ARTICULATION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

WHEREAS, vocational education provides any child an opportunity to explore his or her career potential, and for some students it is the most important opportunity for success in schools. Given the future demand for entry-level workers, and especially the increasing education levels that will be necessary to compete for the most rewarding positions, the efficient and continued functioning of our vocational programs is imperative; and

WHEREAS, recent changes in the delivery of vocational education services have shown that a rigorous intermixing of academic and vocational program components can result in improved student performance. In a program where students were given a choice of either academic or vocational programs over programs of general education, fewer academic or vocational students became dropouts, and most vocational students went on to postsecondary education programs. In one state, students begin as early as kindergarten to explore core competencies, continuing through the elementary grades and a hands-on occupational experience before entering high school. Articulation between vocational and academic courses, among elementary, secondary and postsecondary programs and an emphasis on transferable skill development ensure that students are provided both with the academic skills they will need for future education and with the vocational tools necessary to enter the workforce or postsecondary education. Arrangements can be made by teachers to integrate the activities of the academic and vocational courses, supporting the experiences in one class with the activities in another; and

WHEREAS, special arrangements with financial institutions, manufacturers, medical science and health career employers and other employers in growing occupational areas have provided students with access to the business community's resources, while encouraging employers' support of schools. While our students develop skills and confidence, they can be exposed to a world of opportunity, and the world to them; and

WHEREAS, we need then to insist that the affinity of vocational and academic education be improved and a more mainstream role be realized for those students engaged in vocational programs. At the federal level, we should strive for a sense of purpose for the federal role and weave that sense of purpose into all levels of vocational program activities; and

WHEREAS, the key to this effort lies with articulation between vocational and other education programs, and, within education, an articulation between elementary and secondary and postsecondary opportunities. Articulation provides an opportunity for teachers to determine which programs do what most effectively and most efficiently for students; and

WHEREAS, handicapped and otherwise disadvantaged students can benefit from vocational programs provided the needs of students, not of schedules and planners, are paramount. Vocational educators welcome such students provided the learning opportunity is equal to other programs for these students. Vocational education students deserve a level learning field and require special adjustments for their participation as equals in the education process; and

WHEREAS, that for those older learners returning to education institutions, we need to ensure that adequate opportunity exists for education experiences necessary to adapt to the repeated job changes that will occur during a worker's career. Public education should take advantage of the strengths of all levels of public education and, through articulation, define the proper role for each institution. Through establishing relations with business and labor, and in conjunction with their training programs and apprenticeship efforts, schools can serve the worker who will need retraining to keep employed and businesses that must change to meet improvements in technology and developing demands in their industries. Through careful coordination and planning, we will find that improved productivity and decreased unemployment due to changing work assignments can be achieved. The investment we make in education can be repaid many times over through lower demand for unemployment assistance, business support and steady participation by the maximum number of American workers. With a slowly growing entry-level labor pool, we face a particular challenge to salvage as many of our citizen resources as possible and to ensure their nearly constant participation in our efforts to help America grow; and