Project STARS Student Training at Retail Stores. Cooperative
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 347 355 CE 061 597 AUTHOR Gray, Barbara TITLE Project S.T.A.R.S. Student Training at Retail Stores. Cooperative Demonstration Program. Final Performance Report. INSTITUTION New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, N.Y. Div. of High Schools. SPONS AGENCY Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1 Dec 90 CONTRACT V199A90179 NOTE 334p.; For related documents, see ED 320 352 and ED 327 729. PUB TYPE Reports - Evaluative/Feasibility (142) -- Guides - Classroom Use - Teaching Guides (For Teacher)(052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC14 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Career Education; *Cooperative Education; *Cooperative Programs; Curriculum Guides; Demonstration Programs; Distributive Education; Emotional Disturbancrs; Grade 11; Hig' Schools; *Job Placement; *Job Skills; Learning Disabilities; Material Development; Moderate Mental Retardation; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; *Retailing; Salesmanship; Sales Occupations; School Business Relationship; Speech Handicaps; Student Employment IDENTIFIERS High School Juniors; *Student Training at Retail Stores Project NY ABSTRACT The Student Training at Retail Stores (STARS) project was evaluated during the 1989-90 school yearWith the collaboration of business a 3-semester program of intense occupational, vocational, and career education was developed to enhance job skills andsecure retail sales jobs for high school juniors with moderate learning, speech, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Project STARS served 83 students at 7 high schools in Queens, New York. Findings from coordinator and student surveys indicated the following: coordinators judged the curriculum positively; nearly 60 percent of students rated at least one of the classroom or workshop activities or topics as "excellent"; more .han 94 percent reported their level -)f knowledge or self-esteem was positively affected; andmore than 38 percent acquired jobs. (The 26-page report is followed by an evaluation of the 1988-89 project. Other attachments consist of information for project replication, including workshop, business linkage, and worksite descriptions; feedback from students, educators, private ..ndustry, and parents; materials oncareer awareness seminars; follow-up letters to meetings wit: personnel directors that led to student job opportunities; letters to administrators; and a 158-page currf.culum guide with lessons, teaching strategies, and activity sheets on attendance and punctuality; dras: and makeup; communication skills; interviewing; loss prevention; customer service; selling techniques; sales equipment; safety; retail merchandising; human relations; and quality control.) (YLB) LeD Project S.T.A.R.S. Student Training at Retail Stores CYZ Cooperative Demonstration Program Office of Vocational and Adult Education United States Department of Education Award #199A90179 December le 1990 FINAL PERFORMANCE REPORT SUBMITTED BY: Barbara Gray Queens High Schools 105-25 Horace Harding Expressway Corona, New York 11368 (718) 592-4496 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (MK? of Educational Researcn and Improvemem iTdED CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER lERICI his document ea! been reproduced as rpeeived from the perSOn or organization originating it C' Minor changes have been made to improve leProduction Malay PoinIS ot view 0, opinions stated in this (101:u ment Clo nol neCesIarily reOfeSenf official OE RI poSioon or who BEST CO Y MUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to This report could not havebeen completed without theparticipation of the following people.Stella Halpin, Director of Project STARS, helped distributesurvey forms, plan interviews and collect data. Martha Hare aided in organizingand summarizing the and materials. Gilberto data Mendez helpedprepare the surveys for data entry,ard Daniel Light organized the data forcomputer processing. We thankKelli Henry for analyzing data and writing the report. the We would also like to thankGaylen Moore vt ho editedthe report, and Donna Manton for formatting and preparingthe final draft. Additional copies of this reportare available by writing to: Ronald C. Miller Special Education EvaluationUnit Office of Research, Evaluation,and Assessment 110 Livingston Street- Room 736 Brooklyn, New York 11201 Project STARS 1989-90 SUMMARY The Student Training at Retail Stores through real job interviews and workshops. (STARS) project was funded by the U.S. Coordinators also suggested more student Department of Education and administered involvement. In the spring, they suggested by the Division of High School's Special expanding the program beyondretail Education Operations Unit. The program's employment, organizing students' and mission was to develop and implement, coordinators' schedules to enable the with the collaboration of local business and active reinforcement of good work habits the Board of Education, a three-semester through work site follow up, and having program (January 1989 through June more business involvement. 