This document, which is addressed to employers and others wishing to foster school-to-career programs, reflects the views of the Committee for Economic Development regarding employers' role in linking school and work. The following topics are among those discussed in chapters 1-3: youth and careers (present versus past labor markets, causes of trouble finding jobs, changing skill requirements, challenges for schools and society, costs of the skills gap); learning for the new economy (importance of raising academic achievement; school-to-career as a strategy for motivation and instruction; evidence regarding the effectiveness of programs linking school and work; importance of moving to scale); and employer roles in improving learning (promoting academic achievement through high standards and supportive company practices; advocating school-to-career reforms; providing work experience for students and teachers; facilitating employer participation through intermediaries). Chapter 4 discusses actions that schools and the government can take and makes the following recommendations to employers: support high academic achievement through policy and company practice; join and support intermediary organizations that link employers and schools; and participate in programs that use work experience to promote academic learning and career exploration. Appended are the addresses of 20 school-to-career resource organizations and contains 127 endnotes. (MN)

To identify ways employers can strengthen the link between school and work, case studies of efforts to link school to work were conducted in four urban communities: Boston, Massachusetts; Fort Worth, Texas; Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Data were gathered from interviews with educators, members of the business community, and representatives of bodies devoted to linking school to work (for example, private industry councils, work force development councils, and school-to-work partnerships). All four communities showed evidence of the following: defining and implementing rigorous academic standards; embedding academic curricula in real-world contexts; introducing applied, hands-on pedagogy; and extending learning beyond the classroom through field-based investigations, teacher externships, community service, school-based enterprises, and work-based learning. It was concluded that employers can provide leadership in school reform by combining consistent support for district and school improvement with organized pressure to sustain and accelerate measurable progress and that employer improvement is particularly critical to strategies for reforming comprehensive high schools. The following challenges facing communities wishing to foster school-to-career programs were identified: moving from small pilots to significant scale; demonstrating improved student and school outcomes; building and sustaining support; and integrating school-to-career practices into a coordinated high school reform agenda. (Contains 85 endnotes.) (MN)

Building on new theories about the meaning of employability in the twenty-first century and the power of social and cultural capital in enabling access to economic opportunities, Essays on Employer Engagement in Education considers how employer engagement is delivered and explores the employment and attainment outcomes linked to participation. Introducing international policy, research and conceptual approaches, contributors to the volume illustrate the role of employer engagement within schooling and the life courses of young people. The book considers employer engagement within economic and educational contexts and its delivery and impact from a global perspective. The work explores strategic approaches to the engagement of employers in education and concludes with a discussion of the implications for policy, practice and future research. Essays on Employer Engagement in Education will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of careers guidance, work-related learning, teacher professional development, the sociology of education, educational policy and human resource management. It will also be essential reading for policymakers and practitioners working for organisations engaging employers in education.

'Linking Education Policy to Labor Market Outcomes' examines current research and new evidence from Ghana and Pakistan representative of two of the poorest regions of the world to assess how education can increase income and help people move out of poverty. This study indicates that in addition to early investments in cognitive and noncognitive skills which produce a high return and lower the cost of later educational investment by making learning at later ages more efficient quality, efficiency, and linkages to the broader macro-economic context also matter. Education and relevant skills are still the key determinants of good labor market outcomes for individuals. However, education policies aimed at improving skills will have a limited effect on the incomes of that skilled workforce or on the performance of a national economy if other policies that increase the demand for these skills are not in place. For education to contribute to national economic growth, policies should aim at improving the quality of education by spending efficiently and by adapting the basic and postbasic curricula to develop the skills increasingly demanded on the global labor market, including critical thinking, problem solving, social behavior, and information technology.

In Massachusetts, a 12-year-old girl delivering newspapers is killed when a car strikes her bicycle. In Los Angeles, a 14-year-old boy repeatedly falls asleep in class, exhausted from his evening job. Although children and adolescents may benefit from working, there may also be negative social effects and sometimes danger in their jobs. Protecting Youth at Work looks at what is known about work done by children and adolescents and the effects of that work on their physical and emotional health and social functioning. The committee recommends specific initiatives for legislators, regulators, researchers, and employers. This book provides historical perspective on working children and adolescents in America and explores the framework of child labor laws that govern that work. The committee presents a wide range of data and analysis on the scope of youth employment, factors that put children and adolescents at risk in the workplace, and the positive and negative effects of employment, including data on educational attainment and lifestyle choices. Protecting Youth at Work also includes discussions of special issues for minority and disadvantaged youth, young workers in agriculture, and children who work in family-owned businesses.

Argues that a key strategy for improving the effectiveness of schools is to set standards for what students should be able to do based on the skills required for well-paying Jobs.