“Crafting a New Vision for High School: How States Can Join Academic and Technical Studies to Promote More Powerful Learning”
In cooperation with the Washington-based Council of Chief State School Officers, the Southern Regional Education Board, in Atlanta, issued a report last week calling for states and schools to increase substantially the quality of their career and technical education.
The report notes that the latest reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act requires that schools and two-year colleges accepting Perkins money must, for the first time, integrate rigorous academic and career and technical instruction, and link secondary and postsecondary education.
It cites a recent study by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education showing that high school students at all levels of achievement were less likely to drop out if they took a combination of academic and career or technical courses.
The SREB report calls for states to align their career and technical curriculum with college-readiness standards, conduct end-of-course assessments, and establish panels of college faculty, high school teachers, school officials, and employers to devise curriculum frameworks and course syllabuses.
Additionally, it encourages states to provide incentives for districts and high schools to work together with two-year colleges, technology centers, and employers to craft occupation-specific courses.
For more stories on this topic see Curriculum and Learning.
