A Functional Structure Analysis of a School-to-Work Program

Studies are being conducted and grants are being allocated for school-to-work programs. Educators and lawmakers are looking into programming which teach high school students career orientated curriculum. Educational critics have felt that students emerge from high school with little/no employable skills. Many students attempt to enter the work force immediately after high school completion, never furthering their education. School-to-work programs are felt to teach the students skills needed to enter the work force. This functional structure analysis was conducted within one county and the four technical schools offering school-to-work programming to their students. Figure A is a flow chart illustrating the input/process/output of the technical schools offering school-to-work programming for this analysis. Inputs Four Technical Schools The four technical schools are strategically located within the county. The county was dissected into four quadrants with the technical schools located centrally within the quadrants. The campuses were named, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. The four campuses service the twelve public school districts within the county. Twenty-nine public and parochial schools utilize the service of the technical schools for their students. Funding Funding for the four technical schools comes from a 1/2 mill county property tax which provides 80% of the funding for the four centers. Another 11% of the funding for the four centers comes from the state in which the county is located. The federal government provides 5% of the funding. Program sales and miscellaneous revenues supply the remaining funding. Staff The school Boards of Education approve the administration staff for the four technical schools. Each of the four campuses is staffed as a traditional high school with counselors, secretaries, instructors, and custodial staff. The instructional staff was originally recruited from fields of employment. Each instructor was require to have been employed in the field for a minimum of two years. Some instructors are area business owners. 87-90% of the instructors are now certified teachers, many holding master degrees. Paraprofessionals are also on staff to service student with special needs. The paraprofessionals are hired due to the needs of students. One campus employs a translator due to the high concentration of ethnic language students. Tuition Tuition is free to all high school students. Adults working toward a high school diploma also attend free. Adults continuing their education do pay tuition per semester. The adult may qualify for free tuition the next semester if the adult has less than eight absences, a grade of C or better, and a teacher's recommendation. If the same criteria is met for the second semester, a rebate is issued to the adult. Recruitment Students are recruited to attend the technical schools with video presentations, tours, open houses, talks, letters, and brochures. Counselors and former students set up recruitment talks at the high schools and junior high schools to inform students of the programming and educational experiences offered by the technical centers for high school students. Enrollment Students enroll through their high school counselors. Non-high school graduates enroll at the Community Education Center. High school graduates enroll at the technical centers. An admission application is required. Most programs are two-year programs and students are selected toward the end of the tenth grade. Students of special needs are given attention by paraprofessionais. Students must be county residents. Transportation Student transportation, via school bus, is furnished by the school district in which the student attends high school. The students may also furnish their own transportation. If a student attends a technical school outside of his/her jurisdiction, the student must supply his/her own transportation. …