the workplace. The broadcast portrayed America as being uncompetitive in the global marketplace. Students were being trained for 1940s and 1950s workplaces. Employers complained that graduates lacked basic reading, writing, and communication skills. The report asked for a policy that would address the needs of both the employers and the students. Congress responded by passing the School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994, which was expressed in fourteen parts. The goal of Congress was to implement a sustainable School to Work system that required key stakeholders to plan and implement a system as well as to support the system's continuation. This system was to be designed in a way that provided for both state and local discretion in implementing the system as long as it addressed local capacity building, minimized overlap, used resources effectively, established clear goals, and provided flexibility (Glass). States were required to come up with plans that showed how their resources would be linked together within five years to establish a statewide School to Work program. Plans had to show how each state would fund its program, and federal policy makers had to be critical partners in the program. Any federal funding would be dependent on how well the system implementation plan built upon previous School to Work initiatives (Glass).Eight states received funding in the first year. New York received the largest grant of eight million dollars for the first year and more than sixty million dollars over five years. New York's system included skill standards, skill assessments, skill certificates, and performance-based assessments. Parents, teachers, employers, etc. were required to be involved in determining proper preparation for the workplace. Efforts supported by allocated funds were required to provide equal opportunities for all students. Today, School to Work initiatives in the United States are seen as commonplace (Glass...
