A fundamental purpose of American education is to give all youth the greatest possible opportunity to achieve their highest academic potential and a rewarding life of learning, good citizenship, and successful participation in the American free enterprise system. We live in a world where the workplace and society are changing rapidly, and require a masteryof more advanced academic skills and knowledge than ever before. The modern economy provides the greatest opportunities for those individuals with strong academic skills who can continue learning throughout their lives. Parents, teachers, employers and school administrators should work together so that educational systems enable all students to succeed in higher levels of education and economic pursuits.

We strongly support school-to-career and business alliance intitiatives as a way of motivating individuals to reach higher levels of academic excellence and equip themselves to succeed in the future. School-to career initiatives, referred to initially as "school-to-work," combine demanding core academic curricula with practical work-based application. Research tells us that all students learn more when given the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to "real world" challenges. The school-to-career learning strategy, linked to high academic standards, can provide better education, workforce preparation, and the ability to learn throughout a lifetime.

Successful school-to-career initiatives:

• Are part of the main, academically rigorous path of education for all students
• Expose students to career options that they might not know about otherwise
• Give participants skills that can be applied and adapted to any career of their choice
• Prepare students to choose any course of endeavor including further education

School-to-career initiatives are not :

• Plans to divert students away from school and into the workplace
• Separate paths designed for "slow learners"
• Tracking systems that force students into certain jobs
• Dependent on federal funding or programmatic direction

We believe that an effective school-to-career initiative emphasizes the following:

• A Primary Goal is Higher Academic Achievement. School-to-career programs are intended to ensure that all students, college and non-college bound, meet challenging academic standards. Students who complete a school-to-career program should be prepared to succeed in an associate or baccalaureate degree program. In the best of these programs, students can only participate in the work experience component if they stay in school, take a core curriculum, maintain satisfactory grades, and make reasonable progress toward completing a degree.
  
• Local Communities Design the Programs. A school-to-career initiative can succeed only if based on voluntary, local decisions in partnerships between educators, employers, local officials, and ultimately parents and students.
  
• School-Based and Work-Based Learning are Coordinated. Academic curricula and workplace experiences reinforce each other to enhance overall educational achievement. Work-site learning involves practical demands for mathematics, science, reading, writing, social studies and computer skills. Work-site learning also develops skills that traditional classroom learning does not do as well, such as problem solving, management of time and resources, responsibility, initiative and communication skills. Students participating in effective school-to-career programs tend to take more courses in advanced math and science, increase their grades, go on to post-secondary education at higher rates, and are better prepared to succeed in jobs. In addition, youth who might otherwise drop out of school are more likely to stay in school and complete their education.
  
• Employer Participation Adds Relevance. Employers should inform schools of the knowledge and skills demanded by the economy of the future and provide the necessary learning experiences.