Building school-to-work systems in rural areas

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Abstract

School-to-work programs can gain success by identifying educational, economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, networking within the community and emphasizing the important roles of technology in rural settings. This effective practice describes the key components for building a local school-to-work partnership and discusses the rural context for implementation. Excerpted from the online digest, Building School-to-Work Systems in Rural America (ERIC Development Team, 1998).

Issue

Rural populations make up over 40 percent of our nation's workforce (Year 2000). Therefore, it is important to find effective strategies to improve students' transition from school to the workplace, while keeping the students in their rural communities.

Action

Start early. Students often think that the only successful path is to leave the community upon completion of their education. Rural school-to-work partnerships can help show students that there are opportunities for success within their own community.
Identify educational and economic opportunities in the community by analyzing community strengths and needs, and help train and prepare students for these opportunities.
Provide entrepreneurial experiences, training, and resources that supplement rather than compete with community businesses. The community analysis described earlier can help students identify and establish businesses that actually create jobs and meet community needs.
Utilize community service-learning; these projects help meet community needs and provide hands-on learning experiences that support academic subjects.
Emphasize the critical role of technology, both as a marketable skill and as a method of overcoming geographic isolation to connect with the rest of the world.
Build networks among rural schools to exchange information, opportunities, and resources. Organizations such as the National Rural Education Association and Edvantia provide educators, administrators and staff an opportunity to exchange information with other small and rural schools.

Update: This effective practice, written in 2000, originally highlighted an online bulletin from the National Institute for Work and Learning on effective practices in building statewide systems, particularly in rural areas, to improve students' transition from school to the workplace, while retaining the students and their skills in the community.

As of June 2002, the School-to-Work Opportunites Act of 1994 no longer exists in its original form. However, programs within the Act, such as tech-prep education are ongoing. (See related sites and context for more information.)

Context

In 2001, President Bush enacted the No Child Left Behind Act, built upon four key principles: achievement (particularly closing gaps based on ethnicity and socio-economic status), greater emphasis on evidence-based practices, more flexibility and less regulation, and greater options for parents and students. Implementing these practices in elementary and middle-schools lays the foundation for transforming high schools and improving transitions to the workplace. Postsecondary institutions play a critical role in addressing the challenges of educational reform, ensuring that young adults leave high school with the knowledge and skills needed for success in the workplace.

The President's fiscal year 2003 budget requests reflects a firm commitment to improving the quality and effectiveness of Vocational and Adult Education. The budget provides financial support for instruction, national research, and technical assistance to high schools, community colleges, and adult education in basic, academic, and technical skills. This includes state grants, tech-prep education (amended in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994), national programs, adult education, English Literacy and Civics Education Grants, National Leadership activities, and the National Institute for Literacy.

The 1998 reauthorization of the vocational and adult education statutes included accountability requirements focusing on student achievement. The Workforce Investment Act established an incentive grant program for states that exceed their performance targets in each of the three major programs. The Workforce Investment Act provides youth with long-term services in the areas of education, skills, work experience, and support designed to help them successfully transition to careers. (From Department of Education Website: Statement by Carol D'Amico, Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education on High School Transition into the Workforce, 2002)

Posted On

July 11, 2000

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Source Documents

Building School-to-Work Systems in Rural America

Related Practices

The Educator's Reference Desk

Keywords:

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Education

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