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The following best practices may serve as models for other efforts to improve and expand education services in the Appalachian Region.

Browse best practices in education by topic:

Child Care
Teacher Training
College Access
Technology Use in Education
Entrepreneurial Education
Vocational Education (K-12)
Higher Education
Workforce Training (College and Adult)
K-12 Education
Pre-K Education

Child Care

Bringing Computers to Rural Day-Care Centers: Region 1 Early Childhood Development Regional Network
Though fast-changing information technology is transforming government and private-sector management practices, many nonprofits have limited equipment and expertise. Many nonprofits are unable to provide computer literacy opportunities to the people they serve: those who are least likely to have computers available elsewhere. These weaknesses became obvious in 1996 when local community and government leaders struggled to develop telecommunications plans in the first phase of North Carolina's Connect NC initiative. The leaders recommended creation of the Early Childhood Development Regional Network that now provides networked computers in the 12 day-care centers overseen by the Northwest Child Development Council. The network is transforming and streamlining management of the centers: office software has been standardized; long-distance costs cut; accounts-payable processing time trimmed; and inventory and supply management centralized. Children now learn with the help of computers. The staff are computer literate, as are many parents who take advantage of after-hours access to computers and the Internet.

Preparing Children for School: Partnership for Children (Region A Smart Start)
When North Carolina first funded Smart Start in 1993, many of the state's children were physically and socially unprepared for school. Nearly 20 percent lived in poverty, many were not receiving immunizations, the mortality rate was high, and almost 10,000 families were on waiting lists for subsidized child care. Rather than mandate a solution to the myriad of problems, Smart Start required counties to establish local community boards, which would create and run local Smart Start programs. This was a challenge for all counties, especially those in Appalachian North Carolina. However, most of the 29 Appalachian counties had programs in place by 1996, in part because the Appalachian Regional Commission provided funds to help them analyze, plan, and create partnerships to win funding. The Region A Partnership for Children was a pioneer in the statewide initiative and continues to help meet a wide range of needs—including child-care training, assistance and referral, health and dental services, parenting training, and coordinated family services.

College Access

Appalachian Higher Education Network
To raise the levels of educational attainment in Appalachia, ARC has started the Appalachian Higher Education (AHE) Network. Currently, AHE centers operate in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. The centers are based on a model provided by the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE), which provides competitive grants to high schools to develop programs that encourage children to see post-secondary education as a possibility. The AHE centers provide funding, training, and assistance with program implementation to the participating high schools. They also help build the schools' capacity to maintain their programs beyond the life of the grant.

High schools that have received grants and assistance have seen dramatic increases in numbers of graduates enrolling in post-secondary education—with some schools increasing as much as 50 percentage points. Among participating high schools, college-going rates of 65 percent (the national average) or higher are now common.Eighty or 90 percent of some schools' graduates are continuing their education. ARC's goal is to help establish centers in all 13 Appalachian states.

Improving Student Achievement Through Comprehensive Reform: the Appalachian Regional P–16+ Council
Part of a national movement that recognizes the interconnections between all levels of education, from preschool through college, the P–16+ Council is bringing together institutions of higher education, regional business leaders, local government agencies, and local school systems to increase student achievement. The council identifies needs and helps implement improvements throughout the education system that will lead to all students being better prepared for the workplace, as well as for post-secondary education.

Project Contacts:
Dale Duvall, Director,
Appalachian Regional P–16+ Council
Room 003B Breckenridge Hall
Morehead State University
Morehead, KY 40351
Telephone: 606-783-9379
Email: a.duvall@moreheadstate.edu

Nevin C. Brown, Principal Partner
Kati Haycock, Director
Jeanne Brennan, Communication Manager
The Education Trust
1725 K Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: 202-293-1217

Increasing College-Going Rates in Appalachian Mississippi: the North Mississippi Appalachian Center for Higher Education
NMACHE is one of five Appalachian Centers for Higher Education modeled after the original project in Ohio. These centers help Appalachian high school students overcome social, cultural, and emotional barriers to continuing their education beyond high school. The centers fund tailored college "access projects," whose typical activities include student visits to colleges, universities, technical schools, and businesses; presentations for parents on college selection, costs, and financial aid; college and career fairs; career exploration and investigation; and teacher and staff visits to schools and businesses. Partnerships between institutions of higher education, high schools, businesses, and the community have contributed to the phenomenal success rate the centers have had: the percent of students continuing their education after high school has increased by as much as 30 percentage points in some participating high schools. NMACHE is run by the North Mississippi Education Consortium and the University of Mississippi Advanced Education Center.

