On September 22, 1993, Secreatary of Education Richard Riley, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, and Associate Director of NCRVE Phyllis Herriage were featured in a national teleconference about educaiton reform. The teleconference was moderated by Gary Hoachlander, NCRVE's Planning, Evaluation, and Assessment Program Director.
On September 22, 1993, NCRVE sponsored a national teleconference "Breaking the Mold: Education Policy for a High Performance Future," which featured a discussion with the U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. This discussion concerning education reform focused on the Clinton Administration's new legislative initiative, the "School to Work Opportunities Act" (STWOA). (For a related story see "More Opportunities . . ." later in this issue.) The teleconference offered an opportunity for an explanation of the rationale for the reform as well clarification about some implementation strategies and challenges.
The new School to Work Opportunities proposal seeks to reform education by creating a system that will provide opportunities to all students by linking school experiences to the workplace. Grants will be made to each state to assist in developing plans. Certain core requirements must be met. Each program must include three components: (1) work-based learning, (2) school-based learning, and (3) connecting activities.
Based on the discussion during the teleconference, several important factors will need to be considered as STWOA's plans are developed. Following are some brief notes about some of those factors:
One additional point made during the teleconference requires further examination. A viewer called to ask if the traditionally negative image of vocational education is a hindrance to promoting the models long-used by vocational education. I believe the answer lies in our reflecting upon the definition of vocational education as "education to prepare for work in occupations requiring less than a bachelors degree" when tied to the perceptions our culture has about the types of jobs that require such education. It may be time for our society to examine the value placed on technicians and technical occupations, the jobs that keep America running. As Secretary Reich pointed out, the perception, particularly among parents, that everyone needs to get at least a four-year college degree is prevalent. Clearly, a four-year degree is not at all harmful. In many instances, however, it is not necessary, nor is it the best route to some terrific jobs.
Is it time for vocational education, which has been very responsive to occupational skill development and is now placing increased emphasis on academic knowledge, to also revisit how it chooses to define itself? Such discussion could help establish a true continuum of educational opportunities. Admittedly, risks exist. The result could be an increase in the already disproportionate amount of emphasis on going through four years of college. However, this discussion would be very timely, could stimulate some new thinking and, therefore, I believe is well worth the risk.
Phyllis Herriage
Associate Director
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) is dedicated to making education work for all students, especially those who are members of special populations. In 1991, the National Commission on Children estimated that at least 40 percent of American children are at risk. Targeted technical assistance activities are critical if high quality vocational programs are to become a reality for special populations. To provide these activities, NCRVE operates the Office of Special Populations under the leadership of Drs. Carolyn Maddy-Bernstein and Zipura Burac Matias.
The Office of Special Populations, one of the Center's five Dissemination and Training Programs, works nationally to increase access, quality, and availability of vocational programs for youth and adults from special populations.
Each year, the program's activities are based on an annual theme. The 1993 themes are: (1) to increase gender equity awareness in education; (2) to expand women and girl's access to and participation in vocational education programs; and (3) to increase access to career guidance and counseling for all special populations.
The Office of Special Populations' activities include:
In recognition of the importance that career counseling plays in students' access to quality vocational programs, the Office of Special Populations is currently developing a framework that will become the basis for an annual search for exemplary career counseling programs serving members of special populations.
The Office of Special Populations is located at the Center's University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign site. The Office of Special Populations staff includes: Dr. Esmeralda Cunanan, Research Specialist; Becky Taylor, Graduate Research Assistant; and Linda Iliff, Administrative Assistant.
For more information about any of the above activities or to request to be added to the Office of Special Populations' mailing list, contact Dr. Carolyn Maddy-Bernstein, Director, or Dr. Zipura Burac Matias, Program Coordinator, University of Illinois, 345 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, Telephone 217-333-0807, fax 217-244-5632, e-mail: maddy2@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu or zburac@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu.
At the present time, states are in the process of implementing "standards and measures of performance" for vocational education programs, as mandated by federal legislation. The goal of these reforms is to foster local accountability and promote program improvement. Vocational programs must evaluate their own activities and initiate educational reforms if their programs do not measure up to the outcome-based standards established by the state.
