ED 378 377

TITLE

INSTITUTION

SPONS AGENCY

PUB DATENOTE

PUB TYPE

JOURNAL CITEDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

IDENTIFIERSABSTRACT

DOCUMENT RESUME

CE 068 005

NCRVE Change Agent. Shaping the Future of VocationalEducation. Volume 4, 1994.National Center for Research in Vocational Education,Berkeley, CA.Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED),Washington, DC.9450p.; For volumes 1-3, see ED 366 773-775.46, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455.Reports - Research/Technical (143) -- Collected Works- Serials (022)NCRVE Change Agent; v4 n1-4 Mar-Dec 1994MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.-Accountability; Adult Education; Book Reviews;*Educational Assessment; Educational Change;Educational Quality; *Education Work Relationship;Federal Legislation; Leadership; *LeadershipTraining; Postsecondary Education; SecondaryEducation; Sex Fairness; Special Needs Students;*Student Evaluation; *Tech Prep; *VocationalEducationAuthentic Assessment

The first of four issues in this volume consists offour review articles. "Tech Prep Quality" reviews a guide to totalquality management and tech prep. "Specific, Ocean to Ocean" reviewsa publication that identifies 10 preliminary plans for implementingtech prep. "...No Single Option" is about a monograph that evaluatestech prep and other current initiatives in terms of their value tothe middle 50 percent of students. "Tech Prep Nat Sat Telecon"reports on a satellite teleconference that explored leadership,marketing, and business involvement in tech prep. Issue 2 begins with"Authentic Assessment," a review of authentic assessment practices."Collecting Altemlative Approaches to Assessment" focuses onalternative systems of assessment that address reform directives andnew approaches to vocational education. "Let Me Cat This straight"looks at study results of local institutions who are trying tounderstand what Perkins accountability mandates really mean."Accountability" summarizes two National Center for Research inVocational Education (NCRVE) reports--one that develops a model ofaccountability and another that proses policy alternatives inresponse to federal legislation. Issue 3 contains four articles. "AnAnnual Report on School-to-Work Programs" reviews an NCRVE report ofthe research conducted on successful education-to-work transitionapproaches. "Dive Right In!" explores work-based learning for medicalunit secretaries. "Special Populations and More" reviews publicationsaddressing two school-to-work connecting activities areas--specialpopulations and gender equity. "R -'wising Educational Assessment"reviews two items about accountd...ility and assessment. Issue 4 beginswith "The Right Instrument," a review of the guides to two tools toassess leadership performance. "Administrative Breakwater" reviews aprofessional development simulation. "In Cases..." focuses on acollection of case studies for leadership development. "For Thoseabout To Lead" reviews a leadership development curriculum. "A Sourceof Resources" assesses a publication that provides detailedinformation about leadership development resources. (YLB)

(,)

00

O

NCRVE Change AgentShaping the Future of Vocational Education

Volume 4

National Center for Research in Vocational EducationBerkeley, CA

S DEPARTMENT Of- EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC!

hi his h.,rn i01.0,/larPCIpaoaol 1)111,1,/01110

f11,,VIVIIIPUI

F) Mwr I chancy", tleol madc Inowlovo Iopiodo,

vwv, nr ,s(wher 'Iatkat/ Ti

a la.,.t1OUR! .. 1. ,

2

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

0 0

A

Volume 4, Number I National Center for Research in Vocational Education March 1994

<s4ce44

7ABoUT:islCRVE'r

NCRVE is established under authorization of the Carl D.Pe, kins Vocational Education Act to engage in twovocational education-related activities: (1) appliedresearch and development and (2) dissemination andtraining. Our mission is to address the goals of preparingindividuals for substantial and rewarding employmentand of acting as a catalyst for a shift to an economydominated by a skilled and flexible workforce. NCRVE isa consortium of educational institutions led by theUniversity of California at Berkeley's Graduate School ofEducation. This consortium also consists of the TeachersCollege at Columbia University, the University of Illinois,the University of Minnesota, RAND, Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University, and the University ofWisconsin at Madison. in addition to its research anddevelopment agenda, NCRVE supports five dissem-ination and training programs: (1) dissemination; (2)professional development; (3) special populations; (4)planning, evaluation, and accountability; and (1) programdevelopment, curriculum, and instructional materials.This publication is part of our commitment to those onthe front lines of vocational education, striving to createa new vision.

NCRVE Administrative Staff

Charles S. Benson DirectorPhyllis Hudecki Associate DirectorGerald Hayward Deputy Director

Change Agent is published four times yearly at asubscription rate of $25. Editorial and publishing ser-vices are provided by the NCRVE Materials DistributionService. For subscript .ns and address changes, con-tact the Materials Distribution Service (m) insert). In linewith our goals, Change Agent is free of any copyrightrestrictions and may be copied or quoted freely. Wewelcome your suggestions, criticisms, and questions.Contact Peter Seidman, Dissemination Program Direc-tor, NCRVE, Graduate School of Education, Universityof California at Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite1250, Berkeley, CA 94704. Phone (800) 762-4093 or(510) 642-4004; FAX: (510) 642-2124; e-mail: seidman@uclink.berkeley.ez:u

Contents

TECH PREP QUALITYA TOM Approach to Tech PrepAn NCRVE report explores the common groundbetween Total Quality Management and Tech Prep 2

SPECIFIC, OCEAN TO OCEANTen Plans for Integrated Tech PrepResults of the 1993 NCRVE National Institute 5

. . NO SINGLE OPTIONAssessing Tech Prep andOther Educational Reformson Behalf of the "Excluded Middle"Tech P.ep and other current initiatives are evaluatedin terns of their value to the middle 50% of students 6

TECH PREP NAT SAT TELECONLeadership, Marketing, and BusinessInvolvement in Tech Prep ... via SatelliteOne in a series of 1992 National Satellite Teleconferencesaddressing Tech Prep and the integration of vocationaland academic education 8

ORDERING INFORMATION 12

3BEST COPY AVAILABLE

TECH PREP QUALITYA TOM Approach to Tech Prep

Tech Prep is a burgeoning educational reforminitiativeperhaps the most significantsecondary and postsecondary educational

initiative to develop in the United States in recentyears.

Implementing Tech Prep: A Guide to Planning aQuality Initiative by Debra D. Bragg providesperspectives on Tech Prep from personnelrepresenting state agencies and many local consortiain each of the fifty states. Many of the individualswhose perspectives are collected in ImplementingTech Prep have been involved in the initiative sincebefore the passage of Perkins II, the Carl D. PerkinsVocational and Applied Technology ActAmendments of 1990, a part of which is the TechPrep Education Act.

As the introduction to the guide points out,establishment of the Tech Prep initiatives of PerkinsII is an effort to confront a myriad of serious andfundamental educational and economic concerns,including the following:

Schooling lacks meaning for a large proportion ofhigh school students, often referred to as theneglected majority.

America's educational system fails to efficientlytransition many young people from high school towork or to further education.

Technically demanding occupations are growingat a faster rate than America's technically skilledworkforce.

The United States is competing in a globalmarketplace where foreign competitors' workersare more highly trained and productive than itsown.

"Tech Prep is seen as a potential solution to theseproblems," Bragg and other proponents of theinitiative contend, "because of its comprehensive,applied, and technologically-rich approach toblending secondary and postsecondary education foremployment."

2

Implementing Tech Prep is a practical guide, first,because many of the ideas in it have their source insuccessful ,:x.amples of Tech Prep implementationthroughout the country and in a variety of otherinitiatives in education as well as business andindustry. Consequently, Implementing Tech Preppresents a potential approach to Tech Prep that hasthe fundamentals of Total Quality Management(TQM), an initially business-oriented but nowexp7Ading initiative, as its foundation. At the sametime, however, contributors to the guide claim thatthe guide "is not a cookbook advocating only oneapproach. Rather, it considers new ways of thinkingabout the educational innovation promised by TechPrep"prominent among them, an approach based inthe similar TQM initiative. Implementing Tech Prepconsiders first the nature of traditional educationalreform approaches and Tech Prep's relation to themthen explores the similar principles and procedures

The Total QualityManagement approach toimplementing Tech Prepseems a reasonable and

well-founded one

associated with both Tech Prep and TQM, showinghow the two initiatives complement one another indeveloping comprehensive Tech Prep programs.

Implementing Tech Prep is a practical guide not onlyfor its content, but also for its format. The guide waswritten using techniques of the Information Mapping®method, a writing system that employs the use ofessentially self-contained, modular units and blocksof text that, as the guide indicates,

enable a reader to choose information that isneeded without having to sort through pages oftext.... And, because it is easy to findinformation and move through the document inways that make sense to individual readers, it isalso easier to learn and relearn information.

.1 NCRVE Change Agent

Reading time for documents written usingInformation Mapping®, the guide reports, is reducedby as much as 40%.

Hence, Implementing Tech Prep presents a great dealof information about planning and implementingTech Prep and presents that information in an easy-to-use format: "I've received very positive commentsabout the formatting of the document frompractitioners," Bragg reports. "They think it is quickand easy to use."

After an introductory chapter, Implementing TechPrep begins by providing a historical perspective forTech Prep initiatives. Tech Prep, according to Braggand chapter coauthor Carolyn J. Domsife, has itsorigins in a long-standing debate among educatorsand policymakers that addresses two questions:

1. What is the appropriate role and function of jobtraining and vocational education as part of thenation's public education system?

2. What are the educational consequences oftechnological change in the workplace?

Implementing Tech Prep traces the concept of TechPrep, its variations, and its successes from legislationsuch as The Manpower Development and TrainingAct of 1962, through the reform strategies of the1980s, and beyond Perkins II, which in 1990 formallydefined Tech Prep as an education program that

leads to an associate degree or two-yearcertificate

provides technical preparation in at least one field

builds student competence in mathematics,science, and communication through sequencedcoursework

leads to placement in employment

In the 1990s, schools are struggling to better educatemore students by using re:;ources more effectively.Though one of the more ambitious, Tech Prep is oneamong several reform options. In implementing TechPrep's third chapter, Dornsife discusses the need foraccepting the reality of reform; Tech Prep and thefour aspects of educational restructuring (curriculumand instruction, authority and de :ision making, staff

Volume 4, Number 1

roles, and accountability); and the challenges to anfederal support for Tech Prep implementation.

Chapter Four of Implementing Tech Prep, "Initiationof Tech Prep by the Fifty States," is based around astudy conducted by NCRVE to document theinitiation of Tech Prep in the states by local consortia.Like the study itself, Bragg and James D. Layton

This is a practical guidenot only for its content,

but also for itseasy-to-use format

concern themselves in the chapter with the state grantfunding of the consortia that became effective withPerkins II in July 1991 as well as the predominantphilosophies, policies, and components of initial stateTech Prep initiatives. After reviewing the study,Bragg and Layton draw some implications from itsfindings specifically, implications about resources(time, staff, and money), guiding philosophy,prezram evaluation, and the role of communitycolleges. "Whether [Tech Prep] will ultimatelysucceed or fail depends on the degree to whichcurrent problems are solved and surmounted," theauthors conclude.

Another study conducted by NCRVE personnel, thisone as part of the Implementing Tech Prep project,informs the "Planning & Implementation of TechPrep by Local Consortia" chapter of ImplementingTech Prep, which describes how individualorganizations (mostly consortia and communitycollege servi .3e regions) hale: begun to plan andimplement Tech Prep. The chapter discusses aspectsof Tech Prep planning and implementation such asdefinition and strategy setting, consensus building,selection and orientation of planners, consortium-level planning, wide-scale orientation andrecruitment, and initial implementation. Identified bythe study were a number of critical purpose- andprocess-oriented issues, including clarity of purpose,high school tracking, vocational education control ofadministration and funding, resource needs,leadership development, flexibility in implementationand evaluation, establishing meaningful partnerships,and maintaining momentum. Each issue is discussedin detail in the chapter.

It is at this point in Implementing Tech Prep that odiscuss:on of Total Quality Management (TQM) isintegrated with the discussions of Tech Prep. Thecontributors' integration of TQM and Tech Prep arebased largely on parallels between the two: refonningand improving systems, empowering teamsrepresenting a variety of stakeholders to makeimprovements, and using measurements as the basisfor all continuous quality improvement efforts. Thesixth chapter of the guide explores TQM principles;quality theories; and finally, implications of TQM forTech Prep implementation in the areas of leadership,vision, goals, resources and training, measurement,performance review, rewards for qualityimprovement, and the challenges of applying TQM toTech Prep. The challenges for the TQM-Tech Prepsynthesis Bragg explores are extrapolated from thedifficulties other business and educational institutionshave encountered in applying TQM in theirsituations, though she warns that "it is impossible topredict every challenge that could stand in the way ofusing TQM to implement Tech Prep."

Catherine L. Kirby and James D. Layton's brief"Implementing Tech Prep with Teams" chapterattempts to reinforce the need for effectivelyemploying teams to accomplish the Tech Prep

Tech Prep is perhaps themost significant

educational initiative inthe United States in

recent years

mandates of Perkins II and provides a transition intothe more extensive eighth chapter, "How to UseGroup Processes and Quality Tools." While Chapter8 is intended as a mere introduction to some of thetechniques and tools used in TQM team funct. ns,Layton refers readers to a set of additional resources.The references provide the details of grouptechniques and quality tools of which those listed inthe chapter--multivoting, action planning,benchmarking, and computer-assisted grouptechniques among themare but a few examples.

The final chapter of Implementing Tech Prepsummarizes the guide and provides an outline of an

approach to implementing Tech Prep by applyingeight essential prerequisites for strategic qualitymanagement:

1. gaining support from leaders

2. creating a shared quality vision and policies

3. formulating and prioritizing quality goals

4. deploying goals throughout a consortium

5. providing necessary resources, including training

6. stating desired outcomes and establishingmeasures

7. reviewing performance regularly

8. revising the reward system

Treatment of each prerequisite includes goals.planning activities, team roles, tools, and outcomes.

In addition to summarizing the fifty-one-state surveyresults and acknowledging the NCRVE Tech Prepresearch sites, the appendices of Implementing TechPrep briefly outline steps for successful articulationof students within Tech Prep programs.

The Total Quality Management approach toimplemer :ing Tech Prep established in ImplementingTech Prep: A Guide to Planni.-.3 a Quality Initiativeseems a reasonable and well-founded one. Thesynthesis of these two innovative initiativesas wellas the Information Mapping° format in which it ispresenteddeserves consideration by educationalsystems responding to the Tech Prep mandates ofPerkins II. Final decisions about how to implementTech Prep remain, of course, with state agencies andlocal consortia.

Implementing Tech Prep: A Guide to Planning a QualityInitiative (MDS-241) was prepared by Debra D. Braggfiom the NCRVE site at the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign. (For ordering information, see pageI 2.)

4 NCRVE Change Agent

SPECIFIC, OCEAN TO OCEANTen Plans for Integrated Tech Prep

The excerpt below is from the preface of thebrand new Establishing Integrated Tech PrepPrograms in Urban Schools: Plans Developed

at the NCRVE 1993 National Institute, one in a seriesof NCRVE Technical Reports. As the excerptindicates, Establishing Integrated Tech Prep containsten preliminary plans for implementing Tech Prep inhigh schools and affiliated community colleges in tenU.S. cities: Washington, DC; Cleveland, Ohio; LasCruces, New Mexico; St. Paul, Minnesota;Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tuscaloosa, Alabama;Detroit, Michigan- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;Raleigh, North Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland.

As a nearly 500-page anthology of comprehensivelydevised plans, Establishing Integrated Tech Prepprovides Integrated Tech Prep program plannerswith a tremendous "volume" of specifics.

