ERIC ED427207: What Business Organizations Say about School-to-Work: An Analysis and Compendium of Organizational Materials.

31 Pages·1998·0.46 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 427 207 CE 078 108
Kaufmann, Barbara
AUTHOR
What Business Organizations Say about School-to-Work: An
TITLE
Analysis and Compendium of Organizational Materials.
American Youth Policy Forum, Washington, DC.; Institute for
INSTITUTION
Educational Leadership, Washington, DC. Center for Workforce
Development.
ISBN-1-887031-62-6
ISBN
PUB DATE
1998-00-00
NOTE
29p.
AVAILABLE FROM American Youth Policy Forum, 1836 Jefferson Place, NW,
Washington, DC 20036-2505 ($5).
PUB TYPE
Reports - Research (143)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
*Education Work Relationship; *Educational Attitudes;
DESCRIPTORS
Educational Change; Educational Improvement; *Employer
Attitudes; Employment Practices; Labor Force Development;
Models; *National Organizations; Partnerships in Education;
Professional Associations; *School Business Relationship;
Secondary Education; *Vocational Education; Work Experience
Programs
ABSTRACT
This document examines employer involvement in
school-to-work (STW) through the lens of seven business organizations:
American Society for Training and Development; Business Coalition for
Education Reform; The Business Roundtable; Committee for Economic
Development; National Alliance of Business; National Association of
Manufacturers; and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The first part of the document
is a review of what materials published by the seven organizations have to
say about the following topics: why employers are involved in STW (STW
activities are consistent with and support emphasis on education reform, STW
is part of a larger effort to develop a rational work force development
system, STW is a strategy for economic growth); the National Employer
Leadership Council Employer Participation Model (a model that was developed
by the National Leadership Council and identifies ways employers can
participate in STW by working with students and teachers, strengthening
company practice, and building an STW system); and employer involvement in
STW after the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 expires in 2001. In
the remainder of the document, background information is provided on each of
the organizations along with overviews of pertinent documents published by
each organization.
(MN)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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from the original document.
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WHAT BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
SAY ABOUT SCHOOL-TO-WORK:
AN ANALYSIS AND COMPENDIUM
OF
ORGANIZATIONAL MATERIALS
BARBARA KAUFMANN
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
E
BEEN GRANTED BY
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating I.
L 1_1710_
0 Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Points of view or opinions stated in this
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
document do not necessarily represent
1
official OERI position cr policy.
-
Center for Workforce Development
Institute for Educational Leadership
and
American Youth Policy Forum
CODY AvAILW
d
u
2
ABOUT THE PUBLISHERS
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) is
a nonprofit professional development organi-
zation providing learning opportunities for policymakers working
on youth issues at the local,
state and national levels. The goal of our nonpartisan forum is
to provide participants with
information, insights and networks to help them in their work
on education, transition to em-
ployment, national and community service and related policies and
practices contributing to
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tion about AYPF and our inexpensive and practical
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The Center for Workforce Development (CWD)
helps leaders in both the public and private
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learning institutions and the workplace.
The focus is on the ties that link the worker,
the school or training institutions and the work-
place and on the ties that promote the
types of learning organizations that are needed to
increase the productivity of the nation's workforce.
CWD is involved in qualitative research
and evaluation studies on key policy,
program and education and training service delivery
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as well as the provision of technical assistance
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(http://www.iel.org/programs/cwd.html).
This publication is not copyrighted and
may be freely quoted without permission,
provided the source is identified
as:
What Business Organizations Say About
School-to-Work:
An Analysis and Compendium of Organizational
Materials
Washington, DC:
American Youth Policy Forum and Center for
Workforce Development, 1998
ISBN: 1-887031-62-6
Additional copies may be ordered for $5.00
prepaid, including postage and handling, from:
American Youth Policy Forum
1836 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036-2505
http://www.aypf.org
The activities of the American Youth Policy
Forum are made possible by the support of a consortium of
philanthropic foundations: Pew Charitable Trusts, Charles
S. Mott Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation,
Ford Foundation and General Electric Fund.
