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School-to-Work Opportunity Act of
1994
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A. Purpose of the Act
The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of
1994 (the "School-to-Work Act")(1) is designed to facilitate the creation of a
universal, high quality school-to-work transition system. The act uses federal
funds as venture capital to underwrite the initial costs of planning and
establishing statewide systems that will be maintained with other resources.
These systems are to provide all students with opportunities to participate in
programs that integrate school- and work-based learning, vocational and academic
education, and secondary and postsecondary education.
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B. How It
Operates
The School-to-Work Act is distinct from other
education reform initiatives because it does not create another separate program
with federal mandates. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the law helps states
and localities to build on and advance existing programs and reforms. In
building on existing programs and reform efforts, school-to-work links existing
program reform efforts with workforce development and economic development by
engaging diverse stakeholders in designing and implementing an integrated
system. School-to-work is also linked with the Goals 2000: Educate America Act,
which provides a framework for state efforts to improve student academic
achievement. Goals 2000 also establishes the National Skill Standards Board that
is developing a system of voluntary occupational skill standards.
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C.
Funding
The School-to-Work Act channels funding to states
and local partnerships to create school-to-work systems. All 50 states, the
District of Columbia, and the territories have received noncompetitive
school-to-work development grants, which were used to design statewide systems
and to write state plans. One-time, five-year implementation grants are awarded
through a competitive process when the states present a comprehensive
school-to-work plan and demonstrate the capability to implement the plan.
Currently, all states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have received
implementation grants.
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D. What the Act
Provides
Under the act, school-to-work systems must be
designed to provide all students with the opportunity to participate in programs
that
- Integrate
school-based learning and work-based learning
- Integrate
academic and occupational education
- Include
and effectively link secondary and postsecondary education
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Meet the same academic standards
set by the state for all students, prepare
students for postsecondary education, and award skills
certificates
- Provide students with strong
experience
in and understanding of
all aspects of the industry students are preparing to enter,
including
- planning
- management
- finances
- technical and production
skills
- underlying principles of technology - labor and community issues
- health and safety issues, and environmental issues
- Provide all students with equal access
to
the full range of program
components and related activities
- Give students flexibility to develop new career
goals
over time, to change career
majors, and to transfer between education and training programs
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E. Who Is
Covered
"All students" is defined as meaning "both male
and female students from a broad range of backgrounds and circumstances,
including disadvantaged students, students with diverse racial, ethnic, or
cultural backgrounds, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians,
students with disabilities, students with limited-English proficiency, migrant
children, school dropouts, and academically talented students."(2)
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F. Flow
Through
Most of the state implementation grant monies flow
through to the local level. All of the funds going to the local level go to
local partnerships - entities responsible for operating the programs that
comprise the school-to-work system, and that consist of employers, public
secondary and postsecondary educational institutions or agencies, educators,
labor, and students. Two additional types of local grants have been available
directly from the federal government: federal partnership grants for those in
states not yet receiving implementation funds, and grants to local partnerships
in high-poverty areas.
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G. Federal
Responsibilities
Federal responsibilities are carried out by the
Secretaries of Education and of Labor, who jointly oversee the National
School-to-Work Office. In addition to the approval of implementation grants,
federal responsibilities include research and development; a program of
experimental and demonstration projects; technical assistance; a system of
performance measures for assessing state and local programs; and a national
evaluation of funded programs.(3)
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