Project Contact:
Lecia Stubblefield, Director
North Mississippi Appalachian Center for Higher Education
School of Education,
Room 164-B
University of Mississippi
University, Mississippi 38677
Telephone: 662-915-7905
Fax: 662-915-3790
Email: lecias@olemiss.edu

Making College Accessible: New Century Scholars
Many rural high school students are qualified to attend college but do not go for a variety of reasons. Some are reluctant to become the first in their families to attend college; others worry about the expense and feel pressure to enter the full-time workforce immediately after high school. New Century Scholars, a cooperative effort of the business community, the public schools, and local colleges, is providing a new educational path for students in southwestern North Carolina. Starting in the seventh grade, students selected to participate agree to meet education and conduct standards that will entitle them to receive a college scholarship. Initiated in 1995, the program now includes 600 New Century Scholars, who attend area schools. The number of students in the program (which usually adds 120 to 140 new enrollees each year) depends upon the amount of scholarship money available to support the effort. Funds are raised in the community through individual pledges. The program includes intervention with the selected students, as well as parent involvement. Students who perform satisfactorily in high school attend the community college. If they complete an associate's degree, they spend their final two years at a state university. The incentive to stay in school has reduced dropout rates. In 1999, the New Century Scholars program leveraged a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand the program.

Entrepreneurial Education

Maximizing Success in the Twenty-First Century: North Georgia Technical College Entrepreneurial Education Program
Small business startups have increased over the past few years, and this trend will continue as new opportunities arise in the high-tech and service industries. Recognizing the importance of helping start new businesses in northern Georgia, the North Georgia Technical College has developed an entrepreneurial education program. Participants gain a better understanding of the business world and what it takes to increase their chances for success once they start out on their own. The entrepreneurial education program offers a number of courses for academic credit. These include 16 courses available over the Internet through the Georgia Virtual Technical Institute. In addition, the program operates a Small Business Resource Center open to students and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Higher Education

Consortium Meets the E-need: AppNet
AppNet, or "Appalachian Network," is a nonprofit consortium of public, private, and academic libraries in the Upstate region of South Carolina that share information resources. AppNet was created as a voluntary consortium of public (county) libraries in the region with the goal of providing Internet access and online connectivity through training, technical assistance, and joint purchasing of technology. The later addition of technical college libraries, as well as public and private academic libraries, enabled Internet connectivity between libraries. AppNet then helped establish distance-learning labs in several colleges. Recognizing the need for a community-based network for information, AppNet supported the development of an Upstate information Web site (www.sc-upstate-info.org) and the creation of Web sites for individual libraries.

Project Contact:
Carol Andersen, Director of Information Services
South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments
P.O. Box 6668
Greenville, SC 29617
Telephone: 864-242-9733
Email: andersen@scacog.org

Developing Appalachia's Future Lawyers: The Appalachian School of Law
A law school is part of a long-term economic and civic revitalization effort in Appalachian Virginia. The long-dominant coal industry continues to decline, but community leaders in Buchanan and surrounding counties believe the Appalachian School of Law will help build local expertise for a more diverse, complex economy. Initially housed in buildings made available by public school consolidation, the new law school begins its sixth academic year this fall. Attorneys are historically a source of civic leadership, and the Appalachian School of Law seeks to attract students who will return to their communities. The school received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2001 and is working toward full accreditation. New faculty members have been added as the school continues to grow, and the school's Invest in Tomorrow development campaign has secured cash donations and pledges of over $6 million.

Helping Local Government Planners: Geographic Information System
Computerized Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is becoming an integral part of land planning and environmental management for county and municipal governments in western Maryland. This is the direct result of a state initiative making current computerized geographical data available to local governments. A key part of the initiative is a specialized GIS laboratory at Frostburg State University in western Maryland. Frostburg's Department of Geography provides low-cost GIS development, staff training, and student internships.

