As previously mentioned, this project describes how four comprehensive high schools in urban areas are changing to better meet the needs of the students enrolled there. Project staff developed a working relationship with four partner-site schools that are members of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education's (NCRVE's) Urban Schools Network. The Urban Schools Network, initiated in 1991, includes 30 teams of secondary and postsecondary educators and business partners from around the United States that have been working with NCRVE to implement either formal Tech Prep programs designed to connect secondary and postsecondary vocational education programs or develop integrated academic and vocational education curricula. During 1995 and 1996, four comprehensive high schools from different Urban Schools Network teams were identified as partner-sites and visited by project staff along with a team of external researchers.
This study used two qualitative methods: (1) thematic content analysis of extant state-level policy documents; and (2) interviews with key individuals to identify, describe, and explain the most current methods and strategies utilized by state education and vocational rehabilitation agencies to implement integrated state-level transition policies. These methods yielded contextual information explaining the implementation of restructuring activities at each of the partner-sites. In addition, this study clarifies how implementation of various restructuring efforts within each of the partner-sites are being evaluated.
The involvement of the Steering Committee, a description of the site selection process, and the data collection and analysis procedures will be described below. Case study methodology (Yin, 1989) was utilized throughout this study, along with interviews and observations of faculty and staff from the partner-sites. All methods received prior approval of the Human Subject Committee of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Each step in this study has been guided by a Steering Committee made up of practitioners from urban sites where programs have been transformed. In addition, the Steering Committee included national experts familiar with the study of urban schools, educational restructuring, and vocational education. The Steering Committee has aided in the selection of school sites to be studied, validated the research questions and data collection methods utilized, reviewed and critiqued proposed deliverables, and facilitated the entrance into selected urban school sites. The entire Steering Committee has met formally once each year of the project and has had periodic telephone conferences.
One of the initial tasks of this study involved the selection of the four partner-sites. According to Stake (1994), "Perhaps the most unique aspect of case study in the social sciences and human services is the selection of cases to study" (p. 243). The investigators utilized the expertise of the NCRVE Urban Schools Network staff and the members of the project Steering Committee to identify and gain access to four urban comprehensive high schools that have documented restructuring actions that include vocational education.
In order to facilitate access and entry into the four sites, it was determined a priority that the sites be selected from members of the NCRVE Urban Schools Network. The Urban Schools Network is a loose affiliation of approximately 30 teams from urban centers across the United States that have applied to attend weeklong summer institutes conducted by NCRVE. The teams generally include high school representatives, along with representatives from community colleges, technical colleges, and business and industry. The focus of the NCRVE Urban Schools Network initiative has been providing teams with training and technical assistance on implementing Tech Prep and integrating academic and vocational programs.
The site selection process occurred in three waves. Initially, 19 comprehensive high schools were identified as members within the 30 Urban Schools Network teams. Second, based on application information provided to NCRVE, project staff identified seven of the initial 19 schools that had provided descriptions of restructuring actions as part of their application to NCRVE to become members of the Urban Schools Network. Finally, the Steering Committee met to identify the four schools that would be included in this study. Although not explicitly stated as selection criteria, the Steering Committee attempted to select sites from different regions of the country that served different populations of students.
Each of the partner-sites selected to participate in this study met the
following four criteria: (1) they were members of the NCRVE's Urban Schools
Network, (2) they are comprehensive high schools that include both regular and
vocational course offerings,
(3) they have initiated school restructuring
activities, and (4) they expressed interest in participating in the study. The
partner-sites selected by the Steering Committee include Bryan High School in
Omaha, Nebraska; Humboldt Secondary Complex in St. Paul, Minnesota; Mayfield
High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and West Charlotte High School in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
In order to validate the data collected through the in-depth case studies of the four selected sites, multiple methods of data collection were utilized, including on-site observations, interviews with key stakeholders (e.g., teachers, students, parents, building and district-level administrators, employers, and others), and review of pertinent documents and records. During the fall of 1995, a team of at least three NCRVE researchers spent three days at each site. Observations within the partner-sites were conducted to describe the socio-environmental context, relationships, and interactions that exist and take place within each school setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to ascertain their views of the processes and procedures that were developed and implemented regarding educational restructuring and emerging vocationalism. Finally, review of school-level policies and procedural documents, follow-up studies, and district-level policy documents were conducted to trace the development and implementation of policies that were designed to facilitate educational restructuring and foster the development of vocational education to successfully serve diverse populations of students. During the spring semester of 1996, NCRVE researchers returned to each site to collect additional data and clarify information that was previously collected.
The data collected was analyzed using two methods. First, the field notes collected during on-site observations at the participating school sites and the interviews with key stakeholders were analyzed qualitatively in order to identify emergent themes. Then, the pertinent records and documents reviewed during data collection will be analyzed through thematic content analysis. Thematic content analysis is a qualitative data analysis method designed to extract consistent themes from a wide range of written or verbal communication (Williamson, Karp, Dalphin, & Gray, 1982). The data collected through on-site observations and interviews with key stakeholders was triangulated with the themes that emerged from reviewing other pertinent documents.