A RAND study, "Alternative Data Systems for Locally-Based Vocational Education Accountability," suggests that the current federal approach may be flawed because it places too great an emphasis on outcomes and because it ignores the nature of existing local accountability systems. In particular, while outcome measures are useful for monitoring the effects of a program, they are not very useful for understanding why a program is not working well and how it might be improved. Similarly, focusing state interventions and technical assistance on program outcome standards is less helpful than focusing on local accountability systems and the broader factors that affect program change. Finally, placing such high stakes on recently adopted assessments may corrupt the measures themselves and invalidate the inferences that are drawn from them.
The 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (Perkins II) mandated a number of significant changes in vocational education policies and responsibilities. Under the new provisions:
The provisions of Perkins II were to be implemented by September 1992. Currently, LEAs are gathering program data that will be used in their self-evaluations beginning in the fall of 1993.
The RAND study undertook to determine the extent to which local accountability systems exist and to provide information that might help state and local agencies improve the implementation of the Perkins II accountability provisions. The study team interviewed vocational program staff and students, as well as local employers, in at least two sites in each of five states. The researchers found that elements of a local accountability system already existed in many places, and based on these findings, a model of an idealized local accountability system was constructed.
The model illustrates the relationships between state and federal governments, local constituents, and vocational program providers. It also depicts the manner in which goals, measures, feedback, and constituents influence program design and reform. The purpose of the model is to help vocational providers and policymakers better understand the context in which program improvements must occur. For example, while outcome-based standards are useful in measuring performance, the model suggests that a system that looks only at outcomes is not as likely to achieve program improvement as one that collects data on other measures of program functioning and is sensitive to the local program improvement process.
Readers interested in this model are referred to Beyond Vocational Education Standards and Measures: Strengthening Local Accountability Systems for Program Improvement (MDS-292).
RAND's analysis of federal policies and local accountability systems led to a number of interesting conclusions:
The study team recommended three modifications to the federal policy embodied in Perkins II and its associated regulations:
Encourage SEAs to monitor and strengthen local accountability systems, not merely program outcomes. Specifically, Congress should incorporate into federal policy this broader concept of the state's role by delineating specific support activities the states should engage in. Increase the emphasis on, and support for, accountability-related capacity-building at the state and local levels. Specifically, training should be provided to increase an SEA's ability to support the local use of standards and measures to enhance accountability systems and improve programs.
Broaden the emphasis in Perkins II on outcome measures to include other features within the system that are relevant to program improvement. Specifically, the scope of required standards and measures should be expanded to include measures of program inputs and processes, with an appropriate balance maintained between these measures and outcome measures.
Readers interested in the study described in this article are referred to two NCRVE publications: Local Accountability in Vocational Education: A Theoretical Model and Its Limitations in Practice (MDS-291, $5.00) and Beyond Vocational Education Standards and Measures: Strengthening Local Accountability Systems for Program Improvement (MDS-292, $4.00). Both od these documents are available through the Materials Distribution Service (see ordering information later in this issue).
The Clinton Administration has unveiled the School to Work Opportunities Act, its initiative to reshape high schools and community colleges. Using existing Perkins and JTPA funds, all 50 states will receive grants for 1993-94 to plan their school-to-work (STW) programs. A small number of states will receive implementation grants this coming year, and then-Congress willing-more states will have additional funds starting in 1994. (See page one for a related story.)
Like the much-discussed "youth apprenticeships," school-to-work programs have three components: (1) School-based learning integrating academic and vocational education. Students will elect career majors at least by the beginning of 11th grade. These programs will include one or two years of postsecondary eduction. (2) A high-quality work-based component, related to a student's career major. (3) "Connecting activities" ensuring that the work-based and school-based components are coordinated. The development of skill certificates is one kind of "connecting activity" specifically fostered by the legislation.
