Award Nomination Guidelines
The All Means All School-to-Work Award nomination rounds have all been
completed. Feel free to review the following information to learn more about
the award nomination process and to replicate this process if you find it
to be valuable!
Nomination Outline
Successful nominees responded to each of the following areas:
- The Overview: A brief summary of your strategy - this includes
how your strategy addresses the three school-to-work areas and corresponding
criteria.
- The Need: The needs this strategy was created to address.
- Meeting the Need: Development and implementation of the strategy.
- Results: Evidence of results from implementing this strategy
(up to this point).
- Reflections: What has been learned, what might be done differently,
advice to others that may want to replicate your strategy.
- Examples: Examples of three different learners using your strategy
as part of their school-to-work experience. One example must be of a learner
with a disability. Examples of recruiting efforts that ensure the participation
of all learners is also required.
Nomination Process
The nomination process included the following steps:
- Prepare a nomination based on the given guidelines. Attach any additional
documentation you feel is important to help us understand your strategy
(i.e., brochures, news articles, evaluation reports).
- Send the nomination and any additional materials to the address listed
at the end of the application.
- Nominations will be reviewed and rated by the National Advisory Panel
to this project.
- Nominees may also be contacted by project staff for a follow-up interview
through a teleconference call.
- Award recipients will be notified within approximately one month of
the nomination deadline through a formal letter of announcement.
Rewards and Incentives
Those who completed this nomination process demonstrated their commitment
and dedication to sharing what really works with others who need the information.
The All Means All School-to-Work Award presented to each site included:
- Award plaque signed by national project personnel;
- Letters of commendation to their governor and school-to-work leaders
in their state;
- News releases to use with select media within their state;
- Written profiles in national school-to-work newsletters, and on our
web site;
- Opportunities to network with and learn from other award recipients;
- Free copies of the latest cutting-edge school-to-work materials from
around the nation; and
- A cash honorarium of $1000 to support their efforts to provide access
and benefit to all learners through school-to-work opportunities!
Nomination Deadline
Award nominations were due on the following dates:
- November 28, 1997
- April 1, 1998
- October 31, 1998
- April 1, 1999
Award nominations that arrived after a deadline were considered for the
following round of nominations. There was no limit to the number of possible
award sites in each round.
Sample Award Nomination
The following is a sample of the award nomination process used to identify
national award sites.
Strategy Overview
Directions: Completed nominations provided answers to all the
questions listed below. Nominations were reviewed and scored by the National
Advisory Panel to the All Means All School-to-Work Project. The total number
of points a nomination could receive through review was 145. The total number
of points needed to become an award site was 100. Nominations were no longer
than four double-spaced typed pages in a 12-point font.
A) The Summary (45 total points)
Maximum: 1 page
Provide a brief summary of the strategy being nominated. Your nomination
must address the all three of the following school-to-work areas and the
three criteria listed under each.
Examples of the criteria are provided on the Award Page of this website
to assist you in understanding the connection between the strategy you are
nominating and our criteria for ensuring all learners are included in school-to-work.
Your nomination does not need to address each of those examples individually
- they have only been included to clarify the criteria below.
1 Excellent school-based strategies (15 points total)
A Build self-confident learners (5 points)
B Individualize instruction and support (5 points)
C Develop relevant school-to-work curricula (5 points)
2 Excellent work-based strategies (15 points total)
A Result in individualized career development (5 points)
B Include business industry training (5 points)
C Lead to employment and or career-related post-secondary education
(5 points)
3 Excellent Connecting Activity Strategies (15 points total)
A Develop collaborative partnerships (5 points)
B Build connections between school, work, and community (5 points)
C Support learners in meeting individual career goals (5 points)
B) The Need (20 total points)
Maximum: 1 /2 page
Provide a brief summary addressing the following points:
- The overall goal of this strategy. (5 points)
- Why the strategy was created / the need it was created to address.
(5 points)
- The learners it is designed to assist in school-to-work. This must
include specific statistics on the demographics of the learners in the
area being served by this strategy. (10 points)
C) Meeting the Need (15 total points)
Maximum: 1/2 page
Provide a brief summary addressing the following points.
- The partners involved in designing and implementing the strategy. (5
points)
- The process you went through to develop this strategy. (5 points)
- The resources used / funding to support this strategy. (5 points)
D) The Results (20 total points)
Maximum: 1/2 page
Provide a brief summary addressing the following points.
- Improvements, changes, concerns, and / or problems that have occurred.
(5 points)
- The range of learners actually using this strategy. (5 points)
- The results or outcomes you have evidence of so far. (5 points)
- How your strategy is evaluated to ensure fulfillment of mandates outlined
in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act regarding inclusion of all learners.
(5 points)
E) Your Reflections (15 total points)
Maximum: 1/2 page
Provide a brief summary addressing the following points.
- What would you change or do differently, if you could? (5 points)
- What did not turn out the way you expected (positive or negative)?
(5 points)
- What is critical to make this strategy work for all learners
what advice would you give to others wanting to replicate this strategy?
(5 points)
F) Examples (30 total points)
Maximum: 1 paragraph per example
1. Provide three examples of:
- A. Real learners who are currently using your strategy and
-
- B. How your strategy meets the needs of these different learners. Include
information regarding individual accommodations that have been made to
meet different needs. One example must be of a learner with a disability.
(15 points total, 5 per example)
2. Provide one or two examples of how you are actively recruiting learners
from different groups to participate in your strategy. (15 points total)
For Questions and Assistance
If you have questions about the nomination process, contact Pam Stenhjem,
Project Coordinator, at 612/625-3863 or by e-mail at huntx010@umn.edu. | 
