What We Do

NIWL works at the nexus of the education and employment systems, promoting their integration to ensure lifelong learning and productivity for all Americans. Our services include: providing technical assistance in building community collaborations; planning and conducting training and active facilitation; evaluating school, district, state, and national programs; designing and conducting national, regional, and local conferences and teleconferences; performing needs assessments; planning and implementing action and capacity-building projects; synthesizing and disseminating information; providing research and policy analyses; and initiating and facilitating ongoing dialogues among practitioners and policy makers. We work in three broad areas:

School-to-Career

In schools across America today, students involved in school-to-career initiatives, in addition to "the basics" of reading, writing, and arithmetic, learn to work in teams, communicate effectively, solve problems, and think critically. School-to-career programs change the structure of education and training by combining academic learning and hands-on experiences. Students use academic lessons to explore further their interests, talents, and abilities and understand the advantages of obtaining a good education. They become more engaged in school when they are able to apply classroom lessons and theories in "real world" settings. School-to-career initiatives prepare young people for a lifetime of learning in school, on the job, and in the course of their day-to-day lives. Click here for more information on current and recent NIWL projects with a school-to-career focus.

Teacher Professional Development

Recent research based upon thousands of pupil records in many different cities and states establishes beyond any doubt that the quality of the teacher is the single most important variable affecting pupil achievement. Studies by some of the nation's leading educational researchers have shown that good teaching leads to student achievement gain and that when good teaching continues year after year, the effects appear to be cumulative. Click here for more information on current and recent NIWL projects with a focus on teacher professional development.

Workforce Development

Many employers search for ways to help their employees and future workers meet the demands of the modern workplace. Lifelong learning enables workers to adapt to changing work environments and skill requirements. Employees who do not continually expand their knowledge base find themselves left behind in the rapidly evolving world of work. At the same time, the underemployed, those with limited literacy, or those with disabilities enhance their skills through innovative workplace training and support. Moreover, adults who are dislocated by new technologies or downsizing benefit from career counseling and retraining, while others who have yet to enter the workforce need assistance to acquire basic workplace competencies. NIWL partners with educators, businesses, and unions to ensure that all have free and open access to the labor market and that all workers are able to grow and advance through continuing education. Click here for more information on current and recent NIWL projects with a focus on workforce development.

Other Projects

While much of NIWL's work is in the three broad areas of school-to-career, workforce development, and teacher professional development, the Center has worked with a variety of organizations whose primary focus lies outside of these areas. NIWL's experience in research, program development and evaluation, technical assistance, capacity building, training, and information sharing has made it an invaluable partner in a number of ventures. Click here for a sampling of other current and recent NIWL projects.