The changing economic context in the United States 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 institutions and programs surrounding it. This second area 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 United States. 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 the removal of 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 school and work 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 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 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,
supporting the shift to a high-skills equilibrium.
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