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This study of school-to-work reform initiatives could not have been successfully undertaken without the assistance and support of many organizations and people. First and foremost we must thank the staff of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. We are deeply indebted to Nevzer Stacey, the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR), for her support, insight, and expertise throughout the study. Throughout the four years of the initiative, she was both friend and colleague. Mindi Maline, who took over as the COTR in the final year of the project provided assistance and support in the final phase of the project. She succeeded in making the transition a smooth one. Carol Chelemar, the coordinator of the Studies of Education Reform, and the other COTRs worked very hard bringing the twelve studies together to share information, identify common ground, and design strategies regarding dissemination. It is not often that a project's technical staff acknowledges the role of a contracting officer, but Michelle Ringo not only kept us on task and on schedule but was helpful in overcoming the problems and hurdles that arose.
Within the Academy for Educational Development, we would like to acknowledge the support of Sharon Franz, Senior Vice President for Education and Exchange Services. She has been most supportive of the work of the National Institute for Work and Learning since we joined AED in 1988 and has been a valued colleague on issues of education reform and preparation of students for adulthood. We would also like to acknowledge the support of AED's contracting staff for their assistance with this project.
The overall study has been guided by a National Advisory Panel. These individuals have provided direction and advice on the issues to be explored, topics to be considered, and sites to study. We are indebted to each of them for their time, energy, and support. The National Advisory Panel comprises the following individuals:
Paul Barton
Director
Policy Information Center
Educational Testing Service
Cynthia Brown
Director
Resource Center on Educational
Equity
Council of Chief State School
Officers
Jacqueline P. Danzberger
Director of Governance
Programs
Institute for Educational
Leadership
Sandra Jibrell
Senior Planning Associate
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Anita Lancaster
Assistant Director
Defense Manpower Data Center
Hilary Pennington
President
Jobs for the Future
Franklin Smith
Superintendent
District of Columbia Public Schools
Nevzer Stacey
Senior Program Officer
Office of Educational Research
and Improvement
David Stern
Professor
School of Education
University of California
Rafael Valdivieso
Vice President
Academy for Educational Development
A series of papers on critical issues was prepared as part of the project. We would like to thank the authors for their hard work and for the important perspectives that each brought to the school-to-work reform agenda. The authors and paper titles are:
Employers' Role in School-to-Work Opportunities by Patricia W. McNeil and Christine D. Kulick
Evaluating School-to-Work Transition by Margaret Terry Orr
Workplace Mentoring for Youth: Context, Issues, Strategies by Marc Freedman and Rachel Baker
School-to-Work Transition and Its Role in the Systemic Reform of Education by Regina Kyle
In Their Own Words: Student Perspectives on School-to-Work Opportunities by Kevin Hollenbeck
The Role of Parents in the School-to-Work Transition by William Rioux
School-to-Work Opportunities Through the Lens of Youth Development by R. Shepherd Zeldin
Role of Teachers in the School-to-Work Transition by Joan Whittemore Loock and Bryan D. Albrecht
Each of the case studies presented in Volume II has its own acknowledgements. However, it is important that we recognize each of the communities that allowed us to look at their school- to-work initiative through a microscope. These include: Mt. Edgecumbe High School (Sitka, AL), Student Career Opportunity Paths In Education (Veradale, WA), the Youth Transition Program (Eugene, OR), East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program (East San Gabriel, CA), the Graphics Arts Academy (Pasadena, CA), Roy High School (Roy, UT), Metro Tech Vocational Institute (Phoenix, AZ), Tiger Inc. (Rothsay, MN), Kalamazoo Valley Consortium Education for Employment Program (Kalamazoo, MI), Patterson Career Center (Dayton, OH), Shawnee High School Aviation Magnet (Louisville, KY), Baltimore Commonwealth (Baltimore, MD), Comprehensive Employment Work And Transition (Charlottesville, VA), and Performance-Based Diploma Program (Fort Pierce, FL). In addition to the case study sites, we would like thank all of the programs and communities that submitted information for consideration as case study sites.
The success of our national conference would not have been possible without the support and hard work of our collaborator, Jobs for the Future (JFF). This partnership resulted in a National Leadership Forum on School-to-Work that was attended by over 1500 individuals who benefited from the experience and expertise of a wide array of presenters. The conference covered policy as well as programmatic information, ending with an inspirational speech and choral presentation by the Capitol City Youth Choir of Washington, D.C. Hilary Pennington, President, Barbara Roche, Conference Coordinator, and the rest of the JFF staff were fun to work with and hard working colleagues throughout the planning process.
Finally, as director for the study, I would like to acknowledge the very hard work of the project staff. They are true professionals who have put in a great deal of time and energy making this project a success. I consider them all valued colleagues who have taught me as much as I hope they have learned from the project. Ending these acknowledgements with their names is fitting since the success of the study was dependent on their hard work and skills. The project staff include: Bryna Shore Fraser, associate director, Anne Rogers and Sue Hubbard, program officers, Richard Horne case study researcher, Scott Menzel, project assistant and case study researcher, Shawn Mural and Kim Crawford, project assistants, and Megan Ogilvie, project intern.
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[Executive Summary]