The National Center for Research in VocationalEducation (NCRVE) held its third National Institute,"Establishing Integrated Tech Prep Programs inUrban Schools," in Berkeley, California, July 14-23,1993. Ten teams of vocational and academiceducators-125 high school and community collegeteachers, counselors, and administratorsfrom tenmajor metropolitan areas, selected through acompetitive application process, participated in thisinstitute. Each team was aided by a representative ofits state department of education. Several teams werealso assisted by local business partne Also workingwith each team were two mentorsan expertpractitioner and a graduate student. Speakers, paneldiscussions, breakout sessions, and role playexercises were all part of the institute experience. Inthe course of the intensive two week program, eachteam was charged with the responsibility ofdeveloping a strategic plan for initiating or continuingthe development of an Integrated "Lech Prep programwithin its institutions.

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and AppliedTechnology Act of 1990 (Perkins II) mandated theintegration of vocational and academic education asprerequisite for other funding, including fundingthrough the Tech Prep Education Act. By enhancingacademic competencies in vocational programs and

Volume 4, Number 1

making academic curricula more accessible to allstudents, the integration of vocational and academiceducation has become a vital component of allsuccessful Tech Prep initiatives. Strong Tech Prepinitiatives can make powerful contributions tobuilding student competence in academic areas andvocational-technical fields. Through collaborative,articulated efforts between secondary andpostsecondary institutions, these programs smooth thetransition from school to work by providing studentswith high quality workplace skills.

Perkins II also addressed the needs of disadvantagedyouth, especially those in urban areas, by targetingfunding to areas of poverty and special needs. As aresult, many large cities have received substantially

If the Integrated TechPrep planning effort is to

be successful, it musteffectively involve the

entire community

increased federal funding. Unfortunately, many urbanrecipients lack the technical information to plan andimplement successful programs. Developingworkable strategies to create better schools forstudents requires an understanding of the issues; acommitment from the leaders; and the support ofsuperintendents, administrators, teachers, andbusiness. Creating such strategies was a major goal ofthe 1993 Institute.

The 993 Institute built upon and was stronglyinfluenced by [NCRVE's] work with twenty urbanschool teams who took part in NCRVE's first twoInstitutes in the summer of 1992 and with whom[NCRVE] has developed its Urban Schools Network.Monitoring site visits, discussion at regiohalmeetings, progress -eports, and end-of-yearevaluations frc m these teams helped [NCRVE] torefine ... , refocus, and reshape the 1993 Institute.The active participation and ample feedback provided

7 5

by the participants in [the] Urban Schools Networkwas vital to its success. The 1993 Instituteparticipants now join the Urban Schools Network,which encourages exchanges of information betweenthose with extensive experience in various programareas and others just beginning to learn about them.During the year, NCRVE sponsors regional meetingsat which network teams can visit model programs,assess their own progress, and plan future steps.[NCRVE's] ultimate goal is the development of apractitioner "owned" reform movement withinvocational education, one that is organized in schooland communities but coordinated and supported on anational level.

[Establishing Integrated Tech Prep] is comprised often planning documents developed at the 1993Institute. It is important to note that these planningdocuments represent a culminating activity of the1993 Institute and are not the final Integrated TechPrep plans for any of the institutions involved.[NCRVE is] acutely aware that if the Integrated TechPrep planning effort is to be successful, it musteffectively involve and engage the entire community

involved with Tech Prep and that the effort must bean ongoing, incremental process [that] will continuelong after the institute is over. [NCRVE] trusts thatthese plans will form a substantive basis for therequired consultation process which will take place inthe coming months.

[NCRVE's] intent in publishing these documents is toassist other community college and high schoolplanners who are initiating or enhancing their ownIntegrated Tech Prep programs by providing specificexamples of plans designed for urban areas. [NCRVEis] pleased by the high quality of the ideas set forth inthese plans and are proud to have been associatedwith the teams which produced them.

Establishing Integrated Tech Prep Programs in UrbanSchools: Plans Developed at the NCRVE 1993 NationalInstitute (MDS-770) was compiled at the NCRVE site atthe University of California at Berkeley. (For orderinginformation, see page 12.)

. . . NO SINGLE OPTIONAssessing Tech Prep and Other Educational Reformson Behalf of the "Excluded Middle"

The authors of Building the Middle- -Sue E.Berryman, Erwin Flaxman, and MortonIngerbill their monograph as an

"interpretive synthesis" of NCRVE research abouteducational reforms concerning the preparation ofstudents for postsecondary training and work:

Work preparation traditionally has been thoughtof as the venue cf students not able to do rigorousacademic workthose not bound for collegebut we have learned that the cognitive principlesof work-related education are the foundation forthe learning necessary for both further academiceducation and success in a changing workplace atall job levels. We strongly feel that the nationneeds to objectively examine the variousproposals for work preparation, some alreadyimplemented, to build an educatively powerfultraining system for students, not just a patchwork

6

of different programs, not one of which meets thebasic criteria for positioning students for middle-skill jobs.

While the authors acknowledge the contributions ofnon-NCRVE research on a broad work preparationsystem and urge readers to consider their monographalongside such research, they intend for Building theMiddle to present NCRVE research as "a coherentand unified body of knowledge" capable ofcontributing to the design of a comprehensive,national work preparation system. The reforminitiatives identified from NCRVE research forevaluation are cognitive apprenticeship, Tech Prep,integrated vocational and academic education,vocational education as part of general education,career magnet schools, academies, work-based youthapprenticeship, cooperative education, and school-based enterprise.

NCRVE Change Agent

A comprehensive system of work preparation is theproposed solution to a two-pronged problem: On theone hand, the American economy does not rewardlow skills with middle-level wages as it once did; on

No single initiative meetsBuilding the Middle's

proposed design criteriathe other, the American education systemwhich"now takes seriously the education of only the top tenor twenty percent" of K-12 and postsecondarystudentsis "missing the middle," providing nocoherent educational strategy for students whocomplete high school but are unable to completecollege or the training necessary to enter middle-leveljobs. The proposed solutionbuilding the middlerequires the involvement not only of schools, but ofemployers as well: it requires integrating "thedemand and supply sides of the equation":

Building the middle requires changing manypieces of the American education and trainingsystemits curriculum; pedagogy; organizationc. time; assessment practices; technology; theskills and knowledge of its teachers; and therelationships among K-12, postsecondaryeducation, and workplaces, and among academicteachers, vocational teachers, learners, andemployers.

Building the Middle specifies seven design criteria forevaluating initiatives, identifies the definingcharacteristics of each initiative, clarifies thesimilarities and differences among the initiativescurrently being considered, discusses the strengthsand weaknesses of each initiative in meeting theproposed design criteria, and identifies barriers to theadoption and diffusion of each initiative. Coupledwith the variety of reform initiatives considered, it isespecially these analyses that make Building theMiddle a valuable resource.

The authors of Building the Middle develop theirseven design criteria with the overall educationalobjective of creating learning arrangements that are"so highly motivating and so effective that allstudents develop the knowledge and skills needed forat. least middle-skill and middle-wage jobs." Thecriteria define what the authors see as essential

Volume 4, Number 1

elements of a comprehensive work preparationsystem. An initiative contributes to the solution ofbuilding the middle, according to the authors, if itaccomplishes the following:

1. sets up educationally rich and problem-richlearning activities that reflect the knowledgedemands of the work contexts in whichknowledge and skills have to be used

2. creates a "community of expert practice," wherethe adults do more than talk about the practices ofthat community and play the role of subject-matter coach during the learning process

3. develops knowledge and skills efficiently

4. engages employers in curricular design, thecreation of work-experience positions, andcommitments to hire the program's graduates

5. makes the relationships and tradeoffs betweendifferent training investments transparent forstudents

6. is designed to prevent its being captured by themore advantaged or abandoned to the lessadvantaged

7. can potentially scale up into a national systemthat prepares students for middle-skill andmiddle-wage jobs

The monograph's assessment of the reform options itconsiders is substantial and, for all practical purposes,

The cognitive principlesof work-related educationare the foundation for the

learning necessary forboth further academic

education and success in achanging workplace

requires firsthand consideration on the part ofeducators, policymakers, and others interested in

3 7

developing a comprehensive, national solution to theproblem of the "excluded middle." The monographwarns that building the middle "will require anintelligent and efficient infrastructure to support theprocess"; briefly, they propose infrastructure changesin the areas of quality assurance, curricula,professional development, and knowledge transfer.

Ultimately, Building the Middle concludes that nosingle option meets the proposed design criteria.Instead, the monograph's authors propose a solutionthat integrates the pedagogic and curricular principlesof cognitive apprenticeship, the organizationalelements of vocational and academic integration, thearticulation and occupational cluster principles of

Tech Prep, and the rigorous skills certification ofwork-based apprenticeships.

A brief overview of Building the MiddleBuildingthe Middle: Executive Summaryis also availableseparately from the NCRVE Materials DistributionService.

Building the Middle (MDS-408) and Building the Middle:Executive Summary (MDS-409) were prepared by Sue E.Berryman, Erwin Flaxman, and Morton Inger from theNCRVE site at Teachers College, Columbia University.(For ordering information, see page 12.)

TECH PREP NAT SAT TELECOMLeadership, Marketing, and Business Involvementin Tech Prep . . . via Satellite

Involving Key Players in Tech P:ep is avideocassette recording of one in a series of1992 NCRVE National Satellite Teleconfer-

ences. The teleconference series, "Breaking the Mold:Tech Peep and Integration of Academic andVocational Education," explores the Tech Prep andintegration of vocational and academic educationreforms and includes three other videoconferencerecordings: Laying the Foundation for Integration,Building Teams for Tech Prep, and AchievingIntegration Through Curriculum Development.

The one and a half hour Involving Key Playersteleconference, which took place on December 15,1992, was broadcast live via satellite from VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University toparticipants at downlink sites across the United Statesand Canada.

Involving Key Players opens with a short address byDale Parnell, Profes in the School of Education atOregon State University, author of the seminal bookThe Neglected Majority, and one of the founders ofthe Tech Prep movement. In his overview, Parnellnotes the apparently significant impact of Tech Prepprograms on teaching and learning. He alsoemphasizes the notions that Tech Prep integratescontent with context, vocational education with

academic education, and that the reforms giveattention to the majority of studentswho areunlikely to complete baccalaureate programsandimproves the match between what students need forwork and other life roles and what they are taught inschool.

The teleconference was set up as a combination paneldiscussion and question call-in session. Joiningmoderator David Crippens of KCET-TV werepanelists Julia B. Akers, Coordinator, Roanoke(Virginia) Area Tech Prep Consortium, and memberof the Virginia Tech Prep Advisory Board; StephenD. Spaar, Coordinator, Technical Division. T. H.Pickens Technical Center in Aurora, Colorado;Donald C. Garrison, President, Tri-County Technical

Tech Prep integratescontent with context,

vocational education withacademic education

College in Pendleton, South Carolina; and Carver C.Gayton, Corporate Director of College and UniversityRelations, Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington. As

8 NCRVE Change Agent

10

representatives of business and both secondary andpostsecondary educators at various levels, thepanelists brought a range of experience with the TechPrep implementation process to the broadcast.

The objective of the teleconference was to sharestrategies for involving key players in Tech Prep

There are people indistricts who can design

nth Prep initiativesthat fit the needs

of local communities

initiatives. Specifically, the teleconference addressedthree questions:

Why is leadership an issue in Tech Prep?

2. How can Tech Prep programs be successfullymarketed?

3. How can business and industry become involvedin Tech Prep programs?

The balance of the first hour of the teleconferenceconsisted mostly of panelists' reactions to threesegments of prerecorded interviews with people inbusiness and with administrators and faculty fromvarious secondary and postsecondary institutions. Ineach segmentwhich addressed, respectively, theissues of leadership, marketing, and business/industryinvolvementinterviewees provided the details oftheir experience with Tech Prep and offered theiropinions about the implementation and efficacy ofTech Prep programs.

The call-in questions during the first hour set thestage for involving participants at downlink sitesmore fully later in the broadcast.

Most of the last half hour of the teleconference wasdevoted to questions from viewers at the variousdown-link sites. Questions addressed the followingissues:

ways in which special populations are served byTech Prep

roles of industrial technology staff

articulation of Tech Prep students to adultvocational centers

disinvestments necessary for implementation ofTech Prep

effects of Tech Prep on tracking

teacher strategies for cultivating leadership,marketing programs, and involving business andindustry for Tech Prep programs

small business involvement in Tech Prep

proven methods for involving business in TechPrep

role of the Principles of Technology and otherapplied academics programs in Tech Prep

overcoming the mindset of having studentscomplete four-year degrees

preventing schools and consortia fromwhitewashing existing programs rather thanestablishing substantial Tech Prep programs

employment of Tech Prep program completers

place of humanities and social sciences in TechPrep

preparing students for college entranceexaminations and in terms of postsecondaryadmission standards

parent resistance to Tech Prep

establishing Tech Prep competencies andperformance standards

matching the requirements of and credits awardedfor Tech Prep programs with four-year collegeand university admissions requirements

contacting businesses about their involvement inTech Prep

involving community college faculty in TechPrep

Volume 4, Number 1 9i

changes in technical core areas as a result of TechPrep

expectations of student performance

the entrenched negative image of vocationaleducation and vocational programs

In general, the questions and panelists responsestouched on a wide range of significant issuesmostnotably, many of the pivotal issues that proponents of

Tech Prep improves thematch between what

students need for workand other life roles andwhat they are taught

Tech Prep have addressed and continue to addressduring the early years of the initiative'simplementation.

Before closing the teleconference with a graphicreview of some of the important points made duringthe teleconference, moderator Crippens asked thepanelists to indicate the one thing they would orwoulc' not do if they had their Tech Prep programs todo ow. again. Below are their responses:

I would involve .. ,:ounselors more [in] theprogram than we did with the original 2+2[program].

Julia B. Akers

Communicating to ... four-year institutionsIthink we needed to do that.

Donald C. Garrison

I think the major thing that we have to do ... isto ensure that there are other businesses, otherindustries that are invcived with to theprocess. ... [Many people] see this as aneducational program almost exclusively.... Youdon't see ... many of the businesses that shouldbe involved. And really, we do have to thinkabout equal partners working together to achieve[what] Tech Prep is all about.

Carver C. Gayton

10

[Beyond not] involving the entire community, ...I would not ... be so intimidated by the [big TechPrep programs] that have been so suc '-essful, andfall back more on the resources that [we] `lave in[our] own districts and realize that [we have]professional, educated people in [our] districts[who] can design a Tech Prep model or initiativethat fits the needs of the local community.

Stephen D. Spaar

NCRVE is committed to keeping educators up-to-date on Tech Prep and the integration of vocationaland academic education. Additionally, NCRVE isinterested in learning about exemplary programs thatcan be shared with others. If you know of anexemplary Tech Prep or integration program, pleasewrite to

Laurie HollanaNCRVE

University of California at Berkeley2150 Shattuck Avenue

Suite 1250Berkeley, CA 94704

or call (800) 762-4093.

NCRVE is planning national satellite teleconferencesfor this year, but details are not yet available. Forfurther information, call Susan Faulkner at (703) 231-7337 or Nora Hansen at (703) 231-5754, or contactthem by e-mail at ncrve@vtvml.cc.vt.edu. BothFaulkner and Hansen are from the NCRVE site atVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The videotape Involving Key Players in Tech Prep(MDS-467) was produced at the NCRVE site at VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University. (For orderinginformation, see page 12.)

The videotape Laying the Foundation for Integration(MDS-464). Building Teams for Tech Prep (MDS-465),and Achieving Integration Through CurriculumDevelopment (MDS-466) were also produced at theNCRVE site at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and StateUniversity. (For ordering information, see page 12.)

2NCRVE Change Agent

aty4,44i tee Jost Change Agent

Ev41444,4iVityzoveyii4 Elt,vta;4.?Notitt A4,a1 51.444An entire issue devoted to accountability and assessment

Testing and Assessment in Secondary Education: A CriticalReview

Alternative Approaches to Outcomes Assessment forPostsecondary Vocational Education

Pandora's Box: Accountability and Performance Standardsin Vocational Education

Local Accountability in Vocational Education: A TheoreticalModel and Its Limitations in Practice

Beyond Vocational Education Standards and Measures:Strpngthening Local Accountability Systemsfor Program Improvement

Change AgentSHAPING THE FUTURE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

teCr?"