Layout by Susan Kim.
3
INTRODUCTIO
The survey also confirms the earlier work of
At the early stages of consideration of
McNeil and Ku lick (1995) cited above and
school-to-work legislation and
Lynn and Wills (1994) in School Lessons/
implementation of the School-to-Work
Work Lessons by describing why employers
Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA), one of
are involved in school-to-work: they are
the key issues discussed was employer
committed to corporate involvement in the
involvement in helping to build a school-to-
community, and also view school-to-work as a
work system, especially in obtaining enough
way of making better hiring decisions for their
employers to provide work-based learning
future workforce.
opportunities. "The development of such a
system will require an unprecedented scale
This document serves as a companion piece
of employer commitment and involvement,"
to the publication, Employers Talk About
wrote McNeil and Ku lick in Employers' Role
Building a School-to-Work System: Voices
in School-to-Work Opportunities.'
from the Field, which contains essays
completed by individual employers and
At the four-year mark of STWOA, a
intermediary organizations directly involved in
representative survey of more than 5,000
school-to-work. This compendium looks at
employers with 20 or more employees
shows that many employers are involved in
Review of Material From:
school-to-work. The National Employer
Survey was conducted by the Bureau of the
Census and supported by the National
American Society for Training
Center for Postsecondary Improvement and
And Development (ASTD)
10
the Consortium for Policy Research in
Education, through funding from the Office
Business Coalition for
of Educational Research and Improvement
Education Reform (BCER)
of the U.S. Department of Education.
It
11
shows that one in four businesses surveyed
is involved in a school-to-work "partnership,"
The Business Roundtable
defined in the survey as joint activity
(BRT)
13
between schools and employers to build
connections between school-based learning
Committee for Economic
and work-based learning. Many other
employers are involved in job shadowing,
Development (CED)
15
internships and mentoring.
National Alliance of Business
Participation in school-to-work is greater
(NAB)
16
among larger employers. While only 24
percent of the surveyed establishments with
National Association of
20 to 99 employees engage in school-to-
20
work partnerships, 42 percent of those with
Manufacturers (NAM)
250 to 999 employees participate and 60
percent of those with 1,000 or more
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
employees report that they participate.
23
(CC)
Patricia W. McNeil and Christine D. Ku lick. Employers' Role in School-to-Work Opportunities. National Institute for Work and Learning,
'
Academy for Educational Development: Washington, DC, 1995.
4
have been developed since STWOA
employer involvement in school-to-work
passed. They are examined as are a
through the lens of seven business
number of publications of non-business
organizations: American Society for Training
organizations concerning employer
and Development (ASTD), Business Coalition
involvement in school-to-work.
for Education Reform (BCER), The Business
Roundtable (BRT), Committee for Economic
Why Employers are Involved
Development (CED), National Alliance of
Business (NAB), National Association of
Manufacturers (NAM) and U.S. Chamber of
The seven organizations view school-to-work
Commerce (CC). An introduction to and
from several non-mutually exclusive
analysis of each of the seven organizations'
perspectives. These perspectives can be
materials is provided, followed by
summarized as follows:
summaries of the publications addressed in
the text.