Because STW programs include many elements, advocates have stressed different aspects. Some emphasize the work-based component, others are counting on the reform to reshape secondary education, and still others concentrate on skill standards as a way of disciplining high schools. Such variety is consistent with the legislation's emphasis that STW programs must vary, conforming to local labor market needs, school and college resources, and employment opportunities. As long as STW programs do not neglect any of the three components, they are free to start in different ways and to develop independently.
How does the STW initiative fit with current reforms in vocational education stimulated by the Perkins Amendments? STW programs reinforce many of these reforms. The legislation explicitly calls for the integration of academic and vocational education, and the proposed "career majors" include the most advanced forms of curriculum integration: Academies, career-oriented magnet schools, and the use of broad career clusters or career paths in high schools. (Simpler forms of integration, including applied academic courses that incorporate occupational applications in academic courses, do not meet the conception of career majors.) Since career majors should require a year or two of postsecondary education, they are consistent with tech prep. The emphasis in the Perkins legislation on serving populations with special needs also continues in the present initiative. To be sure, STW programs go well beyond the Perkins requirements-they include work-based learning and connecting activities as well -but the school-based reforms are precisely those envisioned in the Perkins Amendments.
States and localities will be substantially challenged. Both the Departments of Education and Labor stress that STW funds should create new approaches, not merely support traditional forms of vocational education or conventional, low-quality work experience. States will need to guarantee that STW programs are well-integrated into secondary schools, so that they serve to reform high schools rather than simply adding on isolated extracurricular work activities. The temptation to designate STW programs for "non-college-bound" students, or the "middle fifty percent," or "at-risk" students must be resisted, lest these programs become marginal and second-class. As always, the potential of this initiative to change teaching methods and the quality of learning will be the most difficult to implement. Additionally, finding enough high-quality work placements will be difficult, particularly in some regions.
But the school-to-work legislation has great promise. It provides a vision for reforming our educational system by shifting to a clearer occupational focus- a goal worth working for.
To help states and districts contemplating school-to-work programs, the National Center for Research on Vocational Education has listings of its materials on the integration of academic and vocational education, on tech prep, and on special populations, available without charge from its Materials Distribution Service, 1-800-637-7652. For information about technical assistance available from the Center, contact Phyllis Herriage at (510) 642-4004 or (800) (old phone deleted).
W. Norton Grubb
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) is pleased to announce the establishment of a new online service called VocServe. The purpose of the service is to provide all members of the vocational education community with a central source of online information and a forum for communication among all stakeholders in the vocational education enterprise.
Access in 1994 will require payment of a modest annual fee to cover maintenance costs. (The details of the fee structure will be determined partly by the responses of users during the 1993 trial period.)
VocServe may be accessed using virtually any computer with telecommunications software. A special enhanced communications program for accessing VocServe is available for Macintosh users (it may be downloaded from VocServe or be obtained by sending a 3.5-inch disk to NCRVE). A similar program for DOS and Windows users is planned, but is not yet available. The special communications program makes the system easier to use, but they are not required; a built-in, menu-driven interface is available to users of all types of computers.
VocServe may be accessed via modem or Internet. Modem access should be available by the time this announcement is distributed, and Internet access is scheduled to be available by November 15 but could be delayed. For modem access, two toll-free phone lines and two regular toll phone lines will be available; the toll-free number is 800-335-2981, and the toll number is 510-643-6793. Access via the 800 line will be restricted to twenty minutes per day initially, but may be adjusted based on usage. For Internet access, users should telnet to vocserve.berkeley.edu (and log in as NEW their first time). For technical assistance, contact David Carlson of the NCRVE Dissemination Program at 800-(old phone deleted), or send e-mail to dcarlson@uclink.berkeley.edu.
Users should understand that VocServe is being offered in test mode; while we will make every effort to make everything work properly, some patience may be required. We expect the structure of VocServe to grow and improve over time, in response to the needs of users. Initial offerings will include private e-mail, discussion groups, and online versions of selected NCRVE publications and newsletters. Please log on, look around, and send us your comments using the evaluation form you'll find online!