C43441.4 141

641"Gr "

Or

Volume 4, Number 1

BEST COPY AVAILABLErt.

1311

12

Achieving Integration Through CurriculumDevelopmentMDS-466CA Videotape $15.00

Building Teams for Tech PrepMDS-465CA Videotape $15.00

Building the MiddleMDS-408CA S. E. Berryman

E. FlaxmanM. Inger

$6.50

Building the Middle: Executive SummaryMDS-409CA S. E. Berryman $2.25

E. FlaxmanM. Inger

Establishing Integrated Tech Prep ProgramsIn Urban Schools: Plans Developed at theNCRVE 1993 National InstituteMDS-770CA $25.50

Implementing Tech Prep: A Guideto Planning a Quality InitiativeMDS-241CA D. D. Bragg $12.50

Involving Key Players in Tech PrepMDS-467CA Videotape $15.00

Laying the Foundation for IntegrationMDS-464CA Videotape $15.00

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Also Available

NCRVE Products Catalog FREE

NCRVE Tech Prep Products Catalog FREE

To order the reports rev;&wed in Change Agent,please send a check or purchase order to

NCRVE Materials Distribution ServiceWestern Illinois University

46 Horrabin HallMacomb, IL 61455

or call

(800) 637-7652FAX: (309) 298-2869

e-mail: msmds@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu

1 4

NCRVE Change Agent

0o cAe

ac S A IOD

Volume 4, Number 2 National Center for Research in Vocational Education June 1994

ABOLIT NCRVE: ,

NCRVE is established under authorization of the Carl D.Perkins Vocational Education Act to engage In twovocational education-related activities: (1) appliedresearch and development and (2) dissemination andtraining. Our mission is to address the goals of preparingindividuals for substantial and rewarding employirientand of acting as a catalyst for a shift to an economydominated by a skilled and flexible workforce. NCRVE isa consortium of educational institutions led by theUniversity of California at Berkeley's Graduate School ofEducation. This consortium also consists of the TeachersCollege at Columbia University, the University of Illinois,the University of Minnesota, RAND, Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University, and the University ofWisconsin at Madison. In addition to its research anddevelopment agenda, NCRVE supports five dissem-ination and training programs: (1) dissemination; (2)professional development; (3) special populations; (4)planning, evaluation, and accountability; and (5) programdevelopment, curriculum, and instructional materials.This publication is part of our commitment to those onthe front lines of vocational education, striving to createa new vision.

NCRVE Administrative Staff

Charles S. Benson Director

Phyllis Hudecki Associate DirectorGerald Hayward Deputy Director

Change Agent is published four times yearly at asubscription rate of $25. Editorial and publishing ser-vices are provided by the NCRVE Materials DistributionService. For subscriptions and address changes, con-tact the Materials Distribution Service (see insert). In linewith our goals, Change Agent is free of any copyrightrestrictions and may be copied or quoted freely. Wewelcome your suggestions, criticisms, and questions.Contact Peter Seidman, Dissemination Program Direc-tor, NCRVE, Graduate School of Education, Universityof California at Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite1250, Berkeley, CA 94704. Phone (800) 762-409 or(510) 642-4004; FAX: (510) 642-2124; e-mail: seidman(4+ uclink.berkeley.edu

Contents

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT"This Is (Not Necessarily) a Test"An NCRVE monograph explores a variety of authenticassessment practices 2

COLLECTING ALTERNATIVE APPROACHESTO ASSESSMENT

Alternative systems of assessment address reformdirectives and new approaches to vocational education 4

"LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT"What Perkins Accountability MandatesReally MeanLocal institutions try to get a grip on the intent of Perkinslegislation 6

ACCOUNTABILITYLocal PerspectivesOne NCRVE report develops a model of accountability;another proposes policy alternatives in response tofederal legislation 9

ORDERING INFORMATION 12

15BEST COPY AVAILABLE

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT"This Is (Not Necessarily) a Test"

Testing and Assessment in Secondary Education: applied are those of practitioners ... in variousA Critical Review of Emerging Practices by academic disciplines ... [and] in the workplace.Clifford Hill and Eric Larsen begins its

comprehensive investigation of authentic assessment by In other words, fully authentic assessment has thesituating such assessment in terms of the purposes of following characteristics:testing. Ultimately, the authors have discovered, whiletests and other forms of assessment differ in the type of The tasks of authentic assessment themselves haveinformation they seek and in the kinds of decisions they intrinsic merit.support, all tests inform decision making.

Students interact actively with the tasks prescribedIn Testing and Assessment. Hill and Larsen describe one by authentic assessment.classroom-oriented purpose, or function, of testingmanaging student learningand two system-oriented Practitioners would consider the standards appliedfunctionsmonitoring educational systems and to student interactions valid.evaluating students fot itutional purposes. Thepractices represented by these functions, referred to astraditional testing, have played a role in education in theUnited States and throughout the world for the betterpart of this century. The multiple-choice test, referred toas conventional testing, has become thf orototypicalform of traditional testing. In recent years, however,educators have become aware of the reductionismperpetrated by conventional testing and have proposedalternative practices. Hill and Larsen refer to suchalternative practices as authentic assessment, a term that

conveys the notion that assessment should bebuilt around tasks that are worth doing for theirown sake. In determining intrinsic merit, Tests have four features:educators derive standards from academicdisciplines hut, increasingly, from the larger I . Test givers conduct tests in a single time frame ofsociety, as well.... specified duration.

With these three characteristics and their implications inmind, Testing and Assessment makes suggestions forimproving the traditional scheme of testing and makingit reflect authentic assessment.

At the end of the first major section of Testing andAssessment, Hi!! and Larsen define and challenge thetesting paradigm itself. differentiating the subcategorytesting from the broader category of assessment. Asbecomes clear in the explanation of the monograph'sauthentic assessment taxonomy (discussed below),testing does not equal assessment.

Moreover, students are not expected simply tocreate discourse [verbal expressions, bothwritten and oral).... (Aluthentic assessment has

Tests consist of prescribed tasks that are presentedin stable form.

developed tasks that go beyond the purely 3. Tests elicit individual responses not based onlinguistic. Students are asked to make useful or external resources.pleasing artifacts ... or to engage inperformances 4. Evaluators evaluate test responses according to a

pre-established scheme.In addition, Hill and Larsen believe

it is useful to extend the concept of authenticityto include the perspective of students who areasked to take part in an assessment actkitv....Assessment should [also) he authentic .. . in thestandards that are used in evaluatingstudents ITIhe standards that should he

The defining features of testing sometimes characteriseexamples of authentic assessment. However. Hill andLarsen go to great lengths to develop a taxonomy thatmakes a basic distinction between the practices ofauthentic assessment that remain within the testingparadigm and those that extend beyond it.

2 I NCRVE Change Agent

The authors devote the largest section of the monographto a taxonomic overview of authentic assessment. In it,they present a set of heuristically oriented categories ofauthentic assessment in secondary education. Eachmode of authentic assessment falls within one of twobroad categoriesalternative resting or documentationpracticesestablished by the authors to differentiatebetween those that fall within the testing paradigm andthose that "extend beyond" testing. respectively. Table 1presents these categories hierarchically.

The final section of Testing and Assessment evaluatesauthentic assessment in terms of three principlesfrequently used in discussing testing and assessmentpolicy: excellence. equity, and efficiency. The authorsalso introduce a new term, "ecology."

"Those w ho support authentic assessment,- Hill andLarsen contend. "place the pursuit of excellence at theheart of their policies.- In terms of excellence and incontrast to conventional testing, authentic assessmentrequires students to construct responses rather thanselect among preexisting options, elicits higher-orderthinking from students in addition to basic skills, usesdirect assessment of holistic projects rather than indirect

Discourse' Testing

:

measures, and gets integrated with classroom instructionrather than separated from it.

In terms of equity, educators who advocate authenticassessment claim that such assessment, which usessamples of student work collected over an extendedperiod of time, defines clear criteria of which studentsare made aware, allows for the possibility of multiplehuman judgments, and more clos-ly relates to whatstudents learn in the classroom.

Its advocates consider conventional testing highlyefficient for two reasons: (1) the multiple choice format,which reduces the amount of time for and cost ofadministering and scoring tests, and (2) the statisticaltechniques known as psychometrics, which facilitate theconstruction of tests and the interpretation of results.

Hill and Larsen, however, differ:

From the standpoint of those who supportauthentic assessment, such notions of efficiencyare superficial and misleading. It masks themassive inefficiency that arises in an educationalsystem when fundamental goals are distorted by

Alternative Testing

Written Discourse' Oral Discourse'

Work Samples

ssment

Performance Testing'

WithIntrinsic Discourse'

Documentation Practices

Portfolios Exhibitions

System-

Oriented'

Records

WithoutIntrinsic Discourse'

System-Oriented' Classroom-Oriented'

Classroom- Artifacts Performances Internships CompetitionsOriented'

Discourse refers to verbal expressions, both written and oral (i.e., "questions" and "answers" in such tests arepresented with words).

Performance Testing elicits activity that goes beyond mere discourse.

Intrinsic Discourse refers to discourse "built around tasks that are worth doing for their own sake."System-Oriented refers to testing that results from needs outside of the classroom.

1 Classroom-Oriented refers to testing that relates to classroom needs.

Volume 4, Number 2 I BEST COPY AVAILABLE

inappropriate methods of assessment. They thusargue for a deeper notion of efficiency, one thathas to do with the degree to which assessmentfosters good educational practices.

Hence. the authors "prefer a deeper notion of efficiencythat can be expressed by the term 'ecology--a termthat they use not only in place of efficiency, but in placeof excellence and equity as well: "It conveys anoverarching principle that forces [educators] to examinethe complex role that assessment plays within the largereducational enterprise."

With this notion of ecology in mind, Hill and Larsenconclude their "assessment of authentic assessment" byfocusing on the essential role authentic assessment playsin achieving three fundamental, or ecological, goal ofeducation:

1. Reforming curriculum and instruction

2. Improving teacher morale and performance

3. Strengthening student commitment and capacity forself-monitoring

The Testing and Assessment monograph ends with acaveat and a vision:

Authentic assessment, when compared toconventional testing, makes far greater demandson both students and teachers. Indeed, those whosupport conventional testing have argued thatauthentic assessment consumes so much timethat instruction is inevitably shortchanged. Thisway of thinking misconstrues the symbioticrelation between instruction and assessment.Each, when done properly, becomes theother. If this clinical spirit is to hehumanely achieved in our classrooms, the verystructure of education must be transformed.Such a transformation depends not only on ourvision of what education should be but on theresources we are willing to commit to achievingthis vision.

Testing and Assessment in Secondary Education (MDS-237CA) was prepared by Clifford Hili and Eric Larsen fromthe NCRVE site at Teachers College, Columbia Univffsity.(For ordering information, see page 12.)

O

COLLECTING ALTERNATIVE APPROACHESTO ASSESSMENT

Traditional outcomes assessment in postsecondaryvocational education has focused on outcomesthat have routinely directed postsecondary

vocational education programsjob placement,occupational competence, program completion orretention, and earnings. As is the case in other sectors ofthe U.S. educational system, however, forces both insideand outside postsecondary vocational educationadvocate reform. Amidst the calls for reform byemployers, a plethora of commissions, and other groups.the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied TechnologyEducation Act of 1990 mandates improvedaccountability systems, requiring states to measurestudent skills and performance in the areas ofcompetency attainment, job or work skill attainment.retention or completion, or placement.

In Alternate Approaches to Outcomes AssessmentPo.stAccondary Vocational Education. editor Debra I).Bragg remarks that

4

given the scope and intensity of the educationalreform movement, it is not surprising thatinstitutions are being encouraged to look at abroader set of outcomes than had been usedtracitionally and to reexamine the means bywhich these outcomes were being measured. Asnew educational goals emerge to address reformdirectives and as new approaches to vocationaleducation are employed, alternative approachesto outcomes assessment are essential.

Alternative Approaches focuses on innovations inpostsecondary vocational education outcomesassessment as identified during a two-year study at theNCRVE site at the University of Illinois. Bragg and herco-contributors intend their considerations primarily forlocal postsecondary education leaderscommunitycollege presidents. institutional researchers, andvocational education administrators"who have theresponsibility for conceptualising and administeringoutcomes assessment. especially in vocational

NCRVE Change Agent

education." According to Bragg. "For this audience.[the] goal is to bring a new level of understanding aboutoutcomes assessment and to encourage the explorationof various approaches to measuring outcomes." Local.state, and federal policymakers; government agencystaff; program evaluators; researchers; teachereducators; and of .n.s involved in advocating,developing, or disseminating innovative methods ofoutcomes assessment for postsecondary vocationaleducation would also find Alternative Approachesuseful.

The authors whose essays constitute the seven chaptersof Alternative Approaches write from the premise thatthere are three types of outcomes to consider whenassessing postsecondary vocational educationinstitutional outcomes, program outcomes, and studentoutcomes. The chapters of Alternative Assessmentaddress these three outcomes. As the abstracts thatfollow imply, each chapter focuses on an approach tooutcomes assessment, suggests implementation issuesand strategies. and discusses applications in one or morepostsecondary settings.

Ideas reported in Alternative Apr ..'aches, contendsBrage .

represent what we believe are some of thenewest and most promising ideas in how toconceptualize and conduct outcomes assessmentin two-year postsecondary educationalinstitutions Our primary purpose ... was todescribe various outcomes assessmentapproaches, to challenge you to explore themfurther, and to encourage you to consider howthey can he applied to your institutions.

A conclusion that summarizes the highlights of thechapters and offers some suggestions for implementingoutcomes assessment in postsecondary vocationaleducation follows the main chapters ofAlternativeAsyessment.

Chapter 1"Perspectives on Assessment Policy & Practice"

Debra D. Bragg and C. Michael Harmon

To provide a basis for explorin,g alternative approachesin outcomes (1.1yes.sment. Chapter One discusses externalforces on accountability, particularly those stemmingfrom recent policy recoup mendationv and legislativemandates. Then, internal fOres. which largely reflectshifts in institutional missions and student populations,are presented. With this background. research findings

regarding outcomes assessment practices at selectedtwo-year postsecondary institutions are presented. Thechapter concludes with a discussion of challenges andrecommendations for implementing outcomesassessment in postsecondary settings.

Chapter 2"Total Quality Management"

Debra D. Bragg

Chapter Two advances the argument that the "M" inTQM (total quality management) could just as easilystand for "measurement" as "management." Thischapter discusses the philosophical and theoreticalbases for TQM and describes how this comprehensiveapproach can be implemented to enhance institutionaleffectiveness and ensure beneficial institutionaloutcome for students. Observations are made abouthow TQM is being implemented at Fox Valley TechnicalCollege in Wisconsin.

Chapter 3"Assessing Student Success"

C. Michael Harmon

Chapter Three focuses on an institutional approachknown as the student success model that parallels, atleast philosophically, many of the tenets of TQM. Whilesome readers may associate this model with acounseling and educational planning model, we believethat it can provide the basis for outcomes assessment aswell. This chapter explores the way Santa FeCommunity College (SFCC) in New Mexico has appliedthe student success model to develop and maintaininstitutional effectiveness and outcotnes assessment.

Chapter 4"Value-Added Assessment"

C. Michael Harmon

In Chapter Four, the concept of :Tillie added is appliedto outcomes assessment and discus.:ed in relation toinstitution, program, and student outcomes assessment.The value-added assessment approaches used byDelaware Technical Co.nmunity College, NortheastMissouri State University, and Alverno College arediscussed. Issues surrounding the relationship betweenvalue-added and outcomes assessment are presented. Inaddition, the controversy about using pretest andposttest designs for measuring value added are exploredand an argument for using pojimitance assessment ismade. . . .

