A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  David Thomas    July 22, 1994                                      (202) 401-1579

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION MUST CHANGE, FEDERAL REPORT FINDS

Vocational and general track education programs must improve significantly if they are to prepare students for employment in a global economy, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Education. The final report of the National Assessment of Vocational Education says that a substantial number of American students currently leave school unprepared for more education or a high-skill, high-wage job.

"Vocational education must become a more active part of broader education reform efforts," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.

Citing recent education reform initiatives including the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, and proposals to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Riley said, "The elements of effective instruction are well-known: better teacher preparation, high academic standards, skill standards that track real work in the real world, better service to students with special needs, and more focus on the transition from school to work."

Congress mandated the report to assist in reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (P.L. 101-392), which expires Sept. 30, 1995, but Riley said, vocational educators should not wait to initiate needed changes.

Noting that all 50 states have already received school-to- work planning grants to develop ways to better serve students in the critical last years of high school and first years beyond, Riley said, "Vocational educators have a vital role to play in the success of comprehensive school-to-work systems. Right now is the time to be fully engaged in the critical work of reform."

The report encourages partnerships involving business, labor and education, with states taking the lead in developing comprehensive career preparation systems available to all secondary students.

Among the study's findings:

secondary vocational education enrollments are dropping, and special needs students -- economically or educationally disadvantaged, disabled, or limited- English-proficient -- are an increasing percentage of vocational students;
neither vocational nor general track studies adequately prepare students for work or for postsecondary education;
less than half of secondary vocational graduates find employment that calls for the occupation-specific skills they have learned.

The study recommends:

combining general and vocational tracks to create a system of industry-based majors that will prepare students for careers, not just jobs;
emphasizing cognitive skills and broad technical skills that prepare students both for work and for postsecondary education;
classes that are rigorous, based on high industry- oriented skills standards, assessed by reliable methods, and that lead to portable credentials;
greater attention to formal training for teachers in ways to integrate vocational and academic instruction; and
relying more on state leadership to provide greater structure and depth to reforms.

Current federal vocational education funds total more than $1.1 billion, with most of the money -- $972.8 million -- allocated under a formula to states and communities. The funds are used to support a range of activities that include sex equity programs, programs for single parents and displaced homemakers, programs serving Native Americans, and vocational education in correctional institutions.

The 800-page report was prepared over the past three years under the guidance of a 17-member independent advisory panel.

Free copies of a report summary are available from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 555 New Jersey Ave., NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20208.