Dr. Edward White, Hillsborough High School principal, has decided to allocate faculty in-service time to address an unproductive chasm between academic and career and technical education programming within the school, which has created tensions among the faculty. On returning to his office after the professional development session, which was…

Responses from 639 Illinois high schools and vocational centers (96%) indicated that 55% used integration strategies for vocational and academic education; 80% conducted integration-related staff development. However, only 32% give academic credit for vocational courses and most of the strategies used were low level. (SK)

Survey responses from 47 of 49 Illinois community colleges and interviews with 20 staff show that the predominant approach to academic-vocational integration is applied academics. Less evident are multidisciplinary courses, linked or cluster courses, and learning communities. Many barriers result from the long-standing separation of vocational and…

To make the junior high/middle school curriculum more responsive to early adolescents, Illinois teachers evolved the ACT curriculum. Its three missions are applied academics, career exploration, and technological literacy, organized around themes relevant to the lives of young people. (SK)