Volume 4, Number 2 13 5

Chapter 5"Concept Mapping"Thomas E. Grayson

Chapter Five describe,- a recent innovation that offerspromise for getting program-level outcomes assessmentefforts started, no matter whether they are based on aTQM, student success, value-added, or other approach.Referred to as concept mapping, this innovation is abottom-up approach for producing a picture of howeducational programs work and how they produceoutcomes. This chapter illustrates how concept mappingwas used to identify outcomes for vocational educationat Black Hawk College in Illinois.

Chapter 6"Outcomes Assessment

in Vocational Education"N. L. McCaslin

In Chapter Six, a schema for assessing educational,economic, and psycho-social outcomes for vocationaleducation programs is presented. This chapter suggeststhat these outcomes must be considered in light of theeducational needs and processes that influencevocational education. To conclude the chapter, a

five-step process for conducting outcomes assessment ispresented.

Chapter 7"Performance Assessment"

Linda Mabry

Chapter Seven addresses the contenzporary topic ofperformance of student knowledge and skills. Thischapter defines common terms such as "pedbrmanceassessment," "alternative assessment," and "authenticassessment." The chapter describes assessmenttechniques such as profiles and records of achievement,portfolios, and performance tasks. The chapter alsodiscusses how these assessment techniques are beingimplemented in several secondary and postsecondaryorganizations and describes issues surrounding theiruse in these settings.

Alternative Approaches to Outcomes Assessment forPostsecondary Vocational Education (MDS-239CA) wasedited by Debri D. Bragg from the NCRVE site at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (For orderinginformation, see page 12.)

"LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT"What Perkins Accountability Mandates Really Mean

Pandora's Box: Accountability and PerformanceStandards in Vocational Education by Paul T.Hill, James Harvey, and Amy Praskac presents

the results of a study on accountability in vocationaleducation. RAND, a nonproft research institutionestablished to "further and promote scientific,..Aucational, and charitable purposes ... for the publicwelfare," and an active participant in the NCRVEconsortium. conducted the study on behalf of NCRVE.

The Pandora's Box study "focused on the 'to who.n'side of accountability. trying to determine who neededevidence about the performance of vocational educationand how they would use that evidence." The study hadtwo goals: (1) "to understand the intentions of thepeople who formulated and enacted the requirements forvocational education performance standards andaccountability" contained in Perkins legislation and t"to understand how those requirements would affectstate and local accountability processes in vocationaleducation." What began, however, as

6

an examination of the potential uses forvocational education performance informationby (federal] and state officials, local educators,employers. parents. and students ... turnedquickly ... to an examination of two priorlissues:1

1. the ways in which states and localities deal withchanges in state administrationas required by the1990 Perkins Amendmentsand the extent towhich they can advance accountability throughperformance standards

2. the questions "raised repeatedly" ,luring interviewsfor the Pandora's Box study about whether thePerkins Amendments "imply Cle need to developstatewide aggreg,ate measures of programperformance and, ultimately, national aggregatemeasures of performance as the foundation ofeducational accountability"

20NCRVE Change Agent

NCRVE considers Pandora's Box a companion to otherNCRVE projects and publications that have examinedthe "for what" of vocational education accountability.These "companions" include Perfrrmance Measures

Information about theneeds of broader regional,

statewide, or nationallabor markets can helpeducators and students

understand opportunitiesthat might not be

evident locally

and Standards for Vocational Education as well asLocal Accountability in Vocational Education: ATheoretical Model and Its Limitations in Practice andBeyond Vocational Education Standards and Measures:Strengthening Local Accountability Systems fOrProg,,m Improvement, the latter two of which arcreviewed together in this issue of Change Agent (for thatreview, see pages 9-12: for ordering information aboutall three publications. see page 12). As its majorconclusion, Pandora's Box found that

th- main focus of accountability in vocationaleducation is local, and that the Perkins(legislation( requirements for new performancemeasures and standards are meant to strengthenlocal accountability, not to weal. it or to createnew channels of reporting to the (federal Igovernment.

Purpose of Perkins Accountability Requirements

Har%ey. and Prakac explored the purpose ofPerkins accountabilit mandates using interviews withCongressional staff members and lobbyists. Theinterviews made it clear that no one intended toconstruct a stream of information to Washington. DC.that would let Congress or anyone else manage%ocational education from afar. The drafters of the actalso did not intend to obtain a master database fromv hich they could derive an assessment of vocationaleducation nationw ide or in particular locality orstate.

Volume 4, Number 2

It became clear, however, that Congressional membersand senior committee staff had concerns about thequality of local programs and about whether they werebeing implemented with sufficient concern for the needsof local students and employers. Interviewees basedtheir concerns on business leaders' complaints about the

ality of high school graduates (including graduates ofvocational programs), and on interviewees' own fearsthat some local managers of vocational education hadbecome "bureaucratic, deadened by routine, and moreconcerned with protecting staff jobs than with meetinglocal labor market needs."

Through the Perkins requirements, legislative supportersof vocational education intended to reassure critics thatCongress considered the quality of local programsimportant and "lax or self-indulgent" programadministration intolerable. At the same time, however,members of Congress did not want to establishthemselves as "the remote. ultimate judges of localprocesses." Instead, they wanted to create a frameworkthat would guarantee attention to quality issues at thelocal and state levels.

Effects of Perkins on Local and State Accountability

Results of case studies in seven states, including bothurban and rural localities, showed that localaccountability processes vary in quality. Some localities

Perkins requirements fornew performance

measures and standardsare meant to strengthen

local accountability, not toweaken it

ensured the quality and relevance of vocationaleducation programs through processes such as thefollowing:

Employer advisory committees

Tracking of employer needs tlirough studentplacement

Attracting students via job placement success

Employer certification of the need for new courses

7

Eliminating or upgrading courses with lowenrollment or poor placement records

However, many local accountability processes haveserious weaknesses, including a "routine-following"

Accountabilityin vocational educationfocuses mainly on the

local levelmindset and lax tracking of student placement amongvocational education providers.

Also, real conflicts of interest exist among localconstituencies. In very small communities with only afew employers, healthy accountability processes oftenwork in everyone's interest. In larger communities,however, only a fraction of employers can be consulteddirectly. As a result, important employer interestsremain poorly represented.

Conflicts of interest among students and employers alsoarise. Established employers sometimes want studentsprepared for traditional low- and moderate-skilled jobs,preparation that might prevent ..udents from obtainingjobs with employers who require nontraditional oradvanced skills, possibly in other localities.

"These conflicts of interest," contend the atiihors ofPandora's Box,

justify oversight by state and federalgovernments. The state needs to protect itsbroader economic future against the narrowlocalism and short-time horizon that candominate local accountability processes. Thestate and federal governments need to helpdisadvantaged groups that lack the leverage toprotect themselves at the local level.

State and federal governments can also help to expandthe horizons of local actors in several ways. Informationabout future economic trends can help employers toanticipate their own needs. Information about the needsof broader regional. statewide, or national labor marketsalso can help educators and students understandopportunities that might not he evident locally. Bothlists of competencies required by employers and testingsystems that assess performance in light of those needscan create demands of program improvement.

Competency-based systems can both raise standards andprovide concrete guides for program improvement.Program developers derive such systems from lists ofcompetencies created by knowledgeable employers.When used as the basis for curriculum development,student testing, and certification, these lists guidevocational education policy and build employers'competence. They also provide external standards forevaluating program quality and student access.

Based on their case studies, however. Hill, Harvey, andPraskac concluded that "hard outcomes data shouldsupplement, not suppl'Ait, processes of consultation andmonitoring and the use of managerial judgment."

In the last chapter of the monograph. Hill, Harvey, andPraskac present the conclusions of arid drawimplications from their research. The topics ofconclusions and implications concern national datasystems, political accountability and programimprovement, aggregating information, state and federalassistance, the relation of outcomes data and localprocesses, and monitored versus "automated"accountability.

All in all. Pandora's Box should go quite a way inalleviating the fears of many educators in regards to the

Congress's concern aboutthe quality of local

programs was based onbusiness leaders'

complaints about thequality of high-school

graduates

Perkins requirements while contributing to importantdiscussions about accountability in vocationaleducation.

Pendent Rut: ,.1(( ountabilit% wuipoloonance standardsnr VI,ratumai Educatum INIDS-288CA1 as preparedPaul T. 11111. Janie Hanes. and .Am Praskac tram theNCRVE site at RAND. t For ordering information..ce page12.1

8 NCRVE Change Agent

ACCOUNTABILITYLocal Perspectives

/1111IMMW

How can we best foster accountability invocational education? What is thenature of existing accountability

relationships? Concern about the productivity ofthe U.S. workforce and the competitiveness ofthe U.S. economy heightens the importance ofthese questions. Recent reports from the U.S.Department of Labor and the NationalEducational Goals Panel focused publicattention on the performance of the vocationaltraining system. Legislators at state and federallevels are formulating policies aimed atimproving vocational education throughincreased accountability. The policies will bebetter informed if they are based on thoroughknowledge of existing accountability systems.

So begins the first of two 1NICRVE reports onaccountability, both by Brian M. Stecher and LawrenceM. Hanser of RAND.

As its title implies, the first report, Local Accountabilityin Vocational Education: A Theoretical Model and ItsLimitations in Practice, describes a model for localaccountability in vocational education and exploresshortcomings of accountability systems in general. Thecompanion report, Beyond Vocational EducationStandards and Measures: Strengthen;ng LocalAccountability Systems for Program Improvement,considers the demands that federal legislation places onlocalities and states and proposes policy alternatives forresponding to those demands that are influenced bylocal accountlbility. concerns

Local Accountability in Vocational Education

Intended for local and state administrators, state andfederal policymakers. and voc itional education policyresearchers, the Local lecountability study analyzes anddescribes local systems of accountability in vocationaleducation. "We know very little about accountability invocational programs .... Stecher and Hanser assert,-There is no clear picture of the functioning of . . . localaccountability systems.- Belicving as they claim. that"policies will he better informed if they are based onthorough know ledge of existing accountabilitys\ stems.- the authors contend that the programdescriptions of Loco/ Accoumonlitv e as the basisfor further study of vocational programs. for developing

criteria for evaluating accountability systems, and formonitoring the impact of policy changes."

Most formal policy initiatives in educationalaccountability focus on "highly aggregated"accountability at the state or federal level. Legislationand other initiatives can also, however, defineaccountability systems in local terms. The Carl D.Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology EducationAct of 1990 promotes both local and stateaccountability, placing with states "the finalresponsibility for establishing measures and standardsand for ultimate program supervision after placinginitial responsibility at the local level for programevaluation and improvement."

Because of their importance in understanding the impactof this model of accountability, the manner in whichvocational programs presently function with respect to

We can identify manypractical constraints thatreduce the effectiveness ofthe components in a local

accountability system

their multiple constituencies require examination. LocalAccountability analyzes the extent to which localaccountability systems exist in vocational education anddescribes the nature of the underlying relationshipsbetween such programs and their constituents. Inexploring local accountability. Stecher and Hanservisited secondary and postsecondary vocationalprograms in California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, andOklahoma. They gathered information about programsand interviewed students, parents, instructors.employers, and administrators. They also interviewedstaff at the departments of education for each state.Interviews explored the relationships between theprograms and local constituencies.

Four major conclusions emerged from the LocalAccountability study. First, the study found widespreadevidence of functioning accountability systems inoca"onal programs at the local level. Second, fot r

Volume 4, Number 2 9

2 3

elementsgoals, measures, information feedback loops.and change mechanismsand the relationships amongthem describe these accountability systems. Stecher andHanser have developed a simple model based on theseelements that does a reasonable job of describingaccountability relationships across a spectrum ofvocational programs. Third, the quality of theseelements and the relationships among them account formuch of the variation in local accountability systems.Limitations in these components, the authors found,

Policies will be betterinformed if they are based

on thorough knowledgeof accountability systems

as they currently existinterfere with the overall effectiveness of theaccountability system. Fourth, the authors identify manypractical constraints that reduce the effectiveness of theelements in local systems of accountability.Identification of these elements provides a basis fordeveloping both criteria for evaluating localaccountability systems and prescriptions for improvingthem.

Stecher and Hanser found that programs haddeficiencies in each of the elements of the model theauthors developed and in the interact'ons among thoseelements. Specifically, the study found goals ineffectivewhen the following occurred:

interlocking goals at the action (local) level did notsupport higher-level goals

the broadness or vagueness of the goals made ito impossible to know when or if they had been

achieved

relevant constituencies did not understand and/orsupport the goals

the priorities among the goals remained unstated orunclear

In their chief role, measures provide evidence of y,,,dattainment: the most important measures relate directlyto established goals. The study found measuresineffective when they lacked the following:

10

consonance with or did not sufficiently encompasso goals

adequate technical quality

meaning for constituents

Feedback conveys information about measures toadministrators, program staff, and school systemconstituents as well as among administrators and staff.Potential deficiencies in feedback include the following:

insufficient communication

inaccurate communication

low signal-to-noise ratioa high rate ofcommunication with very little useful content

Ultimately, accountability systems lead to reform inorganizations. Organizational change mechanisms canLiter as a result of the following:

regulations that limit options for change

insufficient resources

overattention to the needs of one constituen:,. (e.g.,employer groups)

priority to short-term demand rather than long-termo trends

difficulties in balancing competing goals andprinciples (e.g., equity versus placement)

lack of formal procedures for change

ineffective leadership for reform

"Greater experience with this model of localaccountability will improve its usefulness as an analytictool... contend Stecher and Hanser. For example. themodel can serve as a basis for monitoring the effects ofstate and federal initiatives.'' including the 1990 PerkinsAmendments.

The follow-up companion to Loco/ Accountability.Beyond Vocational Education Standards and Mcasurc v.does in fact ork from this model of localaccountability in monitoring such effects.

While the report's summary provides a useful outline ofLoco/ Accountability's main points. a more thorough.

24 NCRVE Chance Agent

specific, and valuable discussion constitutes the bulk ofthe report and warrants a thorough examination.

Beyond Vocational EducationStandards and Measures

Beyond Vocational Education Standards and Measures:Strengthening Local Accountability Systems forProgram Improvement, also by Stecher and Hamer,examines vocational education accountability at thelocal level in an effort to provide information that mightimprove the implementation of Perkins' Amendmentsprovisions.

Results of the study show that local accountabilitysystems exist in many vocational programs. Whileexisting local accountability systems do evince value in

Most vocational programshave appropeate localaccountability systems

improving programs and can, in fact, accommodate themandates of the Perkins Amendments, such systems areless accommodating of other. often broader Perkinsmandates.

Written for local practitioners involved in adapting thenew Perkins accountability requirements, statepolicymakers charged with implementing them, andfederal policymakers involved in 1995 reauthorizationof vocational legislation. the authors of Beyond . . .

Standards suggest ways that local and state programs"can improve the functioning of local accountabilitysystems" and recommend "changes in federal vocationaleducation policy to further the goals of programimprovement" that motivated the 1990 PerkinsAmendments

"Unfortunate] ." Steelier and Hanser observe.

little is known about the local program contextand the likely interplay between local condition,and Perkins [legislation] accountabilitymandates. The study reported here exploresaccountability from the local perspective toprovide insights into the ways in which localprogra111s define their goals. interact with theirconstituents, use information. and makeprogram-related decisions. It also attempts todefine the role states could pla in support ofthese functions.

Volume 4, Number 2

[We] developed a model of the localaccountability systems currently operating invocational education programs. The modelillustrates how goals, measures, feedback,influence, and reform interact to influenceprogram practice. The model also offersguidance for evaluation and strengthening localaccountability systems. Finally, it can be used asa basis for analyzing the interplay betweenexisting global accountability and accountabilityas envisioned under [the Perkins Amendments].

Stecher and Hanser draw five conclusions based on theiranalysis of federal policies, local accountability systems,and the interactions between them; the conclusions areaddressed in detail in the Beyond . . . Standards report:

I. Most vocational programs have functioning localaccountability systems consistent with the modelenvisioned in the Perkins Amendments.