School-to-work activities are consistent
with and support emphasis on
Six of the seven organizations examined are
education reform. School-to-work
membership organizations representing a
supports higher academic standards for all
variety of businesses in this country. The
students by showing how those higher
seventh, BCER, is a coalition of 13 national
standards are needed in the workplace.
business organizations. All seven
School-to-work engages students in
organizations were part of the legislative
meeting higher standards through applied
discussions on STWOA and have continued
academics, team and project learning and
to be involved in the implementation of
other means that integrate academic and
school-to-work and other workforce
occupational requirements.
development issues. Through publications
and other efforts, they have introduced
School-to-work is part of a larger effort
school-to-work to their constituencies and
to develop a rational workforce
articulated the business role to others
development system. The workforce
involved in school-to-work. They are key
development system includes the initial
players in the effort to build the capacity and
preparation of the labor force and continual
scope of businesses involved in school-to-
training and development of the
work, and their vision and current efforts will
current workforce.
be an important voice in the discussions on
how and whether or not school-to-work
School-to-work is a strategy for
continues after the expiration of STWOA in
economic growth. Investment in
2001.
workforce training and skills-upgrading is an
important ingredient in this country's
A review of the materials from the seven
economic competitiveness.
organizations shows their perspective and
message to their members regarding
The business organizations view employers as
employer involvement in school-to-work.
part of a coalition of school-to-work partners,
The analysis section of this paper and the
including educational institutions. Some
following summaries of materials review
organizations are more precise than others in
both the flurry of policy papers defining the
outlining the business role in partnerships or
key issues of business organizations which
coalitions. Some envision business as part of
were raised as Congress began to consider
a governing structure, while others assert that
school-to-work legislation and the "how to"
business must have the leadership role. The
guides containing prepared descriptions of
differences, however, are on emphasis, not on
working programs and best practices that
the need for partnerships and collaboration. In
5
2
business organizations is focused on practical
addition to educators, parents and unions are
information to assist individual businesses in
mentioned as partners, but nothing is written
starting a school-to-work program, with less
about their role and involvement with business
emphasis on building a system and changing
in these efforts.
company practice. Over time, these various
publications have built on each other to give
Much of the discussion about changing the
greater focus and detail to employer
educational system is concerned with issues
involvement in school-to-work. A review of
of the total quality management movement
these publications gives an idea of the issues,
seen in business. NAM highlights companies
successes and barriers in school-to-work as
that transformed themselves into high
identified by these organizations and where
performance workplaces. According to BRT's
these organizations and others need to
principles, "U.S. workforce development
provide further detail and definition in the
priorities should be based on the principles of
discussion on the continuation of school-to-work.
total quality." NAB writes of the need to learn
from the lessons of the Malcolm Baldrige
Working with Students and Teachers
National Quality Award, which has tied
education to the principles of quality
The EPM's specific activities that employers
management. In 1995, Baldrige conducted
can undertake in working with students are
pilot programs in education and health care,
built around three areas: career awareness,
using new criteria for performance excellence
career exploration and career preparation.
in these two fields.
Activities that employers can undertake in
The National Employer
working directly with teachers include:
Leadership Council Employer
project-based learning, school-based
enterprise/entrepreneurial projects and
Participation Model
internships/externships/sabbaticals in
business. Employers can also support the
The following commentary on the
work of teachers in producing instructional
organizations' publications is organized
materials, assisting in curriculum
around the Employer Participation Model
development, advising on business practice,
(EPM) developed by National Employer
identifying industry skill standards and
Leadership Council (NELC). The EPM was
supporting technology use.
created by representatives of NELC member
companies to recommend actions that
There is agreement that business should
individual companies can take as part of their
provide work-based learning opportunities
school-to-work involvement. The EPM
(ASTD, BCER, CRT, CED, NAB), although no
identifies 56 activities for employers in three
single work-based learning experience is
circles:
advocated. Experiences, such as career days
or fairs, workplace visits, job shadowing,
Employers Working with Students and
intemships and cooperative apprenticeships,
Teachers
are viewed as a continuum of opportunities.
Employers Strengthening Company
Organizations talk of work-based learning
Practice
experiences as preparation for employment
Employers Building a System
within the company that provided the work-
based experience, but there is no discussion
The EPM categories are described in further
of whether companies will recognize work-
It is important to note that the
detail below.
based experiences not provided by them.
