Innovations In Career And Technical Education

This book is designed primarily for potential and inservice vocational instructors who are pursuing a program of personal and professional development which will ensure competency in this specialty. In any state in the United States, there are a number of uncredentialed instructors who teach courses in vocational education. Although these individuals may be competent enough in their subject matter areas, there is an obvious deficiency in the foundations of vocational education. Foundations of vocational education help vocational educators lay a solid foundation from which they can better help students hold aloft the banner of the full range of education for work, which is career and technical education in its modern sense. From this standpoint, this book is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate students at university settings. Appealing foundation books are normally concerned with historical, philosophical, and social considerations of vocational education. The basic principles of vocational education must be covered in these books. Such prominent elements can be found from Evans and Herr’s (1978) Foundations of Vocational Education to Gray and Herr’s (1998) Workforce Education: The Basics. This book is no exception.

The future looks promising for the field of career and technical education (CTE). The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 eases the way to create multiple pathways for high school students to get to college and careers. Philanthropic foundations are funding innovations in career preparation. State departments of education are revamping program guidelines and graduation requirements. In many states, governors have made career preparation a priority. While people plan CTE’s future, Educating a Working Society looks to its past. This book explores twentieth-century efforts to bring schooling and work closer together. Chapters feature timely topics, such as public controversy over vocational programs, the influences of racism in philanthropic giving, students’ choices in course taking, teachers’ efforts to combine the academic and vocational missions of schooling, and contemporary trends in college and career readiness initiatives. Using schools to prepare youth for work has a long and troubled history. The contributors to this book dive into that history, bringing up compelling issues that challenge conventional wisdom about the history of education.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has become a vibrant source of workforce development across the globe. It is no longer an offering only for a specialized sector of students. Instead, it has matured into a sound and meaningful program for high school and postsecondary students across interest areas, and abilities. CTE programs and students realize the great relevancy of the programs to workplace and higher education readiness and immediate earning power. This volume addresses the changing needs of foundation courses in CTE. As land grant universities began to offer courses to cover the historical, social and philosophical aspects of CTE, teaching institutions have followed suit. Therefore, readers will find not only a rich background in history and philosophy of the field, but also theory, best practice, and strategies specifically grounded in CTE. As scholars and practitioners argue whether human resource development (HRD) encompasses CTE or vice versa in the field, this text proves that HRD is an integral component and thrust of CTE. As a broad field of study, CTE has come a long way and its history parallels the efforts of humanity from the Stone Age to modern civilization. Building Workforce Competencies through CTE proves that CTE survived, and thrives. The more we realize how pervasive technology and information skills are needed in our society, the more we need CTE. CTE is a leader in innovative educational programs, pedagogical theory and practice; it prepares people, young and old, for the world of work. This book provides a practical and visionary basis for cultivating future opportunities and directions in CTE.

Provides an authoritative reference collection on leading international insights into the integration of technology tools and applications with adult and vocational instruction.

Gordon is the first author to provide a relevant, up-to-date synthesis of the history, philosophy, legislation, and organizational/curricular structure of career and technical education. His text offers a detailed and well-documented road map of CTE, from its foundation all the way to its present status. Career and technical educators will find the comprehensive background and research they need on such topics as gender, ethnicity, and special-needs populations as well as the impact of the aging workforce. This well-researched new edition examines the current issues that shape the role of career and technical education in the global economy of the technology-driven twenty-first century. Among the timely topics examined in this well-researched, revised edition are: The roots of CTE in America and an overview of influential leaders in CTE curriculum development. The impact of land-grant institutions on the professional growth of CTE, important factors influencing CTE development, and the evolution and implications of federal CTE legislation. The latest research involving CTE teachers and instructional programs, career and technical student organizations, and the effectiveness of School-to-Work. A new chapter on twenty-first-century issues and trends impacting the future of CTE.

This textbook approach to designing and developing high-quality instruction for career and technical education courses is an indispensable guide for both pre-service teachers and veteran educators seeking to enhance their curriculum. Applicable across all career clusters, users of this book will develop an understanding and appreciation of a system approach that is a foundation for high-quality learning experiences by their students.

This book analyses systemic innovation in education by looking at the ways in which educational systems encourage innovation, the knowledge base and processes used, and the procedures and criteria used to assess progress and evaluate outcomes.