2. Local accountability systems can be effective toolsfor program improvement if practical obstacles canbe overcome.

3. States can do much to evaluate and strengthen localaccountability systems.

4. Neither state education agencies (SEAs) nor localeducation agencies (LEAs) are fully prepared tocarry out their responsibilities vis-a-visaccountability under the Perkins Amendments.

5. The Perkins Amendments may overemphasizestate-adopted outcome-based standards andmeasures.

Beyond . . Standards concludes with an impressive setof implications and with recommendations aboutmodifying Perkins and associ. legislation.

Local Accountability in Vocational Education: A TheoreticalModel and Its Implications (MDS-291CA) and BeyondVocational Education Standards and Measures:Strengthening Local Accountability Systems for ProgramImorovement (MDS-292CA) were prepared by Brian M.Stecher and Lawrence M. Hanser from the NCRVE site atRIND. (For ordering information, see page 12.)

11

ORDERING. INFORMATIONI

Alternative Approaches to OutcomesAssessment for Postsecondary VocationalEducationMDS-239CA D. D. Bragg $9.00

Beyond Vocational Education Standardsand Measures: Strengthening LocalAccountability Systems for ProgramImprovementMDS-292CA B. M. Stecher

L. M. Hanser

Local Accountability in VocationalEducation: A Theoretical Model and ItsLimitations in PracticeMDS-291CA B. M. Stecher

L. M. Hanser

Pandora's Box: Accountability andPerformance Standards in VocationalEducationMDS-288CA P. T. Hill

J.HarveyA. Praskac

Performance Standards for VocationalEducation: 1991 Survey ResultsMDS-388CA E. G. Hoachlander

M. L. Rahn

$4.00

Testing and Assessment in SecondaryEducation: A Critical Review of EmergingPracticesMDS-237CA C. Hill

E. Larsen

ALSO AVAILABLE

NCRVE Products Catalog

NCRVE Accountability andAssessment Products Catalog

$6.50

FREE

FREE

$5.00 To order the reports reviewed in Change Agent,please send a check or purchase order to

NCRVE Materials Distribution ServiceWestern Illinois University

46 Horrabin Hall$4.50 Macomb, IL 61455

or contact us by

Phone: (800) 637-7652Fax: (309) 298-2869

$6.00 E-mail: msmds @uxa.ecn.bgu.edu

12 BEST COPY AVAILABLE t) NCRVE Change Agent

Gac

stk°IP AO /

tiNV

t 0

e

Volume 4, Number 3 National Center for Research in Vocational Education September 1994

NCRVE is established under authorization of the CarlD. Perkins Vocational Education Act to engage in twovocational education-related activities: (1) appliedresearch and development and (2) dissemination andtraining. Our mission is to address the goals of preparingindividuals for substantial and rewarding employmentand of acting as a catalyst for a shift to an economydominated by a skilled and flexible workforce.

NCRVE is a consortium of educational institutions ledby the University of California at Berkeley's GraduateSchool of Education. This consortium also consists ofthe Teachers College at Columbia University, theUniversity of Illinois, the University of Minnesota, RAND,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, andthe University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In addition to its research and development agenda,NCRVE supports five dissemination and trainingprograms: (1) dissemination; (2) professionaldevelopment; (3) special populations; (4) planning,evaluation, and accountability; and (5) programdevelopment, curriculum, and instructional materials.This publication is part of our commitment to those onthe front lines of vocational education, striving to createa new vision.

NCRVE Administrative Staff

Phyllis Hudecki Acting DirectorOlivia Moore Deputy Director

Change Agent is published four times yearly at asubscription rate of $25. Editorial and publishing ser-vices ai e provided by the NCRVE Materials DistributionService. For subscriptions and address changes, con-tact the Materials Distribution Service (see page 12). Inline with our goals, Change Agent is free of any copy-right restrictions and may be copied or quoted freely.

We welcome your suggestions, criticisms, and ques-tions. Contact Peter Seidman, Disseminailon ProgramDirector, NCRVE, University of California at Berkeley,2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 1250, Berkeley, CA 94704.Phone: (800) 762-4093 or (510) 642-4004; Fax: (510)642-2124; e-mail: seidman @uclink.berkeley.edu

Contents

INTRODUCING A NEW NCRVEMINICATALOG 2

AN ANNUAL REPORTON SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAMS

School-Based LearningNCRVE produces an annual report for Congress 2

DIVE RIGHT IN!Work-Based LearningHospital unit secretaries "learn the ropes" 5

SPECIAL POPULATIONS AND MOREConnecting ActivitiesSpecial populations is just one of the school-to-workconnecting activities areas studied by NCRVE 7

REVISING EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTAccountability & AssessmentNCRVE explores school-to-work assessment alternatives .... 9

ORDERING INFORMATION 12

27 BEST COPY MAILABLE

INTRODUCING A NEW NCRVE MINICATALOGEarlier this year, President Clinton signed into law animportant piece of education legislation, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. While the National Center forResearch in Vocational Education (NCRVE) hascontinually sponsored projects dealing with school-to-work issues and initiatives, only recently has NCRVEbegun to distribute a school-to-work minicatalog.

I.ike NCRVE', other minicatalogs, the "School-to-Work" catalog highlights an important area ofvocational education in which NCRVE has produced asignificant amount of conceptual and practical thinking.NCRVE has organized "School-to-Work" around the

central themes of the School-to-Work OpportunitiesActschool-based learning, work-based learning, andconnecting activitiesas well as the issues ofaccountability and assessment.

This issue of Change Agent reviews six recentNCRVE publications included in the "School-to-Work"catalog. The free "School -to- Work" catalog is availablefrom the NCRVE Materials Distribution Service (seepage 12 for details).

AN ANNUAL REPORTON SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAMSSchool-Based Learning

IIMUIRMNEl====1M11

he 1990 Amendments to the Carl D. PerkinsVocational and Applied Technology Act requirethe National Center for Research in Vocational

Education (NCRVE) to prepare an annual report of theresearch conducted on successful education-to-worktransition approaches. Research on School-to-WorkTransition Programs in the United States b- DavidStern. Neal Finkelstein, James R. Stone Ill. JohnLathing, and Carolyn Dornsife is the 1994 fulfillment ofthat requirementit is also an example of the NCRVEpublications listed in the "School-Based Learning''section of NCRVE's new "School-to-Work-minicatalog.

Research on School-to-Work opens with a briefoverview of "the difficulties encountered by many)dung people in making the transition from school towork.- Such difficulties include or are exacerbated h\an increasing scarcity of career jobs. reducedemployment in the manufacturing sector, emploersincreased demands for cognitive ability on the part ofemployees, anC the grow ing disparity between theearnings of average high school graduates and those ofhigh school graduates ho are more competent inmathematics or who go on to g,.iduate from foul - earcolleges.

Fhe most immediate implication of this situation.according to Research on .School -to -Mork. is that the

O

success of school-to-work programs cannot he judgedsimpl in terms of students' first full-time jobs; instead,the success of school-to-work programs needs to hegauged in terms lifetime emploment historiesbyhow these programs prepare students for lifelonglearning and how the programs prep-Ire students w ith theknow ledge and skills necessary to change jobs.

Recarch on School -to-Work adopts a narrowerdefinition of school -to -work than one that would include"any and all efforts that contribute to successful school-to-work transition.- A discussion based on such adefinition would he unwieldy since the definition"would encompass all kinds of schooling and non-school education that help in any ova) to prepare forworking life.'' Therefore, Research on .School-to-lt'orkfocuses on the second of two main categories of schoolto -work programs---the first of which. school -and -workprograms. simply "allow students to w ork and attendschool during the same time period.-

Research on School-to-Work instead equates school-to.w ork with the second categor\ school for -workprogranr, -"education and training programs in whichpreparation for work is explicitly a major purpose.-Nlore narrow I>. the report focuses on work preparationprograms that serc high school students,.nonbaccalatireate pokccondar students, or out -ofschool outh. Specilicalk, it focuses on cooperati

2 NCRVE Change Agent

education. youth apprenticeship, other work experience,school-based enterprise, Tech Prep, career academies,and school-to-apprenticeship.

A key element of most school-to-work programs is thecombination of school and work in some form duringthe same period of time. The following threeprogrammatic features are especially important indetermining the nature of the programs and the kinds ofstudents who participate:

I. integration of school-based and work-basedlearning

2. combined vocational and academic curriculum

3. linking of secondary and postsecondary education

Each of these features is discussed in detail in the firstsection of the report.

Discussion of the various program types addressed byResearch on S'chool-w-Work is structured within theframework of four "programs" sections: The first,"School-and-Work Programs in Secondary Schools,"covers cooperative education, youth apprenticeship,school-based enterprise, and non-school-supervisedwork experience. In addition, the section discussesissues !elating to career counseling, job placement, andmentoring programs as well as the results of an NCRVElongitudinal survey that studied the effects of studentsworking while in high school.

The second of the four sections, "School-and-WorkPrograms in Two Year Colleges," covers cooperativeeducation programs and apprenticeship programs aswell as career counseling and job placement in two-yearcolleges, all of which, the report posits,

are taking increasingly diverse roles in thedelivery of job-related instruction. While it hasalso ays been the case that community, junior,and technical colleges offered some vocationalcurricula, the range of direct linkages withoutside organizations (including employmentprmidersl has become remarkably wide.

The third section, "Rele mice of Vocational Educationto Subsequent Eillp10 !Beni- explains how

cooperative education. apprenticeship. or otherschool-and-work programs engage students inschool and k% ork during the same period of time.The relationship between scluail and work is

concurrent. In addition, high schools and two-year colleges, particularly their vocationaleducation programs, include preparation forwork as a major part of their mission. They arechool- for -work programs. If they succeed, there

should be a sequential connection betweenschool and work. Evidence about this sequentiallink is reviewed in this section.

In the fourth section, "Programs for Out-of-SchoolYouth," Research on School-to-Work briefly exploresthe numerous programs that "have attempted to improvethe job prospects of young people who are not in schooland are looking for work." Based on a study of relevantliterature, the report concludes that while someprograms have a record of improving earnings, "theresources and structures of these programs are largelyunable to overcome problems related to family structure,neighborhood structure, education, and health."

For each of the program types discussedcooperativeeducation, youth apprenticeship, other work experience,school-based enterprise, Tech Prep, career academies,and school-to-apprenticeshipResearch on School-to-Work provides

The success of school-to-work programs cannot bejudged simply in terms of

students' first full-timejobs; instead, success ofsuch programs needs tobe gauged in terms oflifetime employment

histories

a definition and history; summarizes important relatedresearch findings; assesses the value of the program typeas an educational initiative; highlights what the reportcalls "elements of good practice," describes examples ofprogram implementation in the United States, and/ordiscusses emerging issues.

Volume 4, Number 3 32 3

Choosing a School-to-Work System

The conclusion of Research on School-to-Work poses animportant question about what local and statedecisionmakers can learn from the research that mayinform the strategic decisions they face in designingnew school-to-work systems. To this, the authors of thereport answer,

Probably the most fundamental decision iswhether the new system will he designed onlyfor the "non - college- bound" or whether it willbe more inclusive. This choice has a directbearing on what kind of school -based instructionand what kind of work-based learning should heoffered.

These issues are the foundation of the major findings ofResearch on School-to-Work Transition Programs in

While it has always beenthe case that community,

junior, and technicalcolleges offered some

vocational curricula, therange of linkages with

outside organizations hasbecome remarkably wide

the United States. Among the issues to he considered inthe strategic choices that decionsmakers will has e tomake are the following:

the role of vocational education in general in theUnited States

the nature of the students shone school- to -ss arkprograms are to prepare and those students'relationship to students whom school-to-workprograms will not secs e

the image of a new. supposedly comprehensk eschool-to-work system in the ey es of students,educators, and the public in general

ease of access to and flexibility in transitioningfrom a school-to-work system

the nature of the school-to-work curriculum,including where and how it will he delivered

the relative emphasis on learning to do ss ark versuslearning to think

Ultimately, the report concludes.

the questions are complex, and there are fewdefinitive answers. Even V. hen programs havebeen found to be effective, it is usually notpossible to say exactly, ss by they are effectivebecause the programs themselves aremu hi faceted land) each program model ... hasbeen implemented differently in differentplaces If new school-to-work programs canimprove students' performance, publicauthorities need not worry about whether certainprogram components are included.

Finally, it is useful to recall that school-to-worktransition seldom means an abrupt transitionfrom full-time schooling to full-timeemployment. The initial transition from schoolto work usually occurs over a period of severalyears, during w hich ssurk is combined ss ohschool. A successful school-to-work transitionss stem will use this initial transition period tohelp young people find and keep the kind of full-time job they want, V, oh a minimum of wastedtime. But it will also do mote than that. Asuccessful system w ill enable) oung people tomaster the process of learning while they work.In a fast-changing economy. this is fundamental.

Research on chool-to-Wark raffsition Prognmis in theI need Stan (NMS-77 ICA) %%as prepared Da\ idStern. Neal linkelstein. James R. Stone Ill. John Liming.and Carolyn Dornsile frinn the NCRVE site at theUnkersit of California at Berkeley. (For ()Metinginformation. see page 12.)

4 NCRVE Change Agent

DIVE RIGHT IN!Work-Based Learning

Vocational education and training mustprepare workers to function effectivelyin ... new environments; reciprocally.

. . . new work environments must draw on.reinforce, and encourage the furtherdes elopment of the skills. know ledge, andbehaviors addressed by education and trainingprograms.

This is one contention of a recent NCRVE publicationthat explores another area of school-to-work transitionwork-based learning. Learning the Ropes: The SocialConstruction of Work-Based Learning by Sylvia HartLandsherg, Jane Braunger, Stephen Reder, and Mary M.Cross argues the importance of work-based learning.raises some key issues in this area, and offers aframework for assessment, finally putting thatframework to the test with medical unit secretaries in alarge private hospitalan occupational group and worksetting "characterized by considerable learning theropes."

The significance of and need for work-based learning,Learning the Ropes contends, can he understood in bothpractical and theoretical terms. Practically speaking,much of the short-term future workforce is already onthe job; demographic projections about the futureworkforce indicate a substantial need for workertraining and education in the short-term future; andaccording to projections. increasing percentages of

Learning the Ropes is asinteresting for its activitytheory framework as it is

for its conclusions

entering workers will lack the basic know ledge andskills that high-wage jobs require. "Ultimately, ifworkers and companies are to remain competitive....significant investments in work-based education and[raining will likely he required... On the theoretical side,successful efforts to coordinate educational andworkplace restructuring will likely require innovatk e

Volume 4, Number 3

and far-ranging but specific theories about therelationships between education, training, and work andabout the processes that occur with each.

With the importance of work-based learning established,Learning the Ropes briefly outlines four key issues inthe area of work-based learning:

I. distinguishing learning from doing in workplacesettings

specifying de' elopmental relationships betweeneffective and cognitive components of work-basedlearning

3. identifying the social organization of expertise inworkplaces

4. understanding the relationship between individuallearning and organizational development

In the ethnographic research done for the Learning theRopes, each of these issues is addressed in detail.

The framework employed by the Learning the Ropesresearchers is based in "activity theory," which takeshuman activity as the "basic unit of analysis" in effortsto understand behavior and the mind. In activity theoryapproaches, an activity systemwhich is constituted bya subject (or practitioner), an object (motive), mediatingartifacts (tool, signs, and symbols), rules, a community,and a division of laboris analyzed on both individualand community levels. Learning the Ropes is asinteresting for this framework as it is for its conclusions.

The oft-used informal term "learning the ropes"suggests one of many important types of workplacelearning processes. Learning the ropes is unique as aworkplace learning process in that it is accomplished ina largely "unsupported" manner, "without benefit ofeither the master-learner format of apprenticeshiplearning or the guided practice characteristic of on thejob training." Individuals learn the ropes by "figuringout how things work in an organization, learning towhom one goes for help in dealing with various kinds ofproblems learning how lo collaborate (in an'organizational culture, and so forth. This, then, is theparadigm by which the work-based learning of a groupof no ice and experienced medical unit secretaries was

di

studiedthrough observation, interviews, anddocument collection.

