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Abstract

The primary purposes of this paper were to provide data and information about the preparation of vocational and technical education teachers at our nation's colleges and universities and about the responsiveness of vocational teacher education to four major initiatives in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990. The extant research literature and a survey of institutional members of the University Council on Vocational Education provided the primary sources for the paper.

Colleges and universities have diminished greatly their capacity to produce teachers for the nation's systems of vocational and technical education. Further, there is little consensus on the theoretical framework for subject matter and related pedagogy for preparing 21st Century teachers to teach in vocational and technical education. Beginning teachers are being made aware of such major Perkins initiatives as tech prep, integration of academic and vocational education, school-to-work transition, and special populations. However, a solid theory and research base and the related connections with practice to undergird the initiatives and to bring about long-term, systemic change is probably not being provided at most colleges or universities.

The capacity of colleges and universities to produce teachers who are prepared to teach effectively all work-bound students for employment for the 21st Century workplace needs to be rebuilt. This includes determining the appropriate knowledge base for vocational and technical education teachers, core curriculum, minimal standards, new models of delivery, pedagogy, connections with practice, relationships necessary with academic and subject matter faculty and programs, and research and evaluation.

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