Overall, the majority of the high school programs (51%) showed that mathematics and vocational-technical instructors were either working alone or collaborating informally with colleagues in their own department to integrate mathematics and vocational curriculum. Efforts to establish more complex forms of collaboration (e.g., interdepartmental teamwork and program-wide approach) appeared small in comparison. In contrast, the colleges' commitment to interdepartmental and program-wide collaboration appeared to relatively higher than that for high school programs.
Respondent programs reported an average of 7.3 years of primarily informal work on general integration practices involving mathematics and vocational-technical education (e.g., instructors integrating on their own). Formal integration efforts connected to current school reform and supported by an interdisciplinary school/program-wide committee had been conducted for only one year in high schools and two years in colleges. Integration efforts were most frequently grounded in architecture and computer aided design (CAD) programs in both high schools and two-year colleges. Other vocational-technical areas popular at both institutional levels included electricity/electronics, health, and technology applications (e.g., industrial technology and manufacturing).
In general, there appeared to be little to moderate emphasis on linking the NCTM Standards to career curriculum at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Efforts seemed to concentrate in emphasizing processes (i.e., problem solving, communication, and connections) rather than specific content standards (e.g., discrete mathematics and applied study of trigonometry) in problem situations found in career contexts. This strategy appeared to help strengthen the identification of connections within mathematics and applications beyond the classroom, especially at the postsecondary level where instruction was grounded in broad technical areas.
Instructional practices supporting the NCTM Standards can be described as an attempt to respond to mathematics and vocational education reforms. However, respondent sites did not appear to be doing a good job conducting formal meetings between mathematics and vocational-technical instructors to share ideas in this regard. For instance, in the first semester of 1995, high schools usually met twice to discuss integration strategies, coordination of content integration, use of calculators for problem solving, and team teaching activities/planning for collaboration. To discuss progress of integrated efforts and use of computers in problem solving, instructors typically met only once. Further, regarding discussions about teaching and assessment issues, both high school and two-year college instructors shared similar levels of meeting patterns. On the average, mathematics and vocational-technical faculty met only occasionally in the first semester of 1995 to talk about student performance on standardized tests and portfolios of student work. In contrast, they reported frequent meetings to discuss performance on classroom projects and quizzes and tests, questions students ask and the oral explanations they give, and written explanations on assignments.
Overall, slightly more than a third (35.3%) of high school respondents reported they had read the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards document. A smaller percentage reported they had read other NCTM key documents such as the Professional Teaching Standards for School Mathematics, Addenda series, and the Agenda for Action. A similar pattern was reported by college respondents. About half of high school instructors also reported they had read school-to-work related literature (48.4%), including a variety of documents (e.g., SCANS and state/federal guidelines). However, very few reported reading reports on models of integration, teachers' roles, case studies of early innovative sites, the importance of focusing on high skills, building local programs, and Tech Prep materials. Further, regarding participation in related professional development respondents indicated only occasional participation in workshops, conferences, or institutes relevant to implementing the NCTM Standards and integration issues.