EPM was published in 1996, after many of the
There is also no examination of changes in
publications reviewed here had already been
the way career information is provided or
issued. Most of the material from the
3
career counseling occurs for young people,
Business generally supports the teaching of
only the recognition that such activities are
SCANS2 skills as an important part of
part of the work-based learning continuum.
preparing for work, and BRT encourages this
specifically through its statement of principles.
Mentors are recognized as part of the work-
No specific suggestions, however, are
based experience by NAB but are not
provided in how SCANS skills are to be
mentioned by the other organizations. In
embedded into curricula. Organizations
School-to-Work at Work, NAB notes that
(ASTD, BCER, BRT, NAB, CC) also believe
employees need to be prepared to supervise
that employers should be involved in
students in defined work-based learning
integrating work-based and school-based
opportunities. NAB describes different roles
learning, but little is written about how to
for adults as trainers, mentors, supervisors
initiate this involvement. Employers have
and/or coordinators and emphasizes that
been involved in singular efforts at the state
worksite staff should be familiar with the
and local levels to develop curricula that
design and objectives of school-to-work and
integrate SCANS skills into academic and
the responsibilities of their individual roles.
occupational learning, but such efforts have
Mentors should also be knowledgeable about
largely been ad hoc and focused on individual
programs. There is no overall, easily
adolescent behavior and ways of working with
adolescents. Employees are also likely to
accessible system for employers.
require ongoing support and guidance as they
train and supervise students in the workplace.
Similarly, there is little emphasis in the
business organizations' literature on specific
Business organizations want work-based and
ways to work directly with teachers. (The
school-based learning to be integrated. In
companion to this document, Employers Talk
Connecting Inner-City Youth to the World of
About Building a School-to-Work System:
Work: A Program Statement by the
Voices from the Field, emphasizes the
Committee for Economic Development, CED
necessity and priority of working with
recommends that innovations in curricula and
teachers). The EPM suggests that
pedagogy, such as contextual learning,
businesses can provide project-based
integration of academic and vocational
learning, school-based enterprise/
education and career academies, be
entrepreneurial projects and internships/
continued and expanded. In School-to-Work
externships/sabbaticals in business for
at Work, NAB suggests that integration occur
teachers. The EPM also describes technology
through project-based learning and authentic
as a way for business to help teachers. For
assessments. Through project-based
example, BRT's Indicators of Best Practices
for Training/Developing Employees calls for at
learning, students work with teachers and
work supervisors on projects that explore
least 25 percent of training to be provided
technical and social topics in the workplace, through alternate technology-based delivery
which provide opportunities to engage
mechanisms. While the business
students as active learners. Authentic,
organizations advocate the use of technology
project-based assessments are useful in that in publications aimed at changing company
they allow students to demonstrate knowledge practice for existing workers, none discuss the
and skills. One example, portfolios, are
need to provide educators with information
and support to increase their awareness and
compilations of work that help students analyze
skill development of current technology, as is
and reflect on how their projects have evolved.
suggested in the EPM. To date, business
2 SCANS the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
was established in 1990 by the U.S. Department of Labor, and
brought together representatives of education, business, unions and government to identify the foundation skills and core competencies
required for success in the workplace.
4
Champions of school-to-work can be found by
organizations have largely relied on
approaching others in the organization who
intermediary organizations to create the
of
are involved in school projects, are parents
essential connections for business with
school-aged children or are ex-teachers
schools and teachers.
(ASTD). These champions can identify others
in the company who should be involved.