The conclusions of Learning the Ropes fall into threecategories: (1) the connections between learning anddoing, (2) the role of the activity system in the learningprocess, and (3) the impact on the learner and theactivity system of unsupported learning experiences.These findings indicate that learning the ropes, muchmore than an accretion of skills or proceduralknowledge, is a matter f coming to understand thework and its context as a ... developing system."

1. Learning and doing

Learning the job is a major part of the job

Learning and doing are concurrent: anantecedent/consequent model of training andwork is not applicable to the hospital unitsstudied

Learnimg the ropes entails developing fourcapabilities that underlie the required skills forunit secretaries (organizing the workload,relating to people, learning the organization ofthe Unit and hospital, and developing a conceptof self in relation to work and the organization)

2. Reflection -in- action in the activit\ stein

A large part of learning the ropes is learning theactivity system

Learning in the acti it\ system occurs througha process of reflection -in- action that is largelyself-initiated

The nature and structureof the knowledge that

accrues with experiencerequires clarification

A unit secretary who is learning the ropesparticipates in the ongoing interpretation andnegotiation of the acti s\ stem

o Learning a.-)1 ou. each component of the actin it\system is a driving force in the activity s stein

6

3. Supported and unsupported learning in the activitysystem

Learners see themselves as constantly engagedin learning, but as seldom being taught;however, in this community, each individual isa teacher and each is a learner

Unsupported learning is the norm here, eventhough there is much assisted performance

Keeping in mind the conclusion of Learning theRopesthat learning the ropes is a process of coming tounderstand the "big picture" of a workplace sy stemrather than simply "the accretion of skills or proceduralknowledge---school-to-workplace training can extendthe learning that aheady takes place by

recognizing the essential role of assisted learning

creating conditions to foster assisted learning

designing and implementing innovations thatstructure learning in the workplace

designing and implementing innovations thatstructure occupational learning in schools

Like the conclusions that lead to them. theseimplications are discussed in detail in the report.

The authors of Learning the Rt,pey situate their work asthe first of what will neeessaril he many investigationsof learning the ropes as a t pe of work-based learning.Study ing "both the nature and the content of 'the ropes'that experienced workers have learned as well as ameans through w Inch new workers learn those 'ropes'over time" is required. The nature and structure of theknowledge that accrues with experience \.\ ill requireclarification. Ultimately, the manner in whichworkers acquire "ropes" know ledge and the manner inwhich literacy. communication, and job-related skillsimpact that acquisition o\ er time will requirelongitudinal study.

Learning the Rope: The 1n, oil ("'0 fi (I( holt of 11(okBawd 1.cormitg (111)x- -1 I lc:\ i ,is prepare(' 1. to

I lart-l.andsl)erg..lane liraunger. and Stephen Itedei of theNortheq Rccional 1.(hreitlion 1.aliolitiot and \l,u\ NI.0.0., Irons the NCIZVI. silo .at the \ .11 nt

C'alilornia at letkele (Fur orderinp. int ormation..eepape I 2.1

NCRVE Change Agent

SPECIAL POPULATIONS AND MOREConnecting Activities

There are a number of issues and concerns not directly,or exclusively related to school-to-work initiatives thatare nonetheless important to the success of school-to-work programs. Decisionmakers and practitioners willfind NC'RVE publications concerning such issues usefuland even necessary as the work to develop a successfulnational school-to-work system and implement it at thelocal and state le\ el. Three of these publicationsGender Equity:A Re\ourre List (!l. Organizations and

Ormation Centers and the two volumes of ExemplaryPrograms Seritti; Spec Populations--address tw 0such issues.

(lender Equity, compiled by the NCRVE Office ofSpecial Populations (OSP) at the University of Illinois.is one in a series of ongoing efforts of this officedesigned to contribute to four of the OSP's objectives:

. To increase awareness and understanding of criticalissues in vocational special needs education

2. To increase the the of a\ ailahle resources

3. To initiate support networks of professionals

4. To promote exemplary program actin it and theadoption ()I' model practices

In their introduction. Gender Equity's compilers outlinethe significance of gender issues in vocationaleducation:

Gender equity remains a challenge to educators.employ ern. administrators. and sere ice prosas they respond to the growing die ("Nit) intoday's workforce, changes in society, andeconomic demands. It means the existence ofconditions that give girls and boys. women andmen the same opportunities and choices toadvance themselves in education, training andcareers .. based on their abilities and talentsand not on gender role stereoh pes andexpectation,

By the turn of Ilk Ce1111.11. women ate expectedtp account for nearly hall of the labor torce. Thego\ eminent is inov mg to meet the glow ingneeds of this population h) enacting the call I).Pei kilts Vocational ;Ind Applied ethnology

Education Act of 1990 and introducing theGender Education Equity Act (H.R. 1793) of1993 in Congress. The 1990 Perkins Actcontains provisions designed to increase theeducation and career opportunities of girls andwomen in vocational education. H.R. 1793addresses the issues of gender bias and inequity

ithin the educational system that negativelyaffects girls and women. It contains nine bills,including the Women's Education Equity Act(WEEA). In addition to such positive legislativeinitiatives, a number of organizations.institutions, educational information/researchcenters, and special interest groups have beenstrong advocates for the rights of girls andwomen.

While intended to he selective rather thancomprehensive. di.: guide itself contains descriptionsand contact information for over 160 organizations.educational information centers, and human resourcesfocusing on gender equity.

Each of the two volumes of Lsemplary ProgramsServing Speciol Populations (Volume I by Zipura T.Burac and Volume 2 by Zipura T. Burac and RobertYanello, both from OSP at the University of Illinois)highlights five exceptional programs serving individualsfrom special populations selected by OSP in 1990 and1991. OSP searches for and provides information aboutexemplary programs as part of its mission of improving

ocational programs.

Designed for administrators. state personnel, programcoordinators, practitioners, and researchers, the two\ (flumes were developed to

disseminate information about exemplary programs

pros ide models that can he adapted by thoseinterested in developing programs

pros ide specific examples of innovative practicesand strategies that other programs can emulate

In addition to the information about the programsthemselves, /..:10/tplary Program.% also provides

Volume 4, Number 3 7

33

background on the search for the programs, including adiscussion of the framework by which the programswere identified.

Gender Equity and the Exemplary Programs volumesare just three examples of the many NCRVEpublications that are contributing and will continue tocontribute to the development of school-to-workprograms in the United States. Below is a categorizedlist of all publications listed in the "Special Populations"division of the "Connecting Activities" section ofNCRVE's "School-to-Work" minicatalog. They are allavailable from the NCRVE Materials DistributionService (for contact information, see page 12).

Special PopulationsGeneral

increasing Voc-uicmcd Options /or Students withLearning Handicaps: A Practical Guide

Resources To Facilitate the Transition of Learners withSpecial Needs from School-to-Work orPostsecondary Education

Selected Resources To Facilitate the Transition ofLearners with Special Needs from School-to-Workor Postsecondary Education, Vol. 2

Special PopulationsCorrections

Bright Hopes, Dim Realities: Vocational innovation inAmerican Correctional Education

Special PopulationsRural/1'0)1m

Selected Vocational Preparation Resources for ServingRural Youth and Adults with Special Needs

Selected Vocational Preparation Resources for ServingUrban Youth and Adults with Special Needs

Special PopulationsExemplary Practice

Effective Vocational Education for Students. withSpecial Needs: A Framework

Special PopulationsLEP

Collaboration for instruction of LEP Students inVocational Education

Preparing Adult Immigrants for Work: The EducationalResponse in Two Communities

Special PopulationsTeen Parents

Access to and Use of Vocational Education in TeenParent Programs

Gender Equity: A Resource List of Organizations andInliwtmaion Centers (MDS-744CA) was compiled b theOffice of Special Populations at the NCRVE site at theUniversity of Illinois. Exemplary Programs ServingSpecial Populations. Volume 1 (MDS-303CA) wasprepared by Zipura T. Burac and Exemplary ProgramsServing Special Populations, Volume 2 (seIDS-124CA)was prepared by Zipura T. Burac and Robert Yanello,both from the Technical Assistance for SpecialPopulations Program (TASPP) at the NCRVE site at theUniversity of Illinois. (For ordering information, see page12.)

REVISING EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTAccountability & Assessment

Like any successful educational initiative or set ofinitiatives, the school-to-work initiative will requiteeffective (and perhaps unique) methods of assessmentand systems of accountability. Like the manyconnecting activities alluded to above, issues ofaccountability and assessment are not unique to school-to-work initiatives, but such issues must necessarily bediscussed within the context of school to- v.ark.

Tsso items about accountability and assessmentavailable from NCRVE are reviewed here- the first is amonograph, the second it videotape.

8

In Assessment in Education: A Search for Clarity in theGrowing Debate, author John Luting attempts to clarifyrecent developments in educational assessment. Asanyone involved with or following educational reformknows. summarizing the developments in any area ofeducation over the course of the last decade is no simpletaskno less so in an area as control ersial aseducational assessment. For educators anddecisionmakers. A.sres.sment in Education 'Ner% es as aconcise and xaluable guide to the more significantdevelopments in assessment over the last decade.Whether they he reforms inspired b the need to

NCRVE Change Agent

develop new forms of vocational education in responseto changing economic and demographic conditions,reforms mandated by legislation such as the 1990Amendments to the Carl D. Perkins VocationalEducation Act, or reforms driven by the persistentcriticisms of American education in general,developments in educational assessment during the lastten or so years have fortunately been numerous anddiverse -so numerous and diverse, in fact, as to beoverwhelming to those making decisions aboutassessment for their classrooms or their schools.

Assessment in Education is not so much about thespecific assessment reform initiatives that havedeveloped over the last decade as it is about the

Interest is growing inalternatives to pencil-and-paper tests that assess notjust what students know,but how they can apply

that know ledge.

foundations upon w hich the philosophies of assessmentare formed. Throughout his monograph. Luting refersto and speaks in terms of three "camps- of educationalassessment: The first, the psychometric tradition,"treattsl the measurement of both aptitude andachie\ement as an exact science'' and "assign1s1quantities to a w hole range of mental properties.- Thesecond and third, ped-Ormance assessment andalternative assessment, are both reactions against thepsychometric tradition, the forms of which (mostnotahl, multiple choice tests) are criticized for, amongother things. their cultural bias, their inability to test forwhat interests educators, and their "deleterious'' effectson instruction and learning. The second camp,perfin-mance vses mem. emphasizes "the supposedfailure of tests to measure accurately the kind ofknowledge that is of most use to society": the third,alternative a% 11'11111CW. emphasizes the instructional andlearning effects of testing.

Alter defining these camps and before discussing thearious lot ins of assessment ens isioned 1)\ each,A ssessuicw iii t.ducntion presents the characteristics ofassessment in general. tatting begins with the uses of

educational assessment: classroom instructionalguidance; system monitoring; and selection, placement.and certification of studentsclarifying and givingexamples of each. Next, the author defines and describeswhat he calls the organizational, physical, and technicalfeatures of educational assessment. Any assessment,Luting contends, is a construction of several formalfeatures or variables that define the nature of thatparticular :tssessment. Finally in discussing thecharacterist!cs of assessment, Assessment in Educationbroaches the notions of reliabilitythe consistency oftest scoresand validitythe extent to whichinferences based on a test score are appropriate.

The bulk of Assessment in Education is devoted todetailed discussions and evaluations of' the threedistinct, though not mutually exclusive assessmentcamps. Most of the discussion and evaluation takes theform of summaries of the literature concerningassessment. Each of the camps is taken up in order, withthe discussions of performance assessment andalternative assessment following the discussion of thepsychometric tradition and presented as much inreaction to the tradition as camps in their own right. Inan effort at objectivity, however, Liming includes asection entitled "A Response from the PsychometricTradition'' to round out the discussions in the se:tion.

The value of Assessment in Education as a guide tothose interested in understanding assessment is qualifiedby one inherent though expressed limitation. Thatlimitation, however, points hack to the value of theguide, according to W. Norton Grubb, NCRVE SiteDirector at the University of California at Berkeley andauthor of Assessment in Education's preface:

Unfortunately -as is often the case in periods ofreformthere are not yet clear results. The newassessments described in this monograph are forthe most part far from completion. None ofthem is going to he able to serve all the purposesthat tests now serve. This makes it all the moreimportant, however, for educators to understandthe nature of current developments so that theycan distinguish those approaches to assessmentthat are likely to he useful for their specificpurposes from others that are unlikely to he ofmuch help.

Assessment in Education should he of help to educatorsin this respect.

Volume 4, Number 3 9

The hour-long videotape Assessment 2000: ,-1,1Exhibition is the product of a 1993 interactive videoteleconference about three forms of student assessmentused as alternatives to traditional pencil-and-papertesting: the student project, the performance event, andportfolios. Teleconference host and NCRVE researcherE. Gareth Hoachlander discusses these assessmentalternatives with a guest panel that includes a studentand representatives of education; business; and staff ofFar West Laboratory, co-producers of the videotapes.

Innovators are constantlyunder pressure to justify

the success of theirreforms, to show

improa ed outconlesq andto prove to legislators thattheir funds are well spent

The guests were assembled for the teleconference todescribe the three assessment techniques and to sharetheir experiences in using the techniques. In addition,throughout the course of the program. Hoachlander andhis guests field questions 11;im teleconferenceparticipants calling in from various remote sites.

Production of the teleconference, according tolloachlander, was inspired by growing interest inalternatives to pencil-and-paper tests that assess not justwhat students know, but how they can apply thatknowledge.

The student project technique is covered first. While therequirements for such projects vary, they generallyinclude the follow Mg components:

a research paper

a tangible product

an oral exhibition

Student projects also hose lour key Jeanne..

They are appropriate for all students

10

o They involve w riting, doing. and speaking

They require extended commitment on the part ofstudents

They foster student-teacher interaction

In addition to several other issues. the ways in whichstudent projects improve assessment and caveats of thetechnique are highlighted.

The performance event requires students to apply theirknowledge and skills in work-related situations. eitherreal or simulated. In performance events. students arerequired to

diagnose problems

identify alternative solutions

',ake appropriate actions

successfully complete tasks

Discussion during the teleconference focuses on thenature and advantages of the performance eventtechnique and on important considerations ofperformance event planning.

The last of the three techniques covered, the portfolio, isthe most commonly implemented of the three andtherefore is very likely familiar to those viewing theteleconference. Because the use of portfolios asassessment tools is fairly common, the components andfeatures of implementation s ary widely. As with theother two methods, however, the advantages and otherimportant considerations of the method arc discussed.

Asse.ssment 2000 set ves as a good introduction to thethree assessment techniques. In addition to providingbasic information about the nature of each technique andthe important considerations that go into implementingthem. the teleco:iference attempts to frame thetechniques within the scope of more traditional testingmethods.

A \Mie! ill IthiCat1011: .1 Solid, for Clain\ iii the(;rou Oebute (NMS-254(' \ +a. Piet heel h John1 ailing from the !NCRVE site at the Unker.it o1Caltfornia at Berkeley and .1 wt vnent 20(k): AnExhibition IMl)S-7W -C.Ai a. produced hs NCR VI'. and

We.t1.,thorattir) il.ot ()Meting inhirmatIon, srr page 12 )

NCRVE Change Agent

Coming in December's Change Agent . .

