Programs of study are the most recent in a series of federal efforts to create a more transparent and rational system for school-to-work transition for all youth. The current article places this construct in the context of today's labor market and the new focus on college and career readiness for all students. It then provides evidence indicating that all students need a mix of academic, employability, and technical skills to graduate ready for college and careers. Furthermore, it posits that effective programs of study enhance student engagement with school, improve academic and technical achievement, and facilitate students’ transition to continued education beyond high school and into the workplace.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Achieve. (2004). Ready or not: Creating a high school diploma that counts.Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Achieve. (2010). Closing the expectations gap: Fifth annual 50-state progress report on the alignment of high school policies with the demands of college and career.Washington, DC: Author.
Association for Career and Technical Education. (2006). Reinventing the American high school for the 21st century: A position paper.Alexandria, VA: Author.
5.
BartlettK. R. (2004). The signaling power of occupational certification in the automobile service and information technology industries.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
6.
BartonP. (2006). High school reform and work: Facing labor market realities.Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
7.
BishopJ. (1989). Incentives for learning: Why American high school students compare so poorly to their counterparts overseas.Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies.
8.
BishopJ., & ManeF. (2004). Educational reform and disadvantaged students: Are they better off or worse off? (CESifo Working Paper Series No. 1309). New York: Cornell University
9.
BrandB. (2004). Transforming the American high school: Lessons learned and struggles ahead.Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum.
10.
CappelliP. (2008). Schools of dreams: More education is not an economic elixir.Issues in Science and Technology,24(4), 60–64.
CsikszentmihalyiM., & LeFevreJ. (1989). Optimal experience in work and leisure.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,56, 815–822.
16.
DeLucaS., PlankS. B., & EstacionA. (2006). Does career and technical education affect college enrollment?St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
17.
DykemanC., WoodC., IngramM., GitelmanA., MandsagerN., ChenM. (2003). Career development interventions and academic self-efficacy and motivation: A pilot study.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
18.
EdwardsK. A., & Hertel-FernandezA. (2010). The kids aren't alright: A labor market analysis of young workers (Briefing Paper No. 258). Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.
19.
FarrM., & ShatkinL. (2009). 300 best jobs without a four-year degree (3rd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works.
20.
GreeneJ. P., & ForsterG. (2003). Public high school graduation and college readiness rates in the United States (Education Working Paper No. 3). New York: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
21.
HaworthJ. T., & HillS. (1992). Work, leisure, and psychological well-being in a sample of young adults.Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology,2, 147–160.
Jobs for the Future. (2005). Education and skills for the 21st century: An agenda for action.Boston: Author.
24.
KahnL. (2010). The long-term labor market consequences of graduating from college in a bad economy.Labor Economics17(2), 303–316, Yale School of Management.
25.
KalebaK., & MayoA. (2008). Illinois’ forgotten middle skill jobs: Meeting the needs of a 21st century economy.Washington, DC: Workforce Alliance.
26.
KarpM. M., CalcagnoJ. C., HughesK. L., JeongD. W., & BaileyT. R. (2007). The postsecondary achievement of participants in dual enrollment: An analysis of student outcomes in two states.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
27.
KempleJ. J., & WillnerJ. (2008). Career academies: Long-term impacts on labor market outcomes, educational attainment, and transitions to adulthood.New York: MDRC.
LevesqueK., LairdJ., HensleyE., ChoyS. P., CataldiE. F., & HudsonL. (2008). Career and technical education in the United States: 1990 to 2005 (Publication No. 2008-035). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
30.
LewisM. (2008). Effectiveness of previous initiatives similar to programs of study: Tech prep, career pathways, and youth apprenticeship.Career and Technical Education Research,33, 165–188.
31.
LewisM., KosineN. R., & OvermanL. (2008). What will be the impact of programs of study.Louisville, KY: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
32.
Mathematica Policy Research. (2002). Job Corps: An education and training program for disadvantaged youth that works.Princeton, NJ: Author.
33.
MullinC. M., & PhillippeK. (2011). Fall 2011: Estimated headcount enrollment and Pell Grant trends.Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges.
34.
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. (2004). Measuring up 2004: The national report card on higher education.San Jose, CA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED508096.pdf
35.
National Center on Education and the Economy. (2007). Tough choices or tough times: The report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.San Francisco: Wiley.
36.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics.Reston, VA: Author.
37.
National High School Alliance. (2005). A call to action: Transforming high school for all youth.Washington, DC: Author.
38.
PlankS. B., DeLucaS., & EstacionA. (2005). High school dropout and the role of career and technical education: A survival analysis of surviving high school.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
39.
RosenbaumJ. E. (2001). Beyond college for all: Career paths for the forgotten half.New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
40.
RosenbaumJ. E., StephanJ. L., & RosenbaumJ. E. (2010). Beyond one-size-fits-all college dreams: Alternative pathways to desirable careers.American Educator,34(3), 10–13.
41.
RyanC. L., & SiebensJ. (2012). Educational attainment in the United States: 2009.Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
42.
SilverbergM., WarnerE., & FongM. (2004). National assessment of vocational education: Final report to Congress.Washington, DC: Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
43.
StoneJ. R.III (2009). A Perkins challenge: Assessing technical skills in CTE.Techniques,84(7), 21–22.
44.
StoneJ. R.III (2011). Adolescent employment. In BrownB. B., & PrinsteinM. J. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of adolescence (Vol. 2, pp. 59–67). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
45.
StoneJ. R.III, & AlfeldC. (2006). The neglected majority—Revisited.Journal of Career and Technical Education,21, 61–74.
46.
StoneJ. R.III, AlfeldC., PearsonD., LewisM. V., & JensenS. (2006). Building academic skills in context: Testing the value of enhanced math learning in CTE. Pilot study.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
47.
StoneJ. R.III, & AliagaO. A. (2003). Career and technical education, career pathways, and work-based learning: Changes in participation 1997–1999.St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
48.
StoneJ. R.III, & LewisM. V. (2012). College and career ready in the 21st century: Making high school matter.New York: Teachers College Press.
49.
StoneJ. R.III, & MortimerJ. T. (1998). The effect of adolescent employment on vocational development: Public and educational policy implications.Journal of Vocational Behavior,53, 184–214.
50.
StringfieldS., ShumerR., StipanovicN., & MurphyN. (2013). Programs of study: A cross-study examination of programs in three states.International Journal of Education Reform,22(4), 313–333.
SymondsW. C., SchwartzR. B., & FergusonR. (2011). Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenge of preparing young Americans for the 21st century.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
53.
WangJ. L., LesageA., SchmitzN., & DrapeauA. (2008). The relationships between work stress and mental disorders in men and women: Cross-sectional findings from a populations-based study.Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,62(1), 42–47.
54.
WarrP. (2007). Searching for happiness at work.Psychologist,20, 726–729.
