Five partnership academies (computers, finance, space, graphic arts, and visual arts/design) are spread among four Pasadena (California) high schools. Completers earn Certificates of Mastery, participate in paid internships with sponsoring industries, and receive up to one year of college credit toward an associate degree. (SK)

Theme articles discuss the need for agriculture teachers to heed research in science education; describe the landscape horticulture program at Anoka (MN) High School; propose a change of curriculum objectives to ones that teach students career readiness; and describe the East Environmental Science and Agri-Business Magnet High School in Kansas…

Surveys of academic and vocational faculty at Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) showed that academic faculty viewed vocational faculty more positively than was commonly assumed. The shift in attitudes signals the potential for the cooperation and teamwork essential for the success of tech prep. (SK)

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III), with increased emphasis on curriculum flexibility and academic/vocational collaboration, has formalized commitment to the school-to-work concept. However, STW implementation issues (whole-school reform, logistics, cost effectiveness, liability, and…

Indepth interviews with informants revealed four interrelated policy tensions during development of the UK's General National Vocational Qualifications: the tendency to favor academic over vocational education, potential conflict between long-term strategic imperatives and short-term political objectives, employment and education departments'…

Defines New Vocationalism as the concept of integrating occupational and academic courses in order to enrich both liberal arts and vocational programs. Describes a number of case studies and pilot projects under way at community colleges and discusses the obstacles to implementation and proven strategies to overcome them. (AUTH/NB)

Most current major educational reforms call for extensive, meaningful teacher collaboration. Teachers who have worked together see substantial improvements in student achievement, behavior, and attitude. For teachers, collegiality breaks the isolation of the classroom and brings career rewards and daily satisfactions. Schools benefit for a number…

The Center for Vocational Professional Personnel Development conducted a needs assessment in order to plan and deliver staff development workshops in the 34 vocational schools served in Pennsylvania's central region. Respondents from the 30 participating schools were 30 administrators and 600 teachers (371 vocational and 144 academic teachers and…

This brief suggests that vocational educators may be unclear as to whether they have accomplished integration of vocational and academic education because of the multistage nature of the process. The three stages suggest a continuum of professional growth, as vocational and academic educators first become aware of limitations of the status quo,…

Using cognitive science as the knowledge base for the discussion, this paper reviews why many school learning situations are ineffective and introduces cognitive apprenticeship models that suggest what effective learning situations might look like. Five wrong assumptions about learning are examined: (1) people transfer learning from one situation…

The Kentucky Department of Education's Postsecondary Design establishes school and program admission requirements with adequate educational opportunities and alternatives for those who do not meet these admission requirements. The design recognizes that all components of the curriculum contribute to the educational program of the institution. Each…

Challenges exist in secondary education, and new developments are being made in the area of integration of academic and vocational education. The first section of this paper focuses on the need for integration and provides a conceptual framework for viewing academic and vocational integration as well as teacher collaboration. Section two…

Vocational education was largely established on the principle of nontransferability. However, vocational education and academic education have many similarities. Indeed, the difference between basic and academic skills has often been defined in terms of rigor. Basic skills are those concrete skills that are generally taught at the elementary…

A study examined the effects of increased academic requirements for high school graduation on enrollment trends in public secondary vocational education programs in Washington since 1983. Vocational directors of 211 school districts that had increased graduation requirements since 1983 were surveyed through questionnaires. Results indicated that…

This publication is designed to assist local school districts and other educational agencies in implementing career education in Idaho. Career education is part of a comprehensive education program and should not be conceived as a time segment of education such as vocational education or academic education. The basic educational objectives should…