Leadership &

Professional Development

o Breakers: An Organizational Simulationfor Vocational Education Professionals

Case Studies in Vocational Education Administration:Leadership in Action

Vocational Education Leadership Development Resources:Selection and Application

Preparing Leaders for the Future: A Development Programfor Underrepresented Groups in Vocational Education

o Leadership Effectiveness Index Manual ec'

Leadership Attributes Inventory Manual

te,Gr

A1/4.

etCs-Gro

acAe

,e` coo

43----"-Change Agent ( (5

Fu vizi: OF VocATioNm. IoN

bA0

e

Volume 4, Number 3

Qc

.... .k. ,.Nee o

.." cP cf,,,-'

4,

.....,...,

c_,,,/

3 7 11

BEST COPY AULABLE

ORDERING INFORIMATIO

Assessment 2000: An ExhibitionMDS-766CA NCRVE $15.00

Far West Laboratory

Assessment in Education: A Search forClarity in the Growing DebateMDS-254CA J. Latting $2.75

Exemplary Programs Serving SpecialPopulations, Volume IMDS-303CA Z. T. Burac $3.50

Exemplary Programs Serving SpecialPopulations, Volume 2MDS-424CA Z. T. Burac $2.75

R. Yanello

Gender Equity: A Resource List ofOrganizations and Information CentersMDS-744CA Office of Special $1.50

Populations

Learning the Ropes: The SocialConstruction of Work-Based LearningMDS-413CA S. Hart-Landsberg $6.00

J. BraungerS. Roder

BEST COPY AVAILABLE12 NCRVE Change Agent

Research on School-to-Work TransitionPrograms in the United StatesMDS-771CA D. Stern

N. FinkelsteinJ. R. Stone III

J. LattingC. Dornsife

$11.50

ALSO AVAILABLE

NCRVE Products Catalog FREE

NCRVE School-to-Work Catalog FREE

To order items reviewed in Change Agent, pleasesend a check or purchase order to

NCRVE Materials Distribution ServiceWestern Illinois University

Horrabin Hall 46900 W. Adams Street

Macomb, IL 61455-1396

Or

Phone: (800) 637-7652Fax: (309) 298-2869

E-mail: msmds@bgu.edu

A 1 a

National Center for Research in Vocational Education December 1994

ABOUT NCRVE

The National Center for Research in VocationalEducation (NCRVE) is established under authorizationof the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act toengage in two vocational education-related activities:(1) applied research and development and (2)dissemination and training. Our mission is to addre..sthe goals of preparing individuals for substantial andrewarding employment and of acting as a catalyst for ashift to an economy dominated by a skilled and flexibleworkforce.

NCRVE is a consortium of educational institutions ledby the University of California at Berkeley's GraduateSchool of Education. This consortium also consists ofthe Teachers College at Columbia University, theUniversity of Illinois, the University of Minnesota, RAND,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, andthe University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In addition to its research and development agenda,NCRVE supports five dissemination and trainingprograms: (1) dissemination; (2) professionaldevelopment; (3) special populations; (4) planning,evaluation, and accountability; and (5) programdevelopment, curriculum, and instructional materials.This publication is part of our commitment to those onthe front lines of vocational education, striving to createa new vision.

NCRVE Administrative Staff

Phyllis Hudecki Acting Director

Olivia Moore Deputy Director

Change Agent is published four times yearly at asubscription rate of $25. Editorial and publishing servicesare provided by the NCRVE Materials DistributionService. For subscriptions and address changes, contactthe Materials Distribution Service (see page 12). In linewith our goals, Change Agent is free of any copyrightrestrictions and may be copied or quoted freely.

We welcome your suggestions, criticisms, andquestions. Contact Peter Seidman, DisseminationProgram Director, NCRVE, University of California atBerkeley, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 1250, Berkeley,CA 94704. Phone: (800) 762-4093 or (510) 642-4004;e-mail: seidman@ uclink.berkeley.edu; fax: (510) 642-2124.

Contents

THE RIGHT INSTRUMENTMeasuring Leadership Development 2

ADMINISTRATIVE BREAKWATERA Professional Dew Iopment Simulation 4

IN CASES . . . .

Case Studies for Leadership Development .. 5

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO LEADA Leadersh!p Development Curriculum 6

A SOURCE OF RESOURCESSelecting & Applying Resources forLeadership Development 9

ORDERING INFORMATION 12

3 a BEST COPY AVAILABLE

THE RIGHT INSTRUMENTMeasuring Leadership Development

r 7Iwo recently revised instruments, developed at theI..NCRVE site at the University of Minnesota,provide users with tools for assessing the

leadership performance of individuals in vocationaleducation. As their titles indicate, the guides for the twoinstrumentsLeader Effectiveness Index Manual andLeader Attributes Inventory Manual, both by JeromeMoss, Jr., Judith J. Lambrecht, and Qetler Jensrud fromthe University of Minnesota site and Curtis R. Finchfrom the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and StateUniversity siteoutline the development and use of theinstruments.

"Education is a latecomer to the study of leadership andalmost no research has been done in vocationaleducation," according to the Leader Attributes Inventory(LAI) Manual. As yet, "there is no consensus on aspecific definition of leadership, an explanatory modelof leadership behaviors, or the most useful means formeasuring the effectiveness of leaders. There is,however, substantial agreement that leadership behaviorcan be measured and shown to be related t-) effectiveperformance and that educational interventions caneffect the behavior of leaders." Both the LAI and theLeader Effectiveness Index (LEI) are efforts ,n thedirection of that agreement.

NCRVE's role in leadership development is not simplymandated by legislation (Perkins legislation,specifically). Because NCRVE exists as a nationalleader in vocational education, its role is the naturaloutgrowth of a nationwide demand for effectiveleadership development. The need for strong leader:;(and consequently, for effective leadershipdevelopment) is also an inherent result of unstablesituations like that in which vocational education findsitselfunstable because of the changes that are rapidlyand significantly impacting education and the social andeconomic environment in which it exists. NCRVE'sgoal in the area of leadership development is to fosterthe number and quality of leaders prepared to meetpresent and future challenges of vocational education.

Tile LAI yields a diagnostic assessment by multipleobservers (including the individual being assessed) of37 attributescharacteristics, knowledge, skills, andvaluesthat predispose individuals to desirableleadership performance in vocational education. Themanual for the inventory gives the rationale for the LAI,describes the developmental and psychometric

2

characteristics assessed by the inventory, and explainsthe inventory's use. The manual is designee especiallyfor potential users of the inventory but would also be ofinterest to those who study leadership and leadershipmeasurement.

Comprehensive assessment of an individual with theLAI involves a self- and observer ratings. For both typesof ratings, 37 items assess the 37 attributes with a 6-point response scale that describes the extent to whichthe person being rated possesses each attribute. Amongthe attributes are insightiulness, adaptability,accountability, dependability, communication, ability todelegate, and ability to manage information. Theindividualized feedback report produced from theinventory contains three charts, which (I) compare aratee's self-ratings with the average rating of his or herobservers, (2) compare the average rating of his or herobservers for each attribute with those of an appropriate

The LAI assessesattributes that predispose

individuals to desirableleadership performancein vocational education

norm group, and (3) predict the level of leadershipperformance expected of the participant in his or hernorm group.

Because the ideas of norms and standards are soimportant, "second in importance only to theidentification of relevant attributes and their consistentmeasurement," the authors of the LAI Manual go tolengths to describe the extensive process used toestablish the inventory's norms and standards. Inaddition, the development of the instrument as a wholeis explored along with its reliability and validity.

There are two major reasons For using the L41: ( 1 )

assessment of leader attributes at a point-in-time and (2)measurement of change in leader attributes for an

4NCRVE Change Agent

individual over time. Self-assessment is only the firststep in point-in-time leader assessment. Self-assessments focus an individual's attention on theattributes that predispose one to desirable leaderperformance and establish developmental goals bypinpointing the leader attributes to be strengthened.Subsequent assessments by three to five subordinates(preferably) or peers then highlight discrepancies inperception. Knowledge of such discrepancies help ratee.,understand frictions in interpersonal relationships andmotivate them to strengthen selected attributes, on theone hand, and help build self-confidence with improvedperformance, on the other.

Measuring change in leader attributes with the LAI isaccomplished with multiple self-assessments only: onebefore a leadership development program and twoafterone in which ratees rate themselves as they nowperceive themselves to have been before beginning aleadership program such as NCRVE's PreparingLeaders for the Future curriculum (see "For ThoseAbout to Lead" on pages 6-8) and one (taken a fewminutes after the first) in which ratees rate themselvesas they currently perceive their attributes.

In addition to a copy of the LAI rating-by-observer form,a sample of an individualized feedback report, and raw -to- normalized -score conversion tables, the LAI Manualincludes a copy of the Leader Effectiveness Index (LEI)and information about its development. The LEI isincluded because the authors contend that it "providesan important criterion measure used to estimate thevalidity of the LAI."

Explored in the Leader Effectiveness Index Manual, theLEI instrument itself is much shorter than the LAI. TheLEI consists of seven items that assess the extent towhich vocational education leaders facilitate groupprocesses al.d empower group members generally andthe extent to which they perform six broad tasks:

1. inspire a shared vision and establish standards thathelp the organization develop

2. foster unity, collaboration, and ownership as well asrecognize individual and team contributions

3. exercise power effectively

4. exert influence outside of the Organization in orderto set the right context for the organization

5. establish an environment conducive to learning

Volume 4, Number 4

6. satisfy the job-related needs of members of theorganization as individuals

As in the LAI, attributes in the LEI are rated for a..individual with a 6-point response scale, from "noteffective" to "extremely effective." However, while theLAI provides a diagnostic assessment of the attributesthat predispose an individual to desirable leaderperformance, the LEI measures the effectiveness of

Leadership behaviorcan be measured andshown to be related

to effective performance

leader performance. Also like the LAI, the LEI can beused either for point-in-time assessment or formeasuring changes in leader performance.

The LEI instrument can be completed in less than fiveminutes, and it is suggested, as with the LAI, that threeto five subordinates or peers who know the ratee well beused as observer-raters. Unlike the LAI, includinginformation about raters (e.g., gender, ethnic group,position) with the instrument is optional.

The LEI is supported by the same kind of research andrigorous development process that contributed to thedevelopment of the LAI. Information about the researchand development process are included in the manualwith special attention given to the process ofestablishing norms and standards for the index. A copyof the LEI instrument is appended with a sampleindividualized feedback report.

I.cader Attributes Inventory Manual (MDS-730CA) andLeader Effectiveness Index Manual (MDS-815CA) wereprepared by Jerome Moss, Jr., Judith J. Lamhrecht, andQetler Jensrud from the NCRVE site at the University ofMinnesota and Curtis R. Finch from the NCRVE site atVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. (Forordering information, sec page 12.)

41

ADMINISTRATIVE BREAKWATERA Professional Development Simulation

Curtis R. Finch's Breakers: An OrganizationalSimulation for Vocational EducationProfessionals is unique among NCRVE

publications. It contains all the materials users need toconduct an organizational simulation. In the simulation,participants play the roles of administrators (e.g., vicepresidents and deans) responsible for the operation ofBreakers Technical College, a postsecondary institutionserving 10,000 full- and part-time students.

The Breakers materials include everything short ofcommon office supplies required to conduct the nine- totwelve-hour simulation: guidelines for conducting thesimulation, Breakers Technical College orientationmaterials, and materials for each of the tenadministrative roles. Included in the guidelines arechecklists and forms intended to assist those directingthis highly interactive simulation, which allowsparticipants to apply leadership knowledge and skills invarious situations. Multiple simulations can be runsimultaneously with one simulation director and threedirector's assistants per simulation along with enoughindividuals to fill the ten administrative roles.

The simulation, which was by accounts well-received infield tests, builds on NCRVE leadership research;personal interviews with vocational administrators fromthirty-eight United States secondary and postsecondary

The Breakers simulationallows participants to

apply leadershipknowledge and skillsin various situations

institutions; and additional interviews with groups oftechnical college, community college, and technicalcenter administrators and instructors.

The "Conducting the Simulation" section of Breakersprovides a brief outline of the simulation's organizationand operation as well as checklists for before, during,and after the simulation; a list of materials; a guide for

the simulation debriefing; samples of documents foradministering the simulation; and information about theorigination, distribution, and focus of the simulation-driving coi:-soondence. The "Orientation Materials"section includes a sample simulation itinerary andinformation about Breakers Technical College.

The bulk of Breakers consists of correspondencecorrespondence from within and from outside thecollege to administrators within the college who are the

Well-received in field tests,Breakers builds on NCRVE

leadership research

key players in the simulation. In addition to copies ofthe correspondence that the respective administratorsthemselves have "sent" to others, administrators beginwith copies of correspondence "sent" by otheradministrators in the theoretical time before the actualevents of the simulations have taken place.

The situations that arise during the course of thesimulation and with which participants must deal relateto special events; report findings; enrollment, student,curriculum, personnel, facilities, and program concerns;and public relations matters. The situations areintroduced in the correspondence provided with thesimulation materials and are addressed by participantsduring the course of the simulation.

Potential users of the Breakers materials, especiallythose who plan on running concurrent simulations,should be aware that Breakerslike all NCRVEpublicationsis in the public domain and is thereforefree of copyright restrictions. Multiple copies of thematerials may be made at the users discretion as long asNCRVE is acknowledged as their source.

Breakers: An Organizational Simulation for VocationalEducation Professionals (MDS-278CA) was prepared byCurtis R. Finch from the NCRVE site at VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University. (For orderinginformation, see page 12.)

4 4 2 NCRVE Change Agent

IN CASESCase Studies for Leadership Development

The collection of case studies included in CaseStudies in Vocational Education Administration:Leadership in Action are intended to "fill a

void." According to the authors of the collectionCurtis R. Finch, Cecil E. Reneau, Susan Faulkner,James A. Gregson, Victor Hernandez-Gantes, and GayleA. Linkous, all of NCRVE's site at Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State Universitycase study textbooks foreducational professionals in general and for vocationaland technical education administrators in particular arerare. Yet, "Case studies have long been used by businessand industry to cultivate and nurture critical leadershipskills in key management personnel," according to theauthors. "Similarly, other professionsin both public

These case studies are anextension of NCRVE

leadership research andreflect the results of

extensive field testing

and private sectors of the workforcehave recognizedthe value of case studies and begun using them tofacilitate the transfer of conceptual knowledge andunderstanding to situational applications."

The lack of "illustrative and illuminating" case studiesfocusing on the issues currently confronting vocationaland technical education is the primary inspiration forCase Studies. "Such issues, indigenous to the vocationaleducation profession" the authors contend, "cannot headequately addressed by case studies written for othercareer groups."

The fifty-one case studies included in the collection aredrawn from and build upon the results of the NCRVEpublication entitled Leadership Behaviors of SuccessfulVocational Education Admini.vtrators (MDS-097CA,see page 12 for ordering information) and reflect thebroad scope and complexity of organizational dynamicsin vocational education. Collectively, the case studiesare an educational resource thoughtfully designed toassist aspiring and practicing vocational educationleaders "in achie ing their greatest potential." Not only

Volume 4, Number 44,3

are the case studies an extension of vocational educationleadership research, but they also reflect the results of anextensive, six-university review and field testingprocess.

The cases are organized into twelve functional groups,an arrangement that classifies the cases by commonthemes. While each case is assigned to only a singlegroup, a number of them can be applied in more thanone of the twelve areas. Below is a brief outline of thegroups:

Group I: Determining Institutional Direction, Goals,and Policies

Group 2: Participating in Accreditations andEvaluations

Group 3: Collaborating with Boards, Agencies, andOrganizations

Group 4: Implementing Mandated Changes andImprovements

Group 5: Implementing Self-Selected Changes andImprovements

Group 6: Linking with Business, Industry, and theCommunity

Group 7: Enhancing Institutional Visibility and Image

Group 8: Maintaining and Improving Fiscal Posture

Group 9: Securing and Improving Facilities andEquipment

Group 10: Handling Crises

Group I I : Resolving Staff and Student Problems

Group 12: Participating in Individual and GroupDiscussions

The first two cases in each group are complete stories,describing an event or situation as it evolves. Thus,users see how a situation developed and how it wasdealt with by an administrator. These cases more readilylend themselves to retrospective analyses. Theremaining cases in each grow are open-ended, bringing

5

readers to a point in a situation where they mustconsider what went wrong or what difficulty arose thendecide what to do next. "These cases," according to theauthors, "are most suitable for developing problem-solving and decision-making skills."