A Public-Private Partnership for Education: Community Lifelong Learning
Lawrence County, a rural community in southern middle Tennessee, recognized in the early 1980s that lifelong learning was the stepping-stone to preserving the quality of life the community wanted to sustain. A partnership of local government and private-sector investors—over 1,500 donors contributed to the effort—constructed a branch campus of Columbia State Community College in the county, setting the stage for a succession of major projects. With a scholarship program, a K–12 education foundation with over $1.3 million in assets, an adult learning center, a technology center, and a career center, Lawrence County has won recognition by the state of Tennessee as a model in local partnerships with public and private sectors as equal participants.

Project Contacts:
Beth Keaton, Coordinator, Business Services,
and Cromer Smotherman Education Partnership
21st Century Council of Lawrence County
203 North Military Avenue
P.O. Box 190
Lawrenceburg, TN 38464
Telephone: 931-762-7951
Fax: 931-762-7989
Email: bkeaton@21stcenturycouncil.org

K-12

Appalachian Regional Commission/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Summer Learning Institute
The Appalachian Regional Commission has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the past 12 years to provide a two-week residential learning institute focusing on math, science, and technology. Fifty high school students and teachers from throughout Appalachia are selected to participate in the hands-on learning program, which focuses on the application of math and science principles in the world of work. The ARC/ORNL institute allows students and teachers to work with research scientists on math and scientific topics (see examples of projects conducted in summer 2001). Learning is also enhanced through field trips to nearby industries and technology centers.

A School-Business Partnership for Technology: the Schoolhouse Project
Pennsylvania's West Greene School District partnered with local business RJ Lee Group in this educational outreach and school-to-work program for high school students. RJ Lee Group established an incubator laboratory at West Greene High School with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and provides training for the teachers and students in the use of the microscope in the classroom and instruction in related computer technology. Outside of school hours, RJ Lee Group employs seven students from the school to conduct materials analysis using the SEM.

Project Contacts:
Brian Jackson, Principal
West Greene High School
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Telephone: 724-499-5191
Email: jacksonb@west-greene.k12.pa.us

Building Capacity in Schools: the 7 SHARE Initiative
7 SHARE, a partnership between seven school districts and the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (SCT BOCES), is a school-reform initiative that uses a system of capacity building in schools based on continuous improvement and professional networking. Each school in the program has a collaborative problem-solving team and a full-time instructional support teacher (IST) who networks with other ISTs in curriculum-based assessment and research-proven instructional strategies. Assessments of the initiative show improvement in students' academic skills and a reduction in referrals to special education.

Project Contact:
Robert Reidy Jr., District Superintendent
SCT BOCES
459 Philo Rd.
Elmira, NY 14903
Telephone: 607-739-3581

Building Community Support for Wetlands Restoration: the St. Paul High School Wetlands Restoration and Learning Center
More than 30 different public agencies, schools, and community organizations worked with and supported the students of St. Paul High School in their efforts to restore the wetlands known locally as Lake Estonoa and build a learning center to promote the study of wetlands ecosystems. Over the past three years, the students and teachers have completed two of the project's three phases and have obtained land easements and funding for the center, including a rural development grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Project Contacts:
Terry Vencil and Debra Penland, Instructors
St. Paul High School
P.O. Box 976
St. Paul, VA 24283
Telephone: 276-762-5221
Email: dvencil@naxs.com
dpenland@wise.k12.va.us

Businesses Mentoring At-Risk Students: the Swain County Career Club
The Swain County Career Club is a school-to-work mentoring program for at-risk high school students. Students are placed with mentors employed in the occupational fields the students wish to pursue after high school. The students also attend weekly life-skills and leadership classes. The program's partnerships with area industries and businesses are empowering the students to become employable and self-sufficient.

Project Contact:
Melissa Matthews Barker, Director
Swain County Family Resource Center
Telephone: 828-488-7505
email: mbarker@dnet.net

Connecting Education to Sustainable Economic Development: Better Schools Building Better Communities
The Better Schools program combines entrepreneurship education with technology transfer, skill development, business experience, and community collaboration to teach high school students the basics of business. Using a curriculum developed by REAL Enterprises, and the learning approaches of the PACERS Small Schools Cooperative, an association of rural schools, the program works toward the goal of improving education and connecting it to sustainable economic development and community life.

