Cooperative Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Cooperative education programs, a nontraditional blending of practice and theory, have become an important feature of current higher education. Some educators estimate that by 1984 half of the higher education institutions in the United States will have developed some form of cooperative education. The Federal government's recent involvement in cooperative education (funding authorized in 1968 through higher education amendments, with funding as an independent entity in the fiscal year 1972) has generated much interest among students, educators, employers, and communities. Under this program, colleges and universities contract with outside employers to hire students at current pay scales. Grants are awarded to institutions primarily for planning, implementing, strengthening, and expanding new or existing program efforts; in addition, some grants are provided for training and research. The latest Federal appropriation for fiscal year 1975 is $10.75 million, with Office of Education funding being limited to programs that alternate periods of full-time academic study with periods of full-time employment. Descriptive examples of programs are included: Trenton State College, New Jersey; Brevard Community College, Cocoa, Florida; Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. For further information: Cooperative Education Program, Bureau of Postsecondary Education, U. S. Office of Education, Washington, D. C. 20402. (EA)