A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 408

Vocational Education National Programs-Demonstrations

(CFDA Nos. 84.199D, 84.199E, 94.100, 94.244, 94.248)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act Amendments of 1990, P.L. 101-392, Title IV, Sec. 418, 420A(20 U.S.C. 2420a)(expires September 30, 1995).

Purpose: To conduct mode1 demonstration programs in vocational education, with priority given to demonstration grants that: (1) provide for the development of telecommunications materials for use in vocational education instruction, and (2) establish demonstration centers for training dislocated workers. Other authorized demonstration programs include: grants for professional development; programs that provide basic and vocational education to criminal offenders in Federal correctional facilities; grants for dropout prevention projects; grants for developing business and education standards for competencies in industries and trades; regional centers that provide training for skilled trades; and projects that integrate vocational and academic instruction.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1984	$570,000
1985	143,000
1986	-0-
1987	450,000
1988	14,792,000
1989	14,594,000
1990	11,096,000
1991	12,970,000
1992	20,000,000
1993	16,705,000
1994	23,455,000

II. Program Information and Analysis

Services

Demonstration Projects for the Integration of Vocational and Academic Learning Programs. Nine grants were awarded in FY 1992 to demonstrate successfully designed, established, and operating tech-prep education programs. Under priorities established by the Department of Education, these projects (1) disseminated information to improve the training of teachers, other instructional personnel, counselors, and administrators to carry out tech-prep education programs; (2) provided resources, materials, technical assistance, in-service training, and other forms of professional development to help others replicate successful tech-prep education programs; and (3) conducted independent evaluations of grant activities.

Education Programs for Correctional Institutions. Eleven grants were awarded in FY 1992 to demonstrate model vocational education programs for incarcerated individuals. These programs were authorized to expand or improve existing vocational education programs in correctional institutions, use curricula that include literacy and basic skills training, integrate academic content with vocational content, and provide for "live work." Programs also included transitional services, including the coordination of those services provided by community agencies.

The Business and Education Standards Program provides financial assistance for organizing and operating business-education-labor technical committees to develop national skill standards for competencies in industries and trade. In FY 1993, 16 grants were awarded to develop standards for (1) major divisions or specialty areas identified within occupations, (2) minimum hours of study to be competent in such division or specialty areas, (3) minimum tools and equipment required in such divisions or specialty areas, (4) minimum qualifications for instruction staff, and (5) minimum tasks to be included in any course of study to prepare individuals for work in such division or specialty areas.

School-to-Work Transition. Eight states (Wisconsin, Oregon, Maine, New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Kentucky) were awarded grants to implement school-to-work transition systems under the Cooperative Demonstration Program. The eight states received a total of $43 million in FY 1994 funds, with funding renewals expected for an additional four years under the recently enacted School to Work Opportunities Act. All other states were awarded grants under Department of Labor programs to develop plans for implementing school-to-work systems. The objective of the program is to help states develop coherent systems that facilitate the transition of young people from high school to advanced training and/or the workplace. State school-to-work systems will include a school-based learning component, a work-based learning component, and connecting activities between the two components.

Outcomes

Dropout Prevention and Reentry Demonstration Projects. The Planning and Evaluation Service conducted a study of dropout prevention projects funded in FY 1989 for a three-year period under the Discretionary Cooperative Demonstration Program. Grantees were authorized to replicate a dropout prevention model that had been found effective in other settings, adapt a locally developed model, or expand a project currently in operation in their district. Six of the ten grantees participated in the longitudinal evaluation over a three-year period. A random assignment design was implemented in nine project sites and a matched comparison group in the remaining three sites. The final report on evaluation findings is expected to be released by ED in 1994 (III.3).

As shown in the following table, one-third of the projects achieved a significant reduction in the number of participants who dropped out of school. Projects were generally more successful in improving participants' school performance and affiliation.

Outcomes of Demonstration Projects

Outcome	Number of Projects
Reduction in dropping out	4
Increase in grade point average	10
Reduction in number of courses failed	7
Increase in number of credits earned	5
Reduction in number of absences	5
Improvement in students' perception of teachers and instruction	4
Improvement in students' perception of counselors and counseling	2
Increase in students' perception that school is safe	7
Students' perception of receiving more academic encouragement	4
Students' perception of receiving better job preparation	3

Across the projects participating in the evaluation, the following components were more likely to be associated with improved persistence in high school and educational success of at-risk youth participating in the program relative to a control/comparison group:

a smaller, more personal environment, such as that available in a school-within-a-school or alternative school environment;
vocational education that includes integration of academic with the vocational content and an occupational concentration leading to a promising entry-level job or postsecondary training;
a formal counseling component that incorporates attention to personal issues along with career counseling, employability development, and life skills instruction;
formal, ongoing coordination of the academic and vocational components of students' high school programs;
a structured environment that includes clear and equitably enforced behavioral expectations; and
personal, supportive attention from adults through a mentoring or other project component.

III. Sources of Information

Program files.
A Study of Business and Education Skill Standards, (Washington, DC: Institute of Educational Leadership, 1993).
Hayward, B., Tallmadge, K., et al, Evaluation of Dropout Prevention and Reentry Projects in Vocational Educational, (Los Altos, CA: RMC Research Inc., forthcoming).

IV. Planned Studies

A major study is planned to analyze the products of both the Department of Labor's and Department of Education's 22 skill standards and development projects. The results of this study are intended for the proposed Skills Standards Board.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:

Correctional Education:

Gail Schwartz, (202) 205-5621

:Business and Education Standards Program:

Carolyn Lee, (202) 260-9576

:Integration of Vocational Education and Academic Learning (Tech Prep):

Carolyn Lee, (202) 260-9576

Program Studies:

Audrey Pendleton, (202) 401-3630

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[Vocational Education National Program--Research]

[Bilingual Vocational Training Programs--Discretionary Grants]