Each case study is two to four pages in length andincludes a set of discussion questions that promptparticipants to examine closely and think beyond thespecific circumstances of the cases as presented.

The cases may be used in a variety of learningenvironmentsfrom university classrooms toprofessional development workshops to institutional

meetings. The introductory material of Case Studiesprovides some additional information about the logisticsand pedagogical specifics of using the case studies formaximum effectiveness.

Case Studies in Vocational Education Administration:Leadership in Action (MDS-279CA) was prepared byCurtis R. Finch, Cecil E. Reneau. Susan Faulkner, JamesA. Gregson, Victor Hernandez-Gantes, and Gayle A.Linkous from the NCRVE site at Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University. (For ordering information.see page 12.)

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO LEADA Leadership Development CurriculumIIIIMM111.1011M,

rfhe focus of Preparing Leaders for the Future: ADevelopment Program for UnderrepresentedGroups in Vocational Education by Jerome

Moss, Jr., Sherry Schwartz, and Qetler Jensrud is toenhance, adapt, and cultivate leader attributes foreffective performance in vocational educationleadership roles. It is a response, as are the otherNCRVE products reviewed in this issue of ChangeAgent, to a consensus among vocational educators thatthere is currently a pressing need for more high qualityleaders and that the field has not, until recentiy, made anadequate effort to prepare them.

Recognizing the need for effective vocational educationleaders, the NCRVE seeks to stimulate, facilitate, andevaluate educational interventions that effect positivechange in selected leader attributes among potential and

The Preparing Leadersfor the Future programwill prepare participants

to seek out and takeadvantage of leadership

opportunities

6

practicing leaders. The purpose of the PreparingLeaders for the Future program is to provide leadershipdevelopment experiences specifically for women andother underrepresented groups in vocational educationand to increase the likelihood that individuals in suchgroups will perceive opportunities to assume leadershiproles, grasp those opportunities, and succeed as leadersin a wide range of situations and professional positions.

Given the strong relationship between the leaderattributes assessed in NCRVE's Leader AttributesInventory (see "The Right Instrument" on pages 9-10)and desirable performance as a leader and given the factthat many attributes can be significantly improvedthrough formal instruction, the enhancement, adaptation,and cultivation of the leader attributes has been adoptedas the instructional task and primary content base of thePreparing Leaders for the Future program, which is infact a leadership development curriculum. Because mostunderrepresented groups have had limited opportunitiesto gain experience in leadership roles, the curriculum'sdesigners decided that the curriculum should providelearning experiences in a wide range of leader attributes.Opportunities are provided for individuals to attaindepth in those attributes they select, rather thanexperiences in a few predetermined attributes.

Prior NCRVE research on leadership programs forgraduate students has shown that there is a high positivecorrelation between hours of directly supervisedinstruction and the number of leader attributes improvedand that 90 hours of classroom instruction (the length of

4NCRVE Change Agent

the Preparing Leader for the Future curriculum) plusoutside assignments is adequate to significantly affect ameaningful number of leader attributes and skills.However, the designers contend, even with 90 hours ofclass instruction, it is not reasonable fur a program suchas Preparing Leaders for the Future to attempt toimprove all leader attributes of all participants. The

There is a high positivecorrelation between hours

of directly supervisedinstruction and thenumber of leader

attributes improved

designers of the curriculum, therefore, found itnecessary to identify the particular attributes whoseimprovement would constitute the specific instructionalobjectives of the program.

Two sets of attributes were chosen. One set consists offourteen attributes that best explain the variance inleader performance and/or that were consistentlyconsidered by former participants of leadershipprograms to have been most useful to them in theirleadership activities. Included among the fourteenattributes are insightfulness, ability to motivate others,ability to make decisions, and ethicality.

As for the second set. although all successful leadersshould demonstrate common attributes, individualdifferences tend to create particular strengths as well asdevelopmental needs. Eleven attributes, the furtherdevelopment of which is likely to be helpful to mostunderrepresented groups, were identified using aliterature review and the advice of individuals fromunderrepresented groups who have had experienceconducting leadership development programs. Thoseattributes include tolerance of ambiguity andcomplexity, ability to manage conflict, tolerance offrustration, and ability to use appropriate leadershipstyles. These attributes, incidentally, also form thefoundation for the objectives of the program.

The Preparing Leaders fur the Future program isdivided into three major sections: (I) "Introduction tothe Leadership Development Program," (2) Planning

for Leadership Development," and (3) "DevelopingLeader Attributes." The "Introduction" section containsan orientation to the program and its processes, a view(from various perspectives) of vocational educationsystem realities, and an introduction to group processskills used throughout the program. The "Planning forLeadership Development" section of the programincludes an assessment phase (of life roles, personalitytype, and leader attributes) and a goal- and strategy-development phase (using mentors and formulating anindividualized leadership development plan).

The first two sections set the stage for moving into thethird and largest section of the curriculum, "DevelopingLeader Attributes." In developing the learningexperiences of the program for the attributes selected,the program designers report, it became evident that athree-category scheme of leader attributes madepedagogical sense. Obvious interrelationships andmutual reinforcement among the attributes within eachcategory were apparent. The major program section of"Developing Leader Attributes" is, therefore, organizedinto three phases: (1) personal characteristics, (2)interpersonal skills and characteristics, and (3)management knowledge and skills.

The Preparing Leaders for the Future program isintended to be customized for specific contexts andconstituents. The various potential uses for it, according

The Preparing Leadersfor the Future program

will begin to provideparticipants with the

knowledge and leadershipskills necessary for

effective performance

to its designers, imply the need for a flexible programstructure in which each learning experience is focusedon only one or two attributes and is relativelyindependent from other learning experiences. At thesame time, the designers recognize that the mosteffective instruction (pedagogically speaking) isprobably achieved when learning experiences take

Volume 4, Number 4 7

4J

advantage of the inherent interrelationships amongattributes and the opportunities they may present formutual reinforcement. According to the designers.therefore,

The structure of the program tries to strike areasonable balance betwe(.n these alternatives.Each learning experience ibcuses on specificattributes so that it is possible to select particularlearning experiences to achieve targetedoutcomes. At the same tine, learningexperiences also try to make interrelationshipsamong attributes evident where they exist, andassignments often try to provide practice onmore than one attribute.

The nature of the program's content, with its intent tochange personal characteristics and interpersonal skills,lends itself to the use of group-instruction techniques tocreate and take advantage of supportive groups ofparticipants. Consequently, learning experiences arestructured by the program designers for deliveringcommon content to a group of participants. In order toprovide for the unique needs of individualparticipantsmade evident in the assessment andplanning phases of the programparticipants have beenallowed to individualize assignments, and they areexpected to undertake special long-term projects.

The structure of each learning experience in PreparingLeaders for the Future ensures that instruction focuseson changing performance. The program was designedwith an eye to the practical matters of deliveringcurriculum. It is this specificity and practicality thatmake this two-volume program so valuableand, to acertain extent, unique. Participants do not simply learn

NCRVE seeksto stimulate, facilitate,

and evaluate educationalinterventions that effect

e change in selectedleader attributes

about attributes: they are required to demonstraterespective behaviors. The definitions of the attributes

8

are presented in behavioral terms and serve as theobjectives of the various learning experiences. Eachbehavioral objective is then analyzed as a means foridentifying the content to be taught. A lesson deliveryplan is then created from the analysis to guide theinstructor and maintain participants' focus on therespective objectives of instruction. Each lessondelivery plan then follows a set of common steps:content, method, and media are recommended for each

There is currently apressing need for more

high-quality leaders

step; for practice, assignments (some, long-termassignments) are provided that allow participants todemonstrate desired leadership behaviors. The materialsfor each learning experience also provide an estimate ofthe in-class and out-of-class time required to completethe experience, a list of necessary and optionalinstructional materials, and a list of optional activities.

In contrastand in responseto these views, thePreparing Leaders for the Future program utilizes theassets of underrepresented groups in vocationaleducation leadership roles to create positive change:

It is not proposed that this program willeliminate the special challenges thatunderrepresented groups may encounter inattaining leadership positions due todiscriminating practices and attitudes. It will.hov.ever. prepare participants to seek out andtake advantage of leadership opportunities andwill begin to provide participants with theknowledge and leadership skills necessary foreffective performance.

Preparing Leaders for the Future: A DevelopmentProgram for Underrepresented Groups in 1.rocationalEducation (MDS-736CA) was prepared by Jerome Moss.Jr.. Sherry Schwartz. and Qctler Jensrud from theNCRVE site at the University of Minnesota. (Forordering information. see page I 2.)

4oNCRVE Change Agent

A SOURCE OF RESOURCESSelecting & Applying Resources for Leadership Development111111111111111INIMMIIIMIIIIMMINI.

1ncluded among the myriad other urgencies thatsprouted from educational reform efforts of the lastdecade or so is the urgency to improve the

preparation of educational leaders. VocationalEducation Leadership Development Resources:Selection and Application by Curti:; R. Finch. James A.Gregson, and Cecil E. Reneauciting reports such asthe National Commission on Excellence in Education'sLeaders jiff America's Schools, which calls for a

Vocational EducationLeadership Development

Resources providesdetailed information

about leadershipdevelopment resources to

those responsible fordeveloping vocational

education leaders

redefinition of educational leadership; the AmericanAssociation of Colleges for Teacher Education's SchoolLeadership Preparation, which presents a series ofrecommendations for reconceptualizing administratorpreparation programs; and the National Policy Board forEducational Administration's Improving thePreparation of School Administratorsresponds to theurgency by gibing detailed information about leadershipdevelopment resources to those responsible fordeveloping vocational education leaders.

Such resources, necessarily designed to facilitate thedevelopment of leader ;Attributes, "can often spell thedifference between a substandard and a successfulprogram," contends this NCRVE guide. As leadershipprograms are established of modified to meet thechallenges posed by changes in education and as seriousconsideration is given to the organization, content, anddelivery of these programs, attention must eventuallyand inevitably he paid to the selection and use of

Volume 4, Number 4

leadership development resources. When the attentionof those responsible for developing vocational educationleaders does focus on this important and ongoing aspectof leadership development, metaresources likeVocational Education Leadership DevelopmentResources serve useful and practical roles.

Vocational Education Leadership DevelopmentResources begins by developing a context for leadershipdevelopment resources. It outlines a variety of"arrangements"graduate degree programs; leadershipacademies; institution, organization, and agencyprograms; certification arrangements; leadershipseminars: fellowships; and assessment centersandaddresses briefly the concerns faced by leadershipdevelopment programs. Then, after establishing afoundation with respect to where resources like thoselisted in the guide might be used in the vocationaleducation leadership development process, the guidediscusses how the quality resources necessary can beselected.

The foundation that the authors establish for theircollection is rooted in a framework that emphasizes therole of teamwork and is driven by a five-questionplanning paradigm of the leadership developmentprocess. This framework links leadership development

ood resources often spellthe difference between a

substandard and asuccessful program

with the resources that the development process utilizes,a process that is characterized by four phases:

1. The foundation phase, which emphasizesdevelopment of knowledge

2. The bridging phase, which "bridges" the gapbetween foundational studies and field experience

3. The practicurn phase, characterized by structuredand monitored experiences in actual educationalsettings

4 7

4. The practice phase, in which individuals "learn onthe job"

Each phase is typically associated with a specific set ofresource types. These types are defined in VocationalEducation Leadership Development Resources andaddressed in terms of how they can be located:

textbooks

handbooks

lectures and discussions

self-assessments

simulations

case studies

games

shadowing

interning

externing

mentoring

induction

One of the two strengths of this publication are itsvaluable appendices, which include an annotatedbibliography of leadership development resources andservices, list of leadership development providers, andcollection of leadership resources profiles.

The other strength of the guide is the "AssessmentForm," developed by the authors with the assistance of anational panel of leadership development experts touniformly assess leadership development resources ofvarying formats, emphases, and pedagogies.Specifically, the form is designed to assess thefollowing with respect to a resource:

organizational structure

potential audience

leader attributes addressed

instructional settings in which it can he used

instructional techniques employed

media requirements

phases of leadership development addressed

its research base

specific applicability to vocational educationleadership development

perceived cost-effectiveness

strengths and limitations

For those in the process of developing or improving avocational education leadership development program,

In the selection and useof leadership

development resources,metaresources like this

o e serve useful andpractical roles

the form itselflet alone its supporting materialisworth the publication's cost-recovery price. VocationalEducation Leadership Development Resources defiesunstructured, unarticulated, hit-and-miss resourceselection.

Vocational Education Leadership DevelopmentResources: Selection and Application (MDS-188CA) wasprepared by Curtis R. Finch, James A. Gregson, andCecil E. Reneau from the NCRVE site at VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University. (For orderinginformation, see page 12.)

4 310 NCRVE Change Agent

geoNos'\'6*Change Agent '95

Don't Miss a Single Issue!The 1995 volume of Change Agent will highlight research in some ofvocational education's hottest issuesSchool-to-Work, All Aspects of theIndustry, and much, much more.

And, as always, each issue of Change Agent . . .

Saves you time by extracting, evaluating, and formatting information forquick review

Includes key findings for frontline practitioners and policymakers,---' Keeps you current with successful practices nationwideids authoritativeNCRVE research is supported by the Office of

Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education

Change AgentSHAPING THE FUTURE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Yes! Please send me the 4 issues of Change Agent '95. I understand that at the low subscriptionrate, NCRVE cannot afford to bill me. . . . Enclosed is my check for $25, made payable to NCRVEMaterials Distribution Service.

Send my issues of Change Agent to

Name _ _______ __________ Title

Address

City / State / Zip

Telephone _

Questions about orders should be directed toDiana Burnell at (800) 637-7652.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

43Please send check and order form

to the address on the reverse.

ORDERING INFORMATION

Breakers: An Organizational Simulation forVocational Education ProfessionalsMDS-278CA C. R. Finch $25.50

Case Studies in Vocational EducationAdministration: Leadership in ActionMDS-279CA C. R. Finch $8.00

J. A. GregsonS. L. FaulknerJ. A. Gregson

V. Hernandez-GantesG. A. Linkous

Leader Attributes Inventory ManualMDS-730CA J. Moss, Jr. $8.50

J. J. LambrechtQ. JensrudC. R. Finch

Leader Effectiveness Index ManualMDS-815CA J. Moss, Jr. $4.50

J. J. LambrechtQ. JensrudC. R. Finch

Leadership Behaviors of SuccessfulVocational Education AdministratorsMDS-097CA C. R. Finch $8.00

J. A. GregsonS. L. Faulkner

Preparing Leaders for the Future:.4 Development Program forUnderrepresented Groups in VocationalEducationMDS-736CA J. Moss, Jr. $45.00

S. SchwartzQ. Jensrud

Vocational Education LeadershipDevelopment Resburces: Selection andApplicationMDS-188CA C. R. Finch

J. A. GregsonC. E. Reneau

ALSO AVAILABLE

$5.00

NCRVE Products Catalog FREE

To order items reviewed in Change Agent, pleasesend a check or purchase order to

NCRVE Materials Distribution ServiceWestern Illinois University

Horrabin Hall 46900 W. Adams Street

Macomb, IL 61455-1396

or

Phone: (800) 637-7652Fax: (309) 298-2869

E-mail: msmds@bgu.edu

NCRVE materials are distributed on a nonprofit,cost-recovery basis. All NCRVE publicationsare in the public domain and therefore free ofcopyright restrictions. Multiple copies of thematerials may be made at the users discretionas long as NCRVE is acknowledged as theirsource.

NCRVE Materials Distribution ServiceAttn: Change AgentWestern Illinois University46 Horrabin Hall900 W. Adams StreetMacomb, IL 61455-1396

BEST COPY AVAILABLE.

5i)