Archived: The Diverse Forms of Tech-Prep: Implementation Approaches in Ten Local Consortia

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

The Diverse Forms of Tech-Prep: Implementation Approaches in Ten Local Consortia - 1995

XII. Emerging Issues - Continued

5. How Much Will Tech-Prep Change Postsecondary Programs?

Efforts to develop Tech-Prep thus far have had more visible effects on secondary education than on community college programs. This difference is due in part to the relatively early stage of development observed in the first round of evaluation site visits. However, other institutional characteristics of community colleges contribute to this difference as well and raise some questions about the extent to which long-term Tech-Prep development is likely to change postsecondary programs. In the longer term, the open question is whether community colleges will only (1) help to strengthen secondary education and improve the readiness of high school graduates to enter existing postsecondary programs, or also (2) enhance the rigor of college programs and the skill levels that their graduates attain.

Community colleges have clearly played key roles in the 10 consortia included in this evaluation. They have served as fiscal agents, and usually lead consortiumwide governance bodies and committees involving school, college, and employer representatives. In several cases, college staff have been active in reviewing and revising secondary curricula, and in extending the scope of articulation. Community college coordinators have been instrumental in arranging staff development, and have helped to establish links between consortium high schools and employers.

However, change in what colleges teach or how they teach seems thus far to be the exception rather than the rule. Most changes in instruction and organization of courses have taken place in high schools. In a few cases, colleges have adopted some principles of applied academics in mathematics classes, and some examples of creative college work on integrating vocational and academic learning have been noted. However, colleges have so far contributed mostly to changing what goes on in high schools. This pattern is due to three factors:

High Schools Are Most Often the Focus of Concern and Debate. Dropout rates for public high schools are widely publicized, and standardized test scores are often viewed as a barometer of school effectiveness. The effectiveness of colleges is less scrutinized. The incidence of students leaving college is not usually viewed as a reflection of college practices. In most communities, this focus on high school performance leads both secondary and college partners to concentrate their early efforts on finding ways to make high schools more effective.
College Faculty Autonomy Can Make It Difficult to Mobilize Them for Change. Faculty in colleges and universities generally have more discretion over what and how they teach than high school teachers, and instructors are often more attuned to their disciplines than to colleagues in other departments. As a result, the concept of a comprehensive, occupationally oriented program of study linking academic and technical courses has received little emphasis, and efforts to integrate academic and technical instruction are unusual.
Colleges Are Uncertain How Tech-Prep Will Affect the Challenges They Face. With Tech-Prep students in most consortia still in their high school years, faculty at some colleges remain uncertain whether:
- Tech-Prep students will really be more prepared for college-level work than past high school graduates.
- Enthusiasm for getting Tech-Prep students to enter community colleges will create pressure to lower college standards.
- Improved preparation of high school students will really make it possible for college faculty to teach at a more rapid pace and help students develop more advanced skills.
- Investing college resources in more faculty and improved technical facilities will be warranted by increasing enrollments and possible within funding constraints.
- Large proportions of their students will continue to be older adults rather than recent high school graduates, thus minimizing the impact that even a successful Tech-Prep has on the preparation of incoming students.

Some college faculty and administrators already perceive the value of Tech-Prep, whatever the outcome of these uncertainties. Teaching academic subjects with a more applied approach, some faculty realize, can serve their current student population better. In some study sites, plans are being discussed for creating honors programs or advanced-skill degrees to accommodate students who enter with strong preparation and attain more advanced skills than is typical in current associate degree programs. For some faculty, greater cooperation with secondary school districts has opened up rewarding opportunities for collaboration and consulting. However, the likelihood of widespread changes in college programs as a result of Tech-Prep probably hinges on the quality of Tech-Prep high school graduates over the next few years and the number of them who seek an associate's degree.
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[4. What Are the Implications of Alternative Strategies for Introducing Applied Academics?]

[6. What Role Can Business and Industry Be Expected to Play in Tech-Prep?]