National School-to-Work Learning and Information Center
The National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL) was one of two partners responsible for the School-to-Work (STW) Learning and Information Center‚ funded jointly by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor under the National School-to-Work Opportunities Act. The legislation encouraged local level system building efforts that raised standards for all young people through more rigorous academic instruction tied to practical‚ real life learning. All fifty states received five years of venture capital from the federal government which was then used to help communities in their system-building efforts.
Over a period of 10 years‚ the STW Learning Center functioned as the national hub for synthesizing‚ communicating‚ and disseminating information that was essential to creating STW opportunities across the country. The Learning Center helped state and local partnerships build a national network of STW programs. The Center served as a broker of technical assistance experts in the fields of STW system building‚ school-based learning‚ work-based learning‚ workforce development‚ and career development activities. The Learning Center also served as a national repository of information on: successful STW systems; professional development strategies; integrated curriculum; career awareness; methods for involving employers; research and evaluation related to STW; labor market analyses; and economic development.
NIWL’s responsibilities included: developing a series of 30 resource bulletins for STW practitioners and policymakers; conducting a series of literature reviews and developing a set of issue briefs on the STW transition; identifying and maintaining an extensive database of effective STW practices; compiling an inventory of state STW legislative and policy actions; conducting case studies of effective local STW systems in 12 communities across the United States; analyzing and synthesizing findings from national evaluations; maintaining a resource library and database of STW-related products; and planning and facilitating meetings and institutes for state and local STW grantees.
NIWL also worked with a group of state grantees to develop the performance measurement system mandated by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act‚ provided on-site technical assistance to states and school districts on evaluation design and data collection strategies‚ and co-authored reports analyzing performance measures data and exploring state and local capacity to collect these data.
To read publications produced under the STW Learning and Information Center‚ visit the NIWL Resource Center.