Issue Briefs

After the Sunset: Sustaining School-to-Work Intermediary Activity
Jobs for the Future asked Intermediary Network members how they were faring at the twilight of the federal investment and explored whether and how the sunset of the national legislation affected the operations of their organizations. This Issue Brief provides characterizes strategies of Network members to respond to the changing fiscal and policy context.
Click here to download this issue brief
Posted July 2002

This is one example of the excellent issue briefs you could receive as a member of the Network if you Join Now.

Best Practices

Accomplishments, 1999-2001
Accomplishments, 1999-2001 documents three years of progress through the School-to-Work Intermediary Project and the Intermediary Network--50 organizations that link schools, employers, and other community resources. These diverse organizations are committed to sustaining and increasing their roles in helping schools, workplace partners, and other community resources collaborate more effectively for the long-term learning and career benefits of local youth.
Click here to download Accomplishments, 1999-2001

Intermediary Planning Tools

Intermediary Guide Book – Members Only
As an Intermediary Network Member, you will receive printed versions and regular updates of the official Intermediary Guide Book. There are also numerous planning tools, charts and other resources available to members.

REVISED EDITION! The Intermediary Guidebook: Making and Managing Community Connections
New collaborations are emerging at all levels of education, designed to promote young people's self-confidence about their abilities, increase their connections to adults and opportunities, and foster the academic and work-related competencies they need to succeed. This guidebook, a joint product of JFF and New Ways to Work, is designed for people and organizations who are engaging in these partnership efforts. The second edition is now available, incorporating new information, new tools, and profiles of Intermediary Network members as of April 2001.
Click here to download the Intermediary Guidebook.(Members Only)

Related Resources: Links

SELECTED WEB SITES FOR INTERMEDIARIES

The Intermediary Network Partners

• Jobs for the Future
• New Ways to Work
• Keep the Change Inc.

Note: The following descriptions are adapted from each organization's Web site.

American Association of Community Colleges
The American Association of Community Colleges has been a national voice for two-year associate degree granting institutions since its inception in 1920. Located in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, DC, AACC works with other higher education associations, the federal government, Congress, and other national associations that represent the public and private sectors to promote the goals of community colleges and higher education.

AFL-CIO Working for America Institute
The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute promotes education, training, and economic development to advance the interests of working families and their communities. Working in partnership with employers, government, and community groups, the WAI fosters "high-road" approaches to worker training, technology development, and job creation.

American Youth Policy Forum
The American Youth Policy Forum is a nonpartisan professional development organization providing learning opportunities for policymakers working on youth issues at the local, state and national levels.

American Society for Training and Development
ASTD's mission is to provide leadership to individuals, organizations, and society to achieve work-related competence, performance, and fulfillment. Founded in 1944, ASTD represents more than 70,000 members in the field of workplace learning and performance, who come from every area of the growing industry and more than 150 countries across the globe.

Autodesk Foundation
The Autodesk Foundation creates a unique bridge between the business and education communities engaged in school reform in order to provide vision, leadership, and incubation of new and expanding initiatives and collaborations.

Bay Area School-to-Career Action Network (Bay SCAN)
BaySCAN is a regional coalition in California that links efforts and leveraging resources of fifteen local school-to-career partnerships and their community, education, and workplace partners to create a sustainable Bay Area school-to-career system.

The Big Picture
The Big Picture Company is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to networking and supporting innovative high school reform efforts across the United States. In the fall of 1996, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education awarded The Big Picture a contract for the New Urban High School (NUHS) Project.

Boston Private Industry Council
The Boston PIC, one of the most established, innovative school-to-career intermediaries in the country, is active in the dissemination of Bostonƒs experience to national audiences of business, educators, and community partnerships. It is also Bostonƒs regional employment board.

Business Coalition for Education Reform
BCER is made up of 13 national business-led organizations and 400 state and local business-education coalitions that coordinate their efforts to increase the academic achievement of all students by promoting business involvement in education at the national, state, and local levels. To do so, the partners leverage resources and expertise; build partnerships to help states and communities learn from each other's experiences; and provide technical assistance to a growing network of state and local coalitions.

