Terry Orr, associate professor of Educational Leadership, said that a Cincinnati school's attempt to connect kids' thinking about career choices with hands-on experience "goes beyond the basics" of school-to-work issues. Orr, who has researched the topic, said, "This has multiple curricular purposes and is very important" for the eighth graders who started their own restaurant for a class project.

Orr suggested that the students were exposed to the many aspects of the workplace, including social and emotional issues such as teamwork, timeliness and thoroughness. The project ran for 4 hours, during which time the students served barbecued chicken and turkey sandwiches, vegetables, drinks to school and district staff.

The article, entitled "Restaurant for a Day Nourishes Ideas of Work," appeared in the Novemebr 22 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Published Friday, Dec. 19, 2003