. According to a February 2008 report released by the America’s Promise Initiative, roughly 1.2 million students drop out of high school each year (link to drop out page). Given such dismal figures, could we turn to locally-operated, federally-funded workforce training programs for a cure?
History lesson: School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994
The Act was to help all youths in the United States acquire the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to progress the transition from school to work. More information can be found here regarding data from two surveys on school-to-work programs published in the August 2001 issue of Monthly Labor Review. Although the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act expired in 2001, there could be room for a similar program designed to place more emphasis on locally-operated school-to-work training.
DISCONNECTED YOUTH: Federal Action Could Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Local Programs That Reconnect Youth to Education and Employment
The Transition from School to Work: Education and Work Experiences