National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090

For Immediate Release

Drew Scheberle, Interim Executive Director, National Center for State 
Scholars, will present a webcast, "The State Scholars Initiative and 
Integration with CTE" during a webcast from the National Dissemination 
Center for Career and Technical Education, The Ohio State University, 3:00 
p.m. ET, August 11, 2004. You can view the webcast from any computer with 
Internet access at http://www.nccte.org/webcasts/description.asp?wc=125. If 
you cannot view the webcast live, you can view the archived webcast on the 
National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education Website, 
www.nccte.org.

Mr. Scheberle's presentation will suggest that only 3 in 10 U.S. high 
school graduates complete a well-balanced set of courses that prepare a 
person to succeed in business or advanced studies. What sufficed 50 years 
ago, when only 4 out of 10 jobs required so much as a high school diploma, 
is inadequate in an era when 80 percent of the fastest growing occupations 
require formal education after high school. A shortage of skilled employees 
could mean a yawning competitive gap for American business.

A 15-year business-led initiative, Texas Scholars, showed that a majority 
of high school students is capable of completing rigorous coursework. 
Today, the State Scholars Initiative, modeled on the Texas project, creates 
business-education coalitions to place business people in eighth grade 
classrooms just before students choose their high school coursework plans. 
The volunteers  speaking from compelling life experience in a structured 
dialogue  persuade students that it is better in the long run to struggle 
and master the basic concepts in a set of tough courses than it is to glide 
through easy ones. They stress that coursework matters to future academic 
and career success. The community-level awareness and motivation campaign 
is paired with state-level advocacy for well-researched policies and 
incentives that improve course completion patterns. The Scholars Initiative 
is compatible with CTE because it ensures that students have the 
preparation to succeed in postsecondary education and training that leads 
to certifications and degrees in their chosen fields.

Drew Scheberle directs the national State Scholars Initiative, which 
launched in August 2002 and operates in 13 states. The purpose of the 
Initiative is to increase the percentage of U.S. high school graduates who 
complete a state-defined sequence of rigorous academic courses so that they 
will be prepared for success in higher education and the workplace. 
Scheberle oversees the Austin, Texas-based Center for State Scholars 
(www.centerforstatescholars.org), which receives generous support from the 
U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

Scheberle also is a member of several Texas education working groups 
including the Texas Tech Prep Quality Working Group. He published Reaching 
the Next Step: How School to Career Can Help Students Reach High Academic 
Standards and Prepare for Good Jobs for the American Federation of Teachers 
and the National Alliance of Business. He holds a bachelor's degree from 
Trinity University and a master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School 
of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Viewers of the webcast may ask questions of Mr. Scheberle by signing up (no 
charge) for a WebBoard Account at www.nccte.org. The chatroom allows you to 
submit questions for Mr. Scheberle during his presentation. Please allow 
ample time as your account must be validated by an email confirmation. 
Questions can be pre-submitted by linking to 
http://www.nccte.org/webcasts/description.asp?wc=125#viewWebcast.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this e-mail list, please visit this web 
page: http://www.nccte.org/ctemail/subscription.asp or send an e-mail to 
nagy.8 at osu.edu or contact Barbara Reardon above.

The work reported herein was supported under the National Dissemination for 
Career and Technical Education, PR/Award (No.V051A990004) and/or under the 
National Research Center PR/Award (No.V51A990006) as administered by the 
Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education. 
However the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies 
of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education or the U.S. Department of 
Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. 
The National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education and 
the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education are funded 
by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education.

For Additional Information Contact:
Barbara Reardon
The Ohio State University
Director of Communications
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090
Phone: 614-292-2894
Fax: 614-688-3258
Email: reardon.30 at osu.edu
Web site: www.nccte.org