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Vocational and Liberal Education. Historical Perspective Division Goals Results Perkins Act Amendment. Historical Perspective. 1917-the beginning of the federal government’s involvement in funding 1917-$7 million per year 1946-$36 million per year 1960’s revival of vocational education
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Vocational and Liberal Education • Historical Perspective • Division • Goals • Results • Perkins Act Amendment
Historical Perspective • 1917-the beginning of the federal government’s involvement in funding • 1917-$7 million per year • 1946-$36 million per year • 1960’s revival of vocational education • 1970’s-research suggested that vocational education programs were not meeting their primary objectives: • A. Keeping students in school • B. Making students more employable in the workforce • C. Providing higher wage opportunities for non college bound students • 1980’s—Allen Weisberg review indicated that approximately 17 million were involved in vocational education, 7.3 of them in programs that prepare students for specific occupations
mid 80’s almost 9 billion per year was spent on vocational education -50% female -23% minority -12% low income groups (“disadvantaged” students”
General Division of Vocational Programs50% are enrolled in only two categories 1. Business and office education (majority female) 2. Technical trades and industrial education (majority male)
Vocational Education Results • Some help keep students in school longer • Reduced likelihood of post secondary training • Not well matched to the needs of the labor market • Labor markets require strong general education skills or job specific post secondary training • Among males, vocational education graduates are twice as liely as non-vocational graduates to be working in craft occupations which require no specific skills and training • Females seem to do better in the labor market as a result of their vocational education • Graduates do not have the verbal and intellectual tools to do productive work
Perkins Act Amendment of 1990 • By law, funding is required to be concentrated in low-income school districts • Requires that vocational education initiatives must come from local school districts instead of state governments • Rejects high school training for specific job skills in favor of “tech-pep” approach that provides academic skills to prepare high school students for postsecondary technical education • Emphasis on integrating academic and vocational studies. Vocational activities are to provide a strong academic education for all students who choose that approach • Vocational Education as a Teaching Method • See list beginning on p. 345 • Excellent example of integration of vocational and academics on p. 346 (bottom)