School-to-Work

School-to-Work was a national effort to develop an educational system that would assist students in the transition from their local schools to the adult workforce. This effort grew out of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (SWOA) of 1994, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in May 1994. The SWOA provided national financial support for states to develop statewide systems to assist in this effort. Congress was concerned because nearly three-fourths of high school graduates entered the workforce without a college degree. Congress also had grave concerns because most students entering the workforce could not meet the changing academic requirements for entry-level positions.

U.S. employment statistics clearly show that young workers with only high school educations earn considerably less than college graduates and in general are the first to lose their positions in a down economy. The School-to-Work Act was designed to [Page 801]encourage youths to further their postsecondary education while receiving on-the-job experience.

School-to-Work required partnerships between and among many sectors of the local, state, and national population. Business/industry, educators, labor representatives, parents, students, and other community-based organizations were some examples of partnering groups. It was mandatory that three components were in place to receive funding: work-based learning, school-based learning, and activities designed to provide a link between the two.

School-to-work learning is modeled after the old apprenticeship concept, which integrates classroom learning with on-the-job training. This approach, integrating school or theory-based and work or experience-based development, can be an effective way to keep students engaged in learning and skill acquisition. It is similar to the collegiate model of internships. In addition to keeping the students in school, results indicate that the students develop improved school attendance and work attitudes.

Justin Perry and others conducted a study that looked at the self-efficacy of ninth-grade urban youth enrolled in a school-to-work program. In general, the project studied students' perceived confidence in their ability to perform actions to attain specific academic goals. School-to-work programs are designed to make career exploration and career decision making possible. The goal is to help students understand the purpose of school as it relates to their future with the intent of improving motivation to achieve while in school. While the findings of this study produced only two indicators of eight that were statistically significant, there were both qualitative and quantitative indicators to support the school-to-work programs.

School-to-Work sought to make students aware of career opportunities and encouraged lifelong learning. Many students and school districts benefited over the course of its existence; however, in the late 1990s School-to-Work became linked with outcome-based education and, as such, was seen more often as an example of the national government micromanaging the lives and careers of families and the impressionable youth of America. Resources were believed to be directed away from raising standards, improving discipline, and strengthening the core curriculum and moved toward careers in business and industry, local partnerships, and other collaboration.

School-to-Work was one of the few national efforts to support high school students choosing to follow a career or technical path after high school since the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, which provided funds to train individuals who had chosen to work on the farm as their career. It forced states to develop state boards of vocational education in order to receive funds. Funds could be used for salaries for vocational teachers, but could not be used for academic teacher salaries. Though the intention was not to segregate systems of education, the result was a separate and more isolated and distinct vocational system of education.

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