VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

The American Federation of Teachers recognizes the valuable contribution made by vocational education to students and to the nation. Through the use of tactile, kinesthetic materials as opposed to the traditional classroom model, Vocational Education offers an educational choice for any child, and for many, the best opportunity for a better life. Vocational education offers a respectable educational alternative for any child, and for many, the best opportunity for a better life. Because of this important role, vocational educators must continue to improve standards for both the academic and technical portions of their programs. Vocational education should broadly prepare students in academic and technical areas to ensure continued future employability as well as employment upon graduation. It will serve the at-risk student especially well, allowing those students to develop skills and remain enrolled rather than drop out of school.

Discussions should be held to consider the proper articulation of curriculum within and between elementary and secondary programs and between secondary and post-secondary institutions. Efforts should be made to involve the business community, updating technical skills for teachers in the most current techniques, materials, instrumentation, and procedures in various industries. Labor's role in training should be pursued, so the training that occurs in apprentice programs will work together with offerings of vocational programs. It is clear that there are significant opportunities for change, and vocational teachers should participate in the development of programs and policies.

The American Federation of Teachers is prepared to participate in the development and advancement of a new agenda. That agenda should build upon the experiences gained in recent years and should utilize suggestions from our members, various national reports, and from the participants and users of vocational education. The agenda should recognize certain premises.

First, we affirm that vocational education is a valuable instructional and motivational tool for children when the program is under the direction of gifted vocational teachers. These teachers can and do incorporate read­ing, writing, arithmetic, and logical thinking in their courses. They are able to assess students upon entry into a program and to begin building on the skills the students bring to their classrooms. Vocational education is the bellwether of the educational experience to date, a laboratory in which the prior education experience can be tested.

Secondly, we recognize the importance of a sound basic education for success in vocational programs and for all students regardless of their career choice. Upon graduation from high school, a student should have obtained a sound general education, a sense of responsibility, and the capacity to continue learning. These three items constitute the basic measure for successful education. Without them, future participation in education, the workplace, or society will be limited, and future options closed.

Vocational Education is designed to engender technical literacy. While several instructional patterns may be employed to accomplish this objective, some school districts delay instruction in a Vocational Education sequence until the last two or three years of high school. This pattern presupposes that entering students have already mastered basic academic skills, i.e., they are literate and possess mathematical skills.

Students who have not mastered basic academic skills should not receive Vocational Education in programs that presuppose literacy and mathematical skills.

Nevertheless, the AFT recognizes the instructional and pedagogical benefits of designing Vocational Education programs to meet the needs of basic skills deficient students.

In this regard, it must be understood that when more needs to be learned, more resource and more time will be needed to accomplish that learning. Therefore, when such programs are designed, primary consideration must be given to at least the following:

• significantly reducing class size;

• providing teaching assistant services;

• lengthening the period of time needed to engender technical literacy.

These accommodations will allow Vocational Education instruction to become the vehicle for and the reinforcing and motivational agent regarding basic skills instruction as well as technical literacy.

When those who are basic skills deficient have also been identified as having handicapping conditions, plans must be developed and put in place that will cause the Vocational Education of these students to be the joint responsibility of Vocational Education and Special Education teacher teams.

Furthermore, where students' handicapping conditions markedly restrict their capabilities, adapted Occupational Education sequences must be designed.

Handicapped students who are not basic skills deficient must continue to receive Vocational Education in "mainstream" settings. Academic requirements must be maintained as in any other major subject field. New programs and accountability will be required. AFT seeks these mechanisms to ensure the involvement of our members in the development of a national agenda.

In seeking these mechanisms, it should be recognized that Vocational Education is the best path for the majority of students who enter secondary education, but never complete post-secondary education. The AFT must see to it that this majority is provided with saleable skills while at the same time provided with the opportunity to receive further edu­cation.

Locals and state federations should seek to establish working groups concerned with addressing the possibilities of vocational education. These committees should consider such issues as the assessment of students entering vocational programs, appropriate standards for teachers in vocational programs, outcome measures for students, and the role of interested parties such as business, parents, non-vocational teachers, and vocational students.

A thorough study of effective vocational education should be made. Vocational programs should be examined, and input from a variety of sources should be solicited. Recommendations from these activities should be brought to the union, and measures that can be addressed through existing channels should be pursued. The information should be made available broadly.

Recommendations that cannot be addressed at the local level but that require a national forum should be brought to existing state federations through appropriate procedures. These recommendations taken together should form the basis of a national forum to address unanswered concerns.

While each local and state may experience different needs, some themes may emerge that would shape an agenda for a national forum.

The role of the vocational teacher may change to include greater responsibility for student's basic education proficiency. What is to be provided for teachers presently employed who need to meet this or other demands of the evolving position?

What role should the union play? What should be the disposition of programs that fail to meet minimum standards?

In establishing the standard for the levels of proficiency in basic literacy, what role is to be played by the vocational teacher, and what restrictions on students' entry into vocational programs should be established?

What should be provided at the elementary and secondary level, and what is more appropriately offered at the postsecondary level in community and junior colleges?

Given that specific future skills needed by students cannot be known, are there job-specific programs that should be replaced, and, if so, what programs should be instituted in their place?

Given that much of the demand for vocational graduates is among small businesses, how can vocational education address its programs to the needs of today's, and tomorrow's, small business leader? What should be the relationship and response to larger corporations who also have a stake in vocational program graduates?

At some point it may be appropriate for state federations to come together in a national forum to explore solutions to problems. AFT can be instrumental in bringing together these groups and assisting in the search for future solutions.

At the national level, AFT efforts to forestall reductions in vocational funding should be continued.  Recent efforts by the Reagan administration to cut vocational funding have failed to gain support, but without continued efforts to monitor and oppose cuts, significant losses will occur.  Rather, we should attempt to increase funding for programs that assist vocational educators in meeting the career goals of students including programs that assist vocational educators in developing the basic education proficiency required for meeting those goals, and the economic development goals of our nation.