[The Center's Deputy Director, Gerald C. Hayward, was asked to present his view of the "vision" of the Clinton Administration's new School-to-Work initiative. He first presented an expnaded version of these remarks in a joint meeting convened in Baltimore by the federal Departments of Labor and Education to explore the implications of the new initiatives with school-to-work leaders from all fifty states.]
Let us assume for the moment that we have the capability of dropping in (unobserved) on a comprehensive high school at some undefined time in the not so distant future after the implementation of the Clinton Administration's School-to-Work Initiative. The highlights of our tour might go something like this:
Our first stop is the school district governing board meeting. The board is holding its regular review of the progress of linking school to work. The board has before it the results of competency based outcome examinations, models of student performance portfolios, achievement tests, and placement rates. The boardroom is packed with interested business and labor leaders, parents, and community members. The Superintendent of Schools is showing more than his normal interest in this segment of the meeting. The Board has made it very clear to him that his future in the district is largely dependent on how well the district does in preparing its students for the workplace of tomorrow.
We next drop in on the Board of Regents meeting of the nearby state university. There are two significant items on the Board's agenda:
First, the Regents hear the report of the new Dean of the School of Education on his successful plan to totally restructure teacher training with a focus on integrating academic and vocational education. The Regents are ecstatic. They finally have found a Dean who is able to change behavior among teacher trainers. Although a few heads had to roll at the University, it was worth it!
Next, the Regents hear the report of the Academic Senate regarding the University's plan to totally restructure the University's traditional admission policy. This new policy features competency based assessment. The Senate has come to embrace this new emphasis because such a large number of graduates of the newly integrated academic and vocational high school programs are performing at such high levels that the standard course completion criterion is simply no longer sufficient.
Very early the next morning we arrive on campus at the school just in time to find parents and students putting their tents away. They have camped out overnight to make certain their sons and daughters are properly enrolled in the highly prestigious and wildly popular tech prep program. Not getting into that program would be a major setback in their plans for the futures of their children, and these parents are determined to see their children get a first-class education.
We next wander over to the faculty dining room where we see vocational and academic teachers actually dining together. Will wonders never cease? Each table serves as a center of discussion about integrating various curricular topics and about revisions faculty want to make to the existing programs. At one table two elementary school teachers are visiting the high school to continue the planned articulation of the elementary and high school programs. At another table the local community college chair of the science department is meeting with a group of vocational and academic teachers to discuss the new tech prep science curriculum. The chair is seeking suggestions from the high school faculty on how the community college might enhance its curriculum. It seems that the current crop of students, largely because of the newly integrated high school curriculum, is coming to the college so well prepared that remediation is no longer necessary. In addition, the current college curriculum is not challenging enough for this new breed of student. The high school teachers are happy to help.
Two of the teachers in the faculty room, one academic and one vocational, are comparing notes. They both worked last summer in local industry in a school-to-work partnership program. Their counterparts in those industuries are now teaching classes in the high schools. Three more teachers will work in local industry the next summer. Eventually every faculty member who stays in the district for any length of time will have similar opportunities.
We next mosey down the hall to the counseling office. Unfortunately, the counselors are not in today. They are meeting with local businesses and the local state department of labor representatives to discuss the latest job trends and to continue to develop better matches between school preparation and job opportunities. We ask to meet with them tomorrow but are told that it would not be possible. Tomorrow the counselors are meeting with students and nothing can interfere with that priority.
It wouldn't be a proper visit to a school if we did not visit some classes. After all what goes on in those classrooms is the most important activity conducted on school grounds. We drop in unannounced to a class, but wait - we can't tell what kind of class it is. Is it mathematics? Is it health? The students are working in teams on a complicated math problem dealing with a simulation involving a life or death issue typically faced by hospital personnel. The correct solution to the problem will save a life. An incorrect one will end it. The students take their responsibilities seriously. They are engaged, involved, excited. They see dramatically how what they learn in school can impact on what they learn in the paid work experience program in which they are now enrolled. More importantly, they see clearly the connection between theoretical, abstract knowledge and practical application.
