Institute on Education and the Economy (Skill Standards)

IEE research on skill standards began in the early 1990s with an investigation of the 22 industry-based skill standards pilot projects funded by the US Departments of Education and Labor. Findings from this study were included in a 1995 NCRVE report, Making Sense of Industry-Based Skill Standards, that focused on the governance structures for developing and implementing skill standards and the integration of acadmic, technical, and employability skills. Interest in this report led to a 1996 workshop, Integrating Academic and Technical Skill Standards, that brought together educators working on the national standards in five academic disciplines, employers involved with standard development in seven of the nationally funded pilot projects, teachers, and policy makers. The workshop resulted in the 1997 NCRVE report, Integrating Academic and Industry Skill Standards, and a call for a follow-up workshop to take a more in-depth look at integrated standards. In response to participant requests, in 1997 IEE (under the auspices of NCRVE) sponsored Beyond Eighth Grade: A Workshop on Mathematical and Occupational Skill Standards to accomplish three main goals. One, to strengthen the case for both rigorous academic standards in vocational education and authentic workplace applications in traditional academic programs. Two, to dispel minimalist views about mathematics embedded in everyday tasks required for tomorrow's worplace. And three, to help the mathematical and vocational education communities understand each other's standards so they can begin to work together on strategies to improve teaching and learning. The outcomes of this workshop were available in a report released Summer 1998.

CONTACT PERSONS

Dr. Thomas Bailey

tbailey@tc.edu

Institute on Education and the Economy
Teachers College, Columbia University
Box 174, 525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
(212) 678-3091
fax: (212) 678-3699

PUBLICATIONS

Available from IEE:

Bailey, T. R. (1998). Integrating Academic and Industry Skill Standards.(4pp.) (Document No. BI-18)

Merritt, D. (1996). A Conceptual Framework for Industry-Based Skill Standards. (4pp.) (Document No. BI-13)

Available from other sources:

Bailey, T., and Merritt, D. (1997). Industry Skill Standards and Education Reform. American Journal of Education, 105(August), 401-436.

Bailey, T., and Merritt, D. (1996). Making Sense of Industry-Based Skill Standards. National Center for Research in Vocational Education (MDS-777).

Bailey, T. (1998). Integrating Academic and Industry Skill Standards. National Center for Research in Vocational Education (MDS-1001).

Merritt, D. and Bailey, T. (1998). The Standards-Setting Process in Accounting: Lessons for Education and Workplace Reform. National Center for Research in Vocational Education. (MDS-949).

For other skill standards publications see Skill Standards Resources (Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Department of Education).

LINKS