Strengthening Company Practice
ASTD also maintains that support for school-
to-work needs to include the CEO. The EPM
Activities in the EPM that business can
suggests achieving this by briefing senior
undertake to change or strengthen company
management, inserting comments in senior
practice to support new relationships with
management speeches, writing CEO editorials
education are clustered around communicating
in industry and business magazines, focusing
supplier expectations, enhancing employment
volunteer efforts on education partnerships
practice, encouraging employee development
and school-to-work/career preparation
and extending corporate leadership.
initiatives, recognizing community partnerships
with events that showcase employer
Business believes that a company's
involvement and commitment and
participation in school-to-work should be based
participating on local school, parent and
on the company's values, which is a lesson
partnership boards.
from the NAB/JC Penney project described in
Recrafting the Business of Schooling: Shared
School-to-work requires more than changing
Lessons from Implementing School-Based
corporate leadership or increasing
Management. At JC Penney, store managers
communications within a company.
are the most important individuals in the
Employment practices must be changed in order
company structure and thus should be
to institutionalize school-to-work by including
involved in helping a school districts implement
grades and courses taken as part of the hiring
school-based management. This in turn
decision (BCER, BRT, CED, NAB, CC). In
places decisionmaking at the local site.
Growth with Opportunity: A Statement by the
ASTD's School-to-Work Programs: Info-Line
Research and Policy Committee of the
also emphasizes the connection between a
Committee for Economic Development, CED
company's vision and school-to-work.
urges employers to link their hiring decisions
more closely to student performance and
Effective school-to-work participation requires
recommendations from school personnel. It also
communication and knowledge at all levels within
recommends the removal of legal obstacles to
an individual firm (ASTD and NAB). ASTD, in
using high school diplomas, transcripts and
School-to-Work Programs: Info-Line, suggests
similar assessment information in hiring. In
crafting the school-to-work message for different
Connecting Inner-City Youth to the World of
audiences within a company. For example, top
Work: A Program Statement by the Committee
management may be more interested in the
for Economic Development, CED further pushes
community involvement aspects of school-to-
employers to work with schools to develop
work than line managers, who want to know how
additional means of documenting student
school-to-work can assist their specific work.
achievement, including improved standardized
The EPM also suggests aligning corporate
tests, certificates of skill achievement and
staff and resources, including government
portfolios of student work. BCER proposes that
relations, corporate philanthropy,
companies weigh business location decisions
volunteerism and personnel policy, with
based on a state's or community's commitment
corporate education priorities.
to achieving high academic standards, although
no similar statement is made for industry-based
There is recognition that corporate leadership
skill standards.
of school-to-work should be expanded.
5
There is strong support for the use of
Two organizations suggest increasing the
intermediary organizations as a means to
amount spent on education and training for
ease the programmatic burdens of business
employees. NAM's Improving the Economic
involvement. None of the organizations
Condition of the American Worker proposes
indicates that one type of intermediary
that successful companies set as a goal
organization is better than another, and the
spending between three and five percent of
kind of intermediary organization to use is
payroll on employee training and education.
seen as a local decision. The vision in
BRT's Indicators of Best Practices for
school-to-work is that employer-based
Training/Developing Employees proposes that
intermediary organizations can provide
companies make an educational investment
access to large numbers of employers.
of at least three percent of payroll.
Intermediary organizations can also provide a
common pool of resources and services that
Some of the business organizations expressed
small businesses in
the importance of student evaluation and the
individual employers
may need in order to participate
subsequent communication of expectations to
particular
in school-to-work initiatives. Intermediary
educators. The EPM suggests developing
organizations may focus specifically on
internal tracking systems to follow students
school-to-work or they may be local
hired, retained and promoted so that information
can be shared. The companies highlighted in
counterparts of national organizations like
NAM's The Smart Workplace: Developing High
local chambers of commerce or trade
Performance Work Systems: A Report to the
associations.