Finally, one last scene before we must go. It turns out that our visit is on the last day of school, and that very night is graduation. We learn that this year's graduation has been moved from the high school gymnasium to the football field. It turns out that the dropout rate has been dropping so dramatically that there are now many more graduates than before. Also, so many business leaders and local workers want to attend to show their support for these high school grads who are now their co-workers, the gym just isn't big enough. Because there are so many students graduating and there are so many awards from colleges and businesses, the graduation runs quite a bit longer this year-but nobody seems to mind.
Gerald C. Hayward
Deputy Director
The following new reports are available from the National Center's Materials Distribution Service. You may order these documents by phone (800) 637-7652, by email msmds@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Internet), or by sending your request and/or purchase order to: NCRVE Materials Distribution Service, Western Illinois University, Horrabin Hall 46, Macomb, IL 61455.
Building the Middle--S. E. Berryman, E. Flaxman, M. Inger
This paper is an interpretive synthesis of NCRVE research on a series of educational reforms related to the preparation of youth for postsecondary training and work. The authors believe that the nation needs to objectively examine proposals for work preparation to build a powerful training system for students-not just a patchwork of different programs-that prepares students for middle-skill jobs.
MDS-408 | DECEMBER 1992 | $6.50
Building the Middle: Executive Summary--S. E. Berryman, E. Flaxman,
M. Inger
This document is a concise overview of Building the Middle (MDS-408).
MDS-409 | DECEMBER 1992 | $2.25
Exemplary Programs Serving Special Populations, Volume II--Z. T.
Burac, R. Yanello
Designed for educational administrators, state level personnel, program coordinators, teachers, and researchers, this monograph was developed to disseminate information about five exemplary programs chosen in 1991 by NCRVE.
MDS-424 | DECEMBER 1992 | $2.75
State Systems for Accountability in Vocational Education--M. Rahn,
E. G. Hoachlander, K. Levesque
This report summarizes the performance measures and standards that have been implemented nationwide as of fall 1992, and highlights examples of states' measures and standards that are clearly and precisely defined for various outcome areas. The appendix describes each state's accountability system at the secondary and postsecondary level.
MDS-491 | DECEMBER 1992 | $14.50
Building Bridges: How Postsecondary Institutions Are Integrating
Academic and Vocational Content--W. N. Grubb, E. Kraskouskas
Based on a survey of more than 200 U.S. postsecondary institutions, this article gives an overview of some of the benefits to students academic and vocational education are integrated; the barriers to achieving such integration; and some implementation approaches colleges and universities have used. This article originally appeared in the February 1993 issue of the Vocational Education Journal.
MDS-734 | REPRINT | $1.00
The Center works with several ERIC Clearinghouses. NCRVE has a formal partnership agreement with ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ERIC/ACVE). ERIC/ACVE receives copies of all Center publications for consideration as ERIC documents. To date, two hundred and one Center publications are in the ERIC system. The three newest additions are:
D.D. Bragg (ed.) Implementing Tech Prep: A Guide to Planning a Quality Initiative (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 356 313)
C. Stasz et al. Classrooms That Work: Teaching Generic Skills in Academic and Vocational Settings (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 356 380)
The 1993 Agenda for the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 356 387)
Another clearinghouse with which NCRVE communicates is the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools (ERIC/CRESS). This clearinghouse has recently published two directories which should be of interest to many of our readers.
Native American Directory: Organizations and Resources for Educators of Native Peoples of the United States and Territories, 1993 Edition. This publication contains over four hundred entries including, among other resources federal programs, postsecondary institutions, publications, and national organizations. Indexed by state and organization.
Rural Education Directory: Organizations and Resources, 1993 Edition. This directory has entries in such categories as national organizations, federal and state programs, and rural journals. Indexed by state and organization. [An NCRVE publication which complements this ERIC/CRESS material is MDS-192, Selected Vocational Preparation Resources for Serving Rural Youth and Adults with Special Needs.]
Each of these ERIC/CRESS directories is available for $12.00. To order, contact ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325. The NCRVE publication is available from MDS for $6.00. See previous article for ordering information.
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