Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education

1. Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education AGED 3203

2. Factoids • 1917 - 1/3 of population lived on a farm • 1986 - 2.2 million lived on farms • < 5% of high school students enroll in ag ed • 75% of Ag Ed students are in FFA • Over half of all ag teachers teach alone • 35% of all programs are in 13 southern states • Ag Ed attracts few minorities

3. Selected Sections • Program content has failed to keep up w/ modern agriculture, the program is much like it was when the Voc Ed Act of 1963 was passed. • 1986 - 41% of ag programs were characterized as production. • Current programs that have changed little, prepare students for a rather limited and generally shrinking part of the job market .

4. Selected Sections • The organization name, symbols, contest, awards, and requirements for advancement are still largely geared toward production agriculture. • Because the FFA influences Ag Ed so greatly, some changes within the FFA is needed. The curriculum should drive the youth organization, not the reverse.

5. Selected Sections • High quality programs - extensive contact between teacher and student and a diversity of rewarding SAE opportunities. • Good programs are expensive, poor programs tend to cost nearly as much or more on a per student basis. Some communities continue to support weak programs because of long standing commitments.

6. Recommendations • Major revisions are needed within vo-ag. •  The quality of vocational agriculture programs must be enhanced, in some cases substantially. •  Establish specialized magnet high schools for the agricultural sciences in major urban and suburban areas. • Teachers should seek out and share high-quality computer software and instructional methods.

7. Recommendations • As a goal, all students enrolled in agricultural education programs should participate in worthwhile SAEs. •  The FFA should change its name and revise its symbols, rituals, contests, awards, and requirements for membership to reflect a more contemporary image of agriculture.

8. Recommendations • Teachers should seek out and share high-quality computer software and instructional methods. •  As a goal, all students enrolled in agricultural education programs should participate in worthwhile SAEs. •  The FFA should change its name and revise its symbols, rituals, contests, awards, and requirements for membership to reflect a more contemporary image of agriculture.