DOCUMENT RESUME ED 352 549 CE 062 726 AUTHOR Bottoms, Gene; And Others TITLE Making High Schools Work through Integration of Academic and Vocational Education. INSTITUTION Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, Ga. PUB DATE 92 NOTE 235p. AVAILABLE FROM SREB, 592 Tenth Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Education; Counselor Role; Curriculum Development; *Educational Change; Educational Cooperation; Educational Improvement; Education Work Relationship; Hig' Schools; *Integrated Curriculum; Parent Responsibility; Parent Role; Program Design; Program Development; School Counselors; *School Effectiveness; *Secondary School Curriculum; Teacher Responsibility; Teacher Role; Team Teaching; *Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *High Schools That Work ABSTRACT This book traces the High Schools That Work program from its inception and reports on practices that are helping schools effectively integrate academic and vocational education. Examples are included to illustrate what can be accomplished. Chapter 1 describes the program's goals, key practices, key conditions, and success. Chapter 2 shows how schools are proving it is possible to raise expectations if the curriculum is relevant, students feel they are respected, and teachers and administrators work together. Chapter 3 focuses on integrating high-level academic with vocational studies through use of applied learning methods. Chapter 4 discusses integrating academic content into vocational courses with design of a new vocational program as the ultimate goal. Chapter 5 describes characteristics of a team of vocational and ncnvocational teachers and ways in which they work together. Chapter 6 focuses on developing a challenging double-purpose program of study that combines vocational and academic content to prepare students for future learning at work and in postsecondary education. Chapter 7 discusses roles and responsibilities of the guidance counselor, teachers, and parents in the guidance process. Chapter 8 describes areas in which teachers need extra help and the form that help should take. The final chapter discusses why schools need to change and benefits of change. Annotations of 10 resource organizations are appended. An index is provided. (YLB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** fJn U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Offoce of Educanonsi Research and Improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY INFORMATION EDUCATIONALCENT RESOURCESERIC) CVhis document has been reproduced as recied from the person or organqation ongmahngiL Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions stated In this docu- TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" ',"7111r- 1":; BEST COPYAVAILABLEww volorrow--,---- - 11 I INN....1110 Making High Schools Work Through Integration of Academic and Vocational Education Gene Bottoms, Alice Presson,and Mary Johnson Southern Regional Education Board 592 Tenth Street, N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30318-5790 © 1992, The Southern Regional Education Board.Selections totaling 25 pages or less may be excerpted from thisbook without specific written permission, provided eachexcerpt carries the notice Copyright 1992, Southern Regional EducationBoard. For permission to excerpt larger selections, contact theSREB publications office. Additional copies may be purchased by writing SREB,592 Tenth Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30318or calling (404) 875- 9211. Discounts arc available on volume purchases. The SREB Vocational Education Consortium Dedicated to Strengthening the Basic Competencies of Students Enrolled in Vocational Education Programs Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas. Virginia, and West Virginia In collaboration with The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and The National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) Consortium Staff Gene Bottoms, Director Alice Presson, Associate Director Mary Johnson, Research Associate Consortium Executive Committee Marvin Flatt Assistant Commissioner, Division of Vocational Education Tennessee Department of Education Chairman June Atkinson Director of Vocational and Technical Education Services North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Steve Franks Director, Division of Vocational Education Alabama Department of Education Roy V. Peters, Jr. State Director, Oklahoma Department of Vocational and Technical Education Ferman B. Moody Director of Vocational-Technical Education Pennsylvania Department of Education Table of Contents Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv Chapter 1 CHANGING HIGH SCHOOLS: A VISION OF WHAT WILL WORK 1 The Quest for Quality 2 The SREB Consortium 3 Two Major Goals 5 Key Practices 5 Key Conditions 7 SREB's Concept of Tech Prep for Making High Schools Work 7 Forgotten Students 10 Change Is Not Easy 12 Charting the Consortium's Success 14 What Is Working? 18 Chapter 2 RAISING EXPECTATIONS 21 Motivating Students to Do More 26 Replacing Low-Level Courses with Challenging, High-Level Courses 31 Eliminating Tracking 36 Extra Help for Students 39 Homework 41 Vocational Education's Role in Raising Expectations 43 Involving Parents and the Business Community 45 Summary 46 6 vi Chapter 3 MAKING ACADEMIC LEARNING REAL 47 How Students Learn 48 What Is Applied Learning? 50 The Impact of Applied Learning 51 Adapting or Developing New Applied Academic Courses 54 Levels of Difficulty of Applied Academic Courses 59 Introducing Applied Courses to the Curriculum 60 Adapting Applied or Situated Learning Strategies into the Regular College Preparatory Curriculum 61 Cooperative Learning 62 Benefits of Applied Learning Methods 63 Building Partnerships to Make Learning Real 67 Assessing the Effectiveness of Applied Learning Methods 70 Summary 71 Chapter 4 INTEGRATING ACADEMIC CONTENT INTO VOCATIONAL COURSES 73 The Changing Face of High School Vocational Education 73 Integrated Learning Strengthens the Link Between Academic Knowledge and Skills and Work-Related Problems and Tasks 75 Stressing Academic Skills Through Vocational Instruction Improves Achievement 76 Fundamental Strategies for Integrating Academic Content into Vocational Courses 80 Getting Students to Read Technical Materials 81 Improving Oral and Written Communication Through Vocational Instruction 86 Integrating Higher Level Mathematics Concepts into Vocational Instruction 88 Integrating Science Concepts into the Vocational Curriculum 94 Summary 99 7 Chapter 5 ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL TEACHERS WORKING TOGETHER 101 Learning to Communicate with Each Other 101 Joint Planning Time 103 Joint Staff Development 103 Cross Visitation 104 Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving 105 Support from the Administration 106 Whole School Involvement 106 Benefits of Academic and Vocational Teachers Working Together 107 Major Ways Academic and Vocational Teachers Work Together 110 Team Teaching 111 Joint Learning Projects 113 School-Within-a-School 115 Other Ways Teachers Work Together 116 Joint Academic and Vocational Committees 118 Summary 120 Chapter 6 DEVELOPING A CHALLENGING PROGRAM OF STUDY 123 Blending College Preparatory and Vocational Studies 123 The SREB Recommended Vocational Curriculum Works 124 Shifting the Focus of High Schools from Accommodating to Educating Students 128 Benefits of Blending an Upgraded Academic Core with Vocational Studies 131 Building a Team