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PART ONE: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The changing economic context in the U.S. is key to NCRVE fulfilling its
mission to strengthen education to prepare all individuals for lasting and
rewarding employment, and lifelong learning. The realization of this
mission partly depends on the existing nature of employment and the trends in
the skills required in the workforce. Thus, this theme encompasses such issues
as skill requirements, the nature of labor markets for which occupational
programs prepare students, changes in skills and employment, business and
industry skill standards, and shifts to flexible organization of work.
In a parallel fashion, vocational programs exist in a specific institutional
context, a particular configuration of education and training institutions that
has been developed over the past thirty years, and that has become more complex
(and will continue to do so) as new institutions and new programs are
instituted. In such a world it makes no sense to continue examining vocational
education--or indeed any other institution--in isolation from those surrounding
it. This second area of research therefore examines the specifics of this
evolving education and training "system," including describing the variety of
institutions providing vocational education and their funding. Additionally, we
will evaluate the effectiveness of these "systems."
The new vision and meaning of vocational education is now taking shape across
the country. An important leadership role for NCRVE is to identify and document
effective practices and policies to ensure that we connect these practices and
policies with attainment of the desired outcomes for vocational education. We
need to develop a deeper and clearer understanding of which outcomes are
desirable for which students in which context and the practices and policies
that lead to these outcomes. This contribution by NCRVE can greatly advance the
adoption of new dimensions of vocational education in the United States. Linked
closely to charting effective practice consistent with the new image of
vocational education is removing barriers to further diffusion of the overall
NCRVE strategy for transforming vocational education in the United States.
Both the students of the nation's schools and their vocational education
programs are in a dynamic state of change as we approach the end of the
millennium. Due to changing economic and family circumstances and immigration
policies, the mix of students coming to school, and ultimately to the
workplace, include growing segments of youth and adults who have traditionally
encountered considerable difficulties in both settings. While the new vision of
vocational education promoted by NCRVE offers considerable promise for many
students, the understanding of its effects on the full range of students is far
from complete.
As change has continued to affect the ways educational institutions across the
country operate, education professionals have been asked to run their community
and technical colleges and secondary schools in new and creative ways. Of these
professionals, teachers and administrators are generally recognized as those in
the best position to make change really happen. If teachers and administrators
embrace an innovation and support its implementation, the potential for success
is greatly enhanced. An innovation may never be implemented if teachers and
administrators do not support it.
The agenda of this theme area is based on two premises. First, teachers can
and should serve as a professional link between the educational institution,
including its philosophy, mission, goals, programs, courses, and content, and
the students--where students learn, what they learn, and how they learn.
Second, administrators, by virtue of their positions, are potential agents of
change. Administrators can and should provide leadership in transformational
ways that enable education to evolve from what it is to what it should be.
The final theme area focuses on accountability and assessment. Two questions
guide NCRVE's research agenda in this area: (1) How well are these systems of
accountability and assessment working? and (2) What can be done to improve
their usefulness and effectiveness, especially at the local level?
This area of research encompasses methodological concerns about evaluation,
performance measures and standards, new forms of assessment, and other
mechanisms of accountability. Understanding in all of these arenas is necessary
in order to determine whether the system of vocational education has, in fact,
been responsive to the changing conditions of work and whether vocational
programs have prepared individuals for rewarding employment over the long run
and supported the shift to a high-skills equilibrium.
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