Members of NAM are striving to increase their
Expectations about work requirements are to
workers' skill levels by using tracking systems,
including certification attainments, to mark
be communicated to workforce suppliers,
existing workers' progress. Tracking systems
such as educational institutions, through skill
can be used to broadcast success, provide
standards. BCER's Partnerships for High
progress reports and help benchmark best
Standards: Putting Knowledge to Work
practices. Internal tracking systems, however,
describes the role of business in skill
must be tied to each other in order to obtain a
standards:
true picture in the building of a system.
recognize and articulate skill gaps in the
ASTD's Responding to Workplace Change: A
workplace to education partners and
National Vision for a System of Continuous
industry associations,
Learning recommends that (1) national
build linkages with schools and business-
benchmarking efforts be undertaken to
education partnerships to find a common
identify best practices in an array of program
language to articulate needs,
components that continuously improve the
work with industry associations and state
school-to-work and workforce development
projects to develop skill standards and
programs and (2) information on successful
certification methods and link them to
programs be aggressively disseminated.
existing academic standards and school-to-
work initiatives and
Building a System
represent the business perspective to the
National Skill Standards Board as they
The EPM lists activities such as promoting
consider policy alternatives.
standards, building networks, benchmarking
and promoting leadership to support system
Some organizations advocate strong policy to
development at the local, state/regional,
align the nation's training and educational
national and international levels.
system. Both NAM and ASTD suggest
changes to the current system of federal
6
development
NAM
or enhancing regional economic
calls
education and training programs.
plans so that education, labor market needs
for the consolidation of various federal
and public and private resources are aligned to
ASTD
education and training programs, and
support quality workforce development
proposes that the federal government adopt
Will Do the Work? A
NAB's Who
programs.
policies making it easier for states and the
Business Guide for Preparing Tomorrow's
private sector to build systems needed in the
Workforce, for example, stresses that
new economy. Two organizations advocate
individual companies must make leadership
for tax incentives as a means of encouraging
BRT
principle is
commitments. Similarly, one
business participation in school-to-work. CED,
that "business should have a leadership role in
in An America That Works: The Life-Cycle
the formulation and implementation of
Approach to a Competitive Work Force,
BRT
also
workforce development policies."
supports tax vouchers or the creation of a Gl-
suggests that program delivery systems should
type bill and CC's Statement of School-to-
be streamlined and administered at the local
Work Transition supports tax incentives to help
level. CC's Statement of School-to-Work
employer involvement.
Transition supports state and locally-driven
Business
school-to-work systems, and
BCER's
The organizations recognize the leadership
Statement on School-to-Career Initiatives says
role of business, especially at the local level, in
that local community design of the programs is
developing work-based learning opportunities
needed in successful school-to-work initiatives.
across industries and providing information on
skill standards to all educational institutions.
2001 and Beyond
To achieve this goal, the organizations support
the creation of a system of industry-recognized
workplace assessments and credentials for
STWOA expires in 2001. Thus far, one of the
BRT
use in schools and in the workplace. The
seven business organizations, ASTD, has
identifies this as one of the roles employers
expressed the need to "reauthorize and
must play in the certification process.
It is also
expand federal funding for school-to-work
EPM
but with little specific
included in the
transition programs and their evaluation.
direction.
School-to-work is an essential component for
improving the education and skills
The promotion of the skill standards-driven
development of young people by promoting
EPM
provides a
curricula called for in the
academic and career development in the
difficult challenge, since the development of
context of work experience" (Responding to
occupational skill standards that can be
Workplace Change: A National Vision for a
incorporated into academic learning is
System of Continuous Learning).
a system of voluntary
occurring slowly.
As
national standards are developed, those
Other business organizations echo the above
standards need to be introduced to the state
sentiment, but do not yet endorse
and local institutions with responsibility for the
reauthorizing the legislation. According to a
development of curricula. Organizations
statement on school-to-career initiatives issued
believe that
(ASTD, BCER, BRT, NAB, CC)
last year by six business organizations,
employers should be involved in such
successful initiatives:
curriculum development, especially in
integrating work-based and school-based
are part of the main, academically rigorous
learning, but little is written about how the
path of education for all students;
involvement should be formed.
expose students to career options they
might not know about otherwise;
The organizations acknowledge that business
teach participants skills that can be applied
and local leadership is necessary for creating
and adapted to any career of their choice; and
o