Project Contacts:
Jon Chalmers, Director
Tommie Syx, Project Coordinator
Program for Rural Services and Research
University of Alabama
P.O. Box 870372
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Telephone: 205-348-6432
Email: jchalmers@pacers.org
tsyx@pacers.org

Preparing High School Seniors for Life After Graduation: the Senior Transition Program
Senior Transition is a highly individualized course designed to address the needs and interests of high school seniors as they prepare for the next steps after graduation. The course emphasizes self-assessment and self-direction, team building, leadership skills, independent living, job shadowing, and service learning. In one component of the program, student teams develop and generate funding for community service projects with the help of business and community partners. The project was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary practice.

Project Contacts:
Diane Rutherford and Alisha Stanley, Instructors
Maryville High School
Maryville, Tennessee
Fax: 865-983-1440
Email: lrutherf@ci.maryville.tn.us
awstanle@ci.maryville.tn.us

Working Together to Ensure Quality Education: Education 2010
Education 2010's goal is to attract investment to the northeastern Tennessee–southwestern Virginia region by improving schools and building a stronger workforce, with the specific goal of making schools globally competitive by the year 2010. A team of business, school system, and community leaders develops public awareness of the need for competitive schools and creates strategies for reaching the goal. The team also works with business and community leaders to provide additional support and resources for school competitiveness and is establishing a system for sharing best practices regionally and nationally.

Project Contacts:
Danny Dixon, Director of Instruction
Scott County Public Schools
261 East Jackson Street
Gate City, VA 24251
Telephone: 276-386-6118
Web site: www.education2010.org

Karen Rowell, Director,
Operations Support Services
Eastman Chemical Company
P.O. Box 511
Kingsport, TN 37601
Telephone: 423-229-6495

For related best practices, see also
Hale Builders of Positive Partnerships Program

Pre-K

Motivating Children to Read: Garrett County Community Action Head Start/Early Head Start Book Distribution Program
A Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) National Book Program grant to Garrett County's Head Start/Early Head Start program that provides three new books per year for each child in the program became the impetus for a number of reading motivational activities aimed at both Head Start/Early Head Start preschoolers and their parents. Activities include highly successful family literacy workshops and a "Read to Me" contest. Numerous community partnerships provided the matching funds for the RIF grant, as well as volunteers to support the program.

Project Contact:
Barbara Hornyak, Head Start
Family Development Coordinator
Garrett County Community Action Committee
104 East Center Street
Oakland, MD 21550
Telephone: 301-334-9431
Email: bhornyak@garrettcac.org

Partnerships for Early Childhood Education: Georgia's Early Childhood Initiative
Georgia's Early Childhood Initiative seeks to improve physical, educational, social, and emotional outcomes for young children, and to promote family self-sufficiency. Goals are accomplished through non-traditional partnerships among community agencies and organizations. Recognizing the critical links between early childhood education/family support and community economic development, the initiative has developed a range of components to ensure that all children begin school ready to succeed. These efforts include universal contact at birth, the "Parents as Teachers" Home Visitation Program, adult education/job training, developmental child care, and parenting education.

Project Contact:
Carol Wilson, ECI Project Director
409 Bear Paw Trail
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Telephone and fax: 706-632-7342
Email: carolcwilson@tds.net

Technology Use in Education

Project Contacts:
Brian Jackson, Principal
West Greene High School
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Telephone: 724-499-5191
Email: jacksonb@west-greene.k12.pa.us

Gary Casuccio, Vice President
RJ Lee Group
350 Hochberg Road
Monroeville, PA 15146
Telephone: 724-387-1818
Email: gcasuccio@rjlg.com

Bringing Computers to Rural Day-Care Centers: Region 1 Early Childhood Development Regional Network
Though fast-changing information technology is transforming government and private-sector management practices, many nonprofits have limited equipment and expertise. Nor have these agencies—critical partners to government in providing many social services—provided computer literacy to the people they serve, who are least likely to have computers available elsewhere. These weaknesses were obvious during the 1996 planning meetings, as local community and government leaders struggled to develop telecommunications plans in the first phase of North Carolina's Connect NC initiative. The leaders recommended creation of the Early Childhood Development Regional Network, which provided networked computers in the 12 day-care centers overseen by the Northwest Child Development Council. The network is transforming management of the centers: office software is standardized; long-distance costs have been cut; the central kitchen staff knows how many meals to prepare every day; time to process accounts payable has been trimmed; and inventory and supply management is centralized. Children are now learning with the help of computers. The staffs are now computer literate, and so are many parents who take advantage of after-hours access to computers and the Internet.