1990) of intense occupational, vocational, and career education.The purpose of The outcomes are positive: more than Project STARS was to enhance job skills 94 percent of the students reported that and to secure retail sales jobs for high their level of knowledge and/or self-esteem school juniors with moderate learning, was positively affected by instruction or speech, emotional, or intellectual workshops. More than 38 percent of the disabnies. students report that they have acquired jobs, about one-third of them with the This report is an evaluation of the school's assistance.OREA found that September to December 1989 and January students who secured jobs through school to June 1990 semesters.The Office of considered Project STARS to be more Research, Evaluation, and Assessment useful and their jobs more satisfying than (OREA)alsoevaluatedthe1988-89 those who secured jobs independently. program. During these semesters Project This difference may be due to the ability of STARS served 83 students at seven high school personnel to arrange for higher- schools. Findings indicate that Project level jobs and to match jobs with students. STARS satisfactorily implemented three Also, the added support of the program program areas: curriculum development, maypositivelyaffecttheemployer- classroom instruction, and workshops. employee relationship. Tnis outcome The curriculum was judged positively by supports the goal of Project STARS to coordinators, and nearly 60 percent of the combineacademicinstruction and studentsratedatleastoneofthe practical work experience. classroom or workshop activities and/or topics as "excellent" in quality. Based on these findings, OREA makes the following recommendations. Fall semesterstudents likedthe prospectofemployment,thesocial Arrange for more activities requiring support,and theknowledge gained. direct student involvement. Spring semester students were more pleased with the interpersonal relations but Arrange for more involvement on the less pleased about their prospects for part of business, especially to provide securing employment. This may be due to jobs. disappointment in not being able to get or keep a job during the semester. Make time available for Project STARS teachers to follow up on students at job Fall students suggested more trips and sites. hands-on experiences.Spring students wanted more involvement, especially TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 2 III. EVALUATION FINDINGS 5 IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 24 III LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1:Quality of Activities as Reported 12 by Fall Students TABLE 2:Quality of Activities as Reported 13 by Spring Students TABLE 3:Effects of Activities on Level of Knowledge 17 and Self-Esteem as Reported by Fall Students TABLE 4:Effects of Activities on Level of Knowledge 18 and Self-Esteem as Reported by Spring Students TABLE 5: Job Satisfaction and Program LI ;efulness 20 as Reported by Students with Jobs in the Fall TABLE 6: Job Satisfaction and Program Usefulness 21 as Reported by Students with Jobs in the Spring iv I. INTRODUCTION PROGRAM BACKGROUND The Student Training at Retail Stores (STARS) project was primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Education and was administered by the Division of High School's Special Education Operations Unit. The program's mission was to develop and implement a three-semester program (January 1989 through June 1990) of intensive occupational, vocational, and career education with the collaboration of local business and Board of Education (B.O.E).The purpose of Project STARS was to foster and enhance the employability skills of the target students and place them in entry-level retail sales jobs. The target population consisted of spe... A education high school juniors with mild learning, speech, emotional, or intellectual disabilities who were enrolled in an occupational or vocational education program leading to a diploma.The STARS project was to be implemented at seven public high schools (six academic-comprehensive and one vocational-technical) located in the borough of Queens. REPORT FORMAT This report presents OREA's evaluation of Projec+ STARS' 1989-90 program year. The report is organized as follows: the evaluation methodology is described in Chapter II, evaluation findings are presentedin ChapterIII,and OREA's conclusions and recommendations are discussed in Chapter IV. U. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY EVALtJAIII N OREA evaluated the process and perceived quality of program implementation and evaluated five program outcomes over the fall and spring semesters of the 1989-90