Center for Workforce Preparation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation. The Center for Workforce Preparation, its nonprofit education and training affiliate, assists local chambers that are committed to systemic education and training reforms, including school-to-career.

Coalition of Essential Schools
CES is a growing national network of over 1,000 schools and 24 regional support centers. It is a decentralized network of regional centers that provide technical assistance and personalized support to schools. CES National supports the work of regional centers that coach schools through systematic change at the school site. This organizational structure allows CES to maintain both a national vision and a strong commitment to local implementation.

Committee for Economic Development
CED is an independent, nonpartisan policy research group of business leaders and educators committed to a stronger and more productive economy, a freer global trading system, and greater opportunity for all Americans. The Trustees of CED -- chairmen, presidents, and senior executives of major American corporations and university presidents -- dedicate their time and expertise to the research of national economic and social public policy issues and the implementation of their policy recommendations.

Commonwealth Corporation
CBWL, a state-charted nonprofit organization, specializes in workforce development, education reform, and business modernization. CYDE, a division of CBWL, is dedicated to developing innovative approaches to expand and enrich learning opportunities for young people.

Communities in Schools
The mission of CIS is to champion the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. It achieves its objectives by supporting a nationwide, independent network of more than 141 local and 17 state CIS offices serving 1,100 schools. When affiliate programs are added in, the network reaches 1,700 schools. CIS, Inc. provides training and technical assistance, a national identity, national, regional, state, and local partnerships, and rigorous standards for emerging CIS efforts.

Education Week on the Web
Editorial Projects in Education Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, publishes both Education Week and Education Week on the Web. The primary mission is to help raise the level of awareness and understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in American education. The goal of the Web site is to be the place on the World Wide Web for people interested in education reform, schools, and the policies that guide them.

Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy research organization. It is dedicated to learning what works to improve the well-being of low-income people. Through its research and the active communication of findings, MDRC seeks to enhance the effectiveness of public policies and programs.

National Association of Manufacturers
The mission of the NAM is to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers and improve living standards for working Americans by shaping a legislative and regulatory environment conducive to U.S. economic growth, and to increase understanding among policymakers, the media, and the general public about the importance of manufacturing to America's economic strength. The mission of the NAM's Workforce Center is to build and promote the workforce skills and contributions that American industry needs today to strengthen its competitive advantage tomorrow. Activities include an industry center for best practices and success stories, a school-to-work program designed and driven by manufacturers, a national skill standards project, and special publications.

National Center for Research in Vocational Education
NCRVE's mission is to strengthen education to prepare all individuals for lasting and rewarding employment and lifelong learning. It is the nation's largest center for research, development, dissemination, and outreach in work-related education. Headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley since 1988, NCRVE is an eight-member consortium, with Berkeley assisted in its efforts by the University of Illinois; MPR Associates; University of Minnesota; RAND; Teachers College, Columbia University; University of Wisconsin; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

National Center on Education and the Economy
NCEE, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC, believes that almost everyone can learn far more and develop far higher skills than most of us have thought possible. The hallmark of its work is standards-based reform. NCEE believes that education and training systems work best when clear standards -- standards that match the highest in the world -- are set for student achievement; accurate measures of progress against those standards are devised; and the people closest to the students are given the authority for figuring out how to get the students to the standards and are then held accountable for student progress. NCEE concentrates on helping states and localities build the capacity to design and implement their own education and training systems, suited to their history, culture, and unique needs.

National Employer Leadership Council
The NELC advocates and supports school-to-career initiatives combining classroom courses and real-life learning to ensure all students meet high standards, and therefore, preparing them for continuing education and the cutting-edge jobs of the 21st Century.

Public Education Network
The Public Education Network's Web site expands your opportunities to learn about the work of Local Education Funds (LEFs), and connects you to proven strategies for improving student achievement in America's public schools.

U.S. Department of Education
The Department's Web site provides information on such topics as funding opportunities, research and statistics, news and events, programs and services, publications and products, and on-line educational resources.

U.S. Department of Labor
The Department's Web site provides information on such topics as agencies, library, laws and regulations, statistics and data, news, programs and services, and related sites.