Creating New Campuses on the Information Highway: Alleghany Cyber Site
Students and communities in Alleghany, Wilkes, and Ashe Counties, North Carolina, have not always had direct access to the resources of the state's university system. North Carolina is now leveraging those university resources by making information and classes available to students around the state. Alleghany High School is one of seven cyber campuses to be equipped with multimedia interactive computer equipment linked to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and to the Internet through the high-speed, fiber optic North Carolina Information Highway. The campus is also linked to Wilkes Community College and provides distance-learning classes for high school students, teachers, and the general community. On-site computer training is also provided. The cyber campus, which is open evenings and weekends for public and business users, is serving approximately 1,450 students, 159 teachers, and over 1,000 adults (including businesspersons, government workers, and the general public) in its first year.

Expanding the Classroom: Towns County Middle School Laptop Computer Project
With only a few computers in the library, students in Towns County Middle School had little opportunity to develop computer skills or use the Internet to research projects. In 1998, the first year of a pilot program, Towns County gave every middle school student a specially designed laptop computer. The school also offers training for teachers, students, and parents, and it provides access to the Internet from school or home through a school-based network. Computers are now as ubiquitous as books in the classroom. Students, their parents, and teachers are finding their lives enriched in unexpected ways. Since every student has access to online research, teachers can assign more interesting and demanding projects. Parents are also learning computer skills and communicating with their children's teachers through email. Students and parents both report that the children are spending less time watching television and more time doing homework. Some of those parents—who make up 37 percent of the community's adults who have dropped out of school—may be inspired to resume their own education.

Linking Networks to Improve Education: Leatherstocking Telecommunications Consortium
What is now the Leatherstocking Telecommunications Consortium began as several distinct networking efforts to connect classrooms in multiple school districts. It evolved into a sophisticated telecommunications system providing Internet access, distance learning, telemedicine services, and mobile teleconferencing for local governments and businesses. Over the last decade, quickly evolving technology has presented challenges and opportunities for regional telecom planners. Students continue to benefit from "distant" classes while new technology expands the network's capabilities. The consortium has also helped local governments set up Internet sites providing citizen access to government information. An associated health-care telecommunications network provides links to hospitals and outreach clinics that support nursing education and provides telemedicine assistance to public school nurses.

Providing Internet Access for the Community: ACEnet's Community Technology Center
ACEnet's Community Technology Center, one of more than 20 PowerUP sites in the Appalachian Region, provides public access to computers and the Internet. Originally aimed at students participating in ACEnet's youth entrepreneurship program, the center has expanded to include local businesses, youth groups, senior citizens, youth entrepreneurs, workforce development participants, and the general community; and is coupled with ACEnet's workforce development training. ACEnet also partners with the Vinton and Meigs County (Ohio) school systems for opportunities to use the center to give their teachers a venue to increase their skills.

Project Contact:
Jeanne Catalano, Program Manager
ACEnet, Inc.
94 Columbus Rd.
Athens, Ohio 45701
Telephone: 740-592-3854
Fax: 740-593-5451
Email: jeannec@acenetworks.org
Web site: www.acenetworks.org

Teacher Training

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Appalachian Regional Commission has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the past 12 years to provide a two-week residential learning institute focusing on math, science, and technology. Fifty high school students and teachers from throughout Appalachia are selected to participate in the hands-on learning program, which focuses on the application of math and science principles in the world of work. The ARC/ORNL institute allows students and teachers to work with research scientists on math and scientific topics (see examples of projects conducted in summer 2001). Learning is also enhanced through field trips to nearby industries and technology centers.

Vocational Education

Project Contact:
Melissa Matthews Barker, Director
Swain County Family Resource Center
Telephone: 828-488-7505
Email: mbarker@dnet.net

Improving Training in Health Care: Joint Vocational School
In an area with high unemployment, growth in health-care–related jobs offers students hope for a stable financial future. Discouraged by the small number of students enrolling in medical or dental training programs at the Scioto County Joint Vocational School, area health-care advisors recommended that the school emphasize health-care training and upgrade its equipment to meet training needs. With support from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the school purchased new equipment, including an X-ray machine, dental chairs, treatment consoles, and dental lab stations. As a result, 225 eleventh- and twelfth-grade students and 495 adult students are benefiting annually. High school students and an expanded group of adults are enrolled in curricula such as nurse assisting, administrative medical assisting, dental assisting, practical nursing, diversified medical occupations, and nurse aide/home health aide–phlebotomy.

Increasing Work-Based Skills: Clay County Public Schools
High school students in rural Clay County had little opportunity to develop work-related skills, either in school, local businesses, government agencies, or community organizations. Only 25 percent of eligible students received work-based experience in the existing school-to-work program, and only 2 percent were able to do so at sites within the county. Clay County school officials decided to employ a work-site facilitator to identify potential work sites, train work mentors, and develop a format for individual training plans to enhance student learning. In addition, 12 computer workstations were purchased to improve in-school work-related training. Now, about 175 students annually have access to workplace computer simulation, and approximately 100 students a year can obtain paid or volunteer work experiences at sites off campus.

Keeping Computer Skills Up-to-Date: Swiss Hills Vocational School Computer Lab
Local companies in Monroe, Belmont, and Noble Counties need employees with skills and experience using current business software. But the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District has limited donated computer equipment that cannot accommodate current operating systems or common spreadsheet, word processing, or graphics applications. In each of Swiss Hills Vocational School's three business labs, students have to share five outdated computers. So the district used grant funds to purchase 45 computers and related peripheral equipment, sufficient to provide every student a computer with local network and Internet access, as well as current business software. Not only do high school students benefit, but 105 adults also can be accommodated in seven adult-education classes offered in the new computer labs. And local companies that once had to send employees to a distant location for specialized training can now use the vocational school facilities.

Learning by Exporting: Calhoun High School Youth Apprenticeship Program
High school business education is not always relevant and interesting to students. But at Calhoun High School, in Gordon County, students literally have a stake in the business and the value of their investment, which depends on their business management skills. Derris, Inc., was established as an import/export company in 1997, taking advantage of Calhoun's relationship with a secondary school in Scotland. The student-run company, which helps produce and market local handmade crafts such as jewelry and keychains, is expanding its international networking while selling numerous products to peers, teachers, and others in their community. Student employees maintain bookkeeping and personnel records, produce semi-annual reports, communicate with local media and community organizations, maintain a Web page and alumni newsletter, and work with the local business community. Above all else, students carry out business—allocating capital, negotiating for best prices, expanding product offerings and sales outlets, and reviewing job applications of interested juniors and seniors. So far, their investment has paid off; shares that sold for $10 each in 1997 are now worth over $34.

Linking Students: Whitesville School Business Partnership
Once a solid farming community, the rural hamlet of Whitesville in southeast Allegany County has fallen on hard economic times and offers limited job opportunities to its high school graduates. To stimulate stronger ties between students and local businesses, the Whitesville Central School District created a special school-business partnership that links art and technology classes with the needs of small businesses in the area. Equipped with computers and special software as a result of an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, the school's print shop provides students with an opportunity to learn the basics of commercial printing, graphics, and advertising while producing brochures and pamphlets for area businesses. The students not only gain valuable work experience, but also have a chance to develop personal ties with local businesses.

Project Contacts:
Diane Rutherford and Alisha Stanley, Instructors
Maryville High School
Maryville, Tennessee
Fax: 865-983-1440
Email: lrutherf@ci.maryville.tn.us
awstanle@ci.maryville.tn.us

Workforce Training

Breathing New Life into Old Practices: Computer-Aided Design for the Granite Industry
Granite is the major industry and primary source of employment in Elbert County. Stonecutting, sandblasting, etching, and polishing are traditional skills that have, until recently, been carried out with traditional tools and line-of-sight measurements. Over the last decade, however, computer-aided design methods have entered the granite industry. Many draftsmen trained in traditional methods are retiring, and a new generation of employees will soon be needed. The Elbert County Comprehensive High School set up a new work-training program, so students can learn state-of-the-art computer-aided design methods from skilled industry artisans. Local industry is working with the school, which purchased 26 specialized computer stations and created a new etching class as well. In the first year, 40 students were taught computer-aided design and over ten learned specialized granite-etching skills.

Creating Job Opportunities through Innovative Partnerships: Fresh Start Community Career Center
Two local industries—food processing/distribution and construction—provide the most job opportunities for residents of the eight counties served by the Fresh Start Community Career Center. Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is sponsoring relevant career development and occupational training services for residents of economically distressed communities, adults making the transition from welfare to work, and youth. Unemployed and underemployed residents receive comprehensive job skills counseling, educational and computer training, and targeted vocational and occupational assistance. A nearby, recently built food processing plant provides interested students with experience in all aspects of the food service industry. In collaboration with area homebuilders and Habitat for Humanity, participants are offered classes and hands-on training in building and construction. Participants receive job placement and follow-up services for two years after they complete the program. Those interested in developing their own businesses are also eligible for Small Business Administration entrepreneurial assistance.

Expanding Computer Learning to Meet Specific Industry Needs: Jefferson Community College Engineering Computer Project
Based on successful recruiting efforts in Steubenville, Ohio, several regional manufacturing and design firms concluded that Jefferson Community College in Steubenville is an excellent source for highly motivated and competent employees. Hoping to hire even more employees, the firms recommended that the college update its Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) Laboratory and establish an Engineering Computation Laboratory. In its first year, the new CAD facility directly benefited over 220 design students. Over 1,100 students were served by the Engineering Computation Laboratory through new courses in computer science as well as significant enhancements to the college's advanced mathematics, science, and engineering curricula.

Maximizing Success in the 21st Century: North Georgia Technical Institute Entrepreneurial Education Program
Small business start-ups have increased over the past few years, and this trend will continue as new opportunities arise in the high-tech and service industries among others. The programs of study in a technical school environment are ideal for students who eventually want to start their own businesses. To help students and others along this path, North Georgia Technical Institute has developed an Entrepreneurial Education program. Participants gain a better understanding of the business world and what it takes to increase their chances for success once they start out on their own. The Entrepreneurial Education program not only includes credit and non-credit courses, but a Small Business Resource Center as well. The center is available to students and the general public to use as they further their plans for the American dream of "being your own boss." An entrepreneurial program is also offered through the Georgia Virtual Technical Institute. This program offers 16 courses, including entrepreneurship through the Internet.

Meeting a Diversity of Needs: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and Regional Training and Conference Center
In southwest Virginia local leaders in business, government, and education all agreed they faced a similar problem: lack of quality space for meetings, conferences, new college course offerings, and employee training programs. To meet diverse needs, a new state-of-the-art complex was built. Classroom facilities include interactive telecommunications technology. A multipurpose conference hall can hold up to 1,500 persons. Using satellite and in-class instruction, partner schools have expanded their executive and adult training as well as courses for degree-seeking students. Numerous local companies have conducted employee training; professional continuing education seminars have been provided; public meetings have been held; and business and trade shows have been hosted. The Regional Training and Conference Center satisfies a cluster of needs that were unlikely to be met individually.

Project Contact:
Lee Wood, Program Manager
ACEnet, Inc.
94 Columbus Rd.
Athens, Ohio 45701
Telephone: 740-592-3854
Fax: 740-593-5451
Email: leew@acenetworks.org
Web site: www.acenetworks.org

Training Machinists for the Computer Age: Computer Numeric Control Machine Tool Laboratory
In Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties, the New York Department of Labor forecasts a growing demand for machinists with Computer Numeric Control (CNC) training. The demand will be especially acute due to the retirement of current machinists, 50 percent of whom are age 50 or older. Alfred State College, at the request of local companies and the Alfred County Employment and Training Center, has launched an Advanced Machine Tool Certificate and Machine Tool Technology degree program. Specialized instruction will include CNC machine programming, CNC lathe operation, CNC milling machine operation, and CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing) processes. The County Employment and Training Center expects to be able to place at least 20 trained graduates a year. In addition, 30 to 45 students a year will be enrolled in machinist course work through contract courses with regional industries and training agencies.

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