As anxieties about America's economic competitiveness mounted in the 1980s, so too did concerns that the nation's schools were not adequately preparing young people for the modern workplace. Spurred by widespread joblessness and job instability among young adults, the federal government launched ambitious educational reforms in the 1990s to promote career development activities for students. In recent years, however, the federal government has shifted its focus to test-based reforms like No Child Left Behind that emphasize purely academic subjects. At this critical juncture in education reform, Improving School-To-Work Transitions, edited by David Neumark, weighs the successes and failures of the '90s-era school-to-work initiatives, and assesses how high schools, colleges, and government can help youths make a smoother transition into stable, well-paying employment. Drawing on evidence from national longitudinal studies, surveys, interviews, and case studies, the contributors to Improving School-To-Work Transitions offer thought-provoking perspectives on a variety of aspects of the school-to-work problem. Deborah Reed, Christopher Jepsen, and Laura Hill emphasize the importance of focusing school-to-work programs on the diverse needs of different demographic groups, particularly immigrants, who represent a growing proportion of the youth population. David Neumark and Donna Rothstein investigate the impact of school-to-work programs on the "forgotten half," students at the greatest risk of not attending college. Using data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Study of Youth, they find that participation by these students in programs like job shadowing, mentoring, and summer internships raise employment and college attendance rates among men and earnings among women. In a study of nine high schools with National Academy Foundation career academies, Terry Orr and her fellow researchers find that career academy participants are more engaged in school and are more likely to attend a four-year college than their peers. Nan Maxwell studies the skills demanded in entry-level jobs and finds that many supposedly "low-skilled" jobs actually demand extensive skills in reading, writing, and math, as well as the "new basic skills" of communication and problem-solving. Maxwell recommends that school districts collaborate with researchers to identify which skills are most in demand in their local labor markets. At a time when test-based educational reforms are making career development programs increasingly vulnerable, it is worth examining the possibilities and challenges of integrating career-related learning into the school environment. Written for educators, policymakers, researchers, and anyone concerned about how schools are shaping the economic opportunities of young people, Improving School-To-Work Transitions provides an authoritative guide to a crucial issue in education reform.

This document records the oral and written given by witnesses at a Congressional hearing on the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1993 held in Fall 1993. Witnesses included Senators, the U.S. Secretary of Education, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, business officials, school officials, and program directors of various local and state programs. The testimony noted that the United States is one of the few Western nations that does not provide a career path for noncollege-bound students. It was suggested that formal programs encompassing the last 2 years of high school and 1-2 years after high school be set up to provide students with skills and certification. Cooperation between school systems and business and industry is essential to set up such programs. Testimony also profiled various successful programs throughout the country, such as "academies" for various industries set up within high schools. Such programs have resulted in students not only gaining job skills but also going on for further training or college education. Also stressed was the need to set and adhere high standards and to have staff encouraging young people to look to their futures. (KC)

These Congressional hearings contain testimony pertinent to passage of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1993, which is a bill designed to create a national framework within which states and localities can develop effective systems for offering U.S. youths access to performance-based education and training programs that will in turn prepare them for a first job in a high-skill, high-wage career and increase their opportunities for further education. The following are among the agencies and organizations whose representatives provided testimony at the hearings: Manpower Demonstration Corporation, National Federation of Teachers, New England Deaconess Hospital, Jobs for the Future, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education, Center for Law and Education, National Youth Employment Coalition, Wider Opportunities for Women, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, Hurley Hospital, American Vocational Association, National Education Association, Sullivan College, Louisville Chamber of Commerce, Alternative Schools Network, Association for Community Based Education, American Occupational Therapy Association, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Jobs for Youth, American Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Association for Bilingual Education, National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, National Displaced Homemakers Network, National Urban Coalition, Women's Legal Defense Fund, and National Tooling and Machining Association. The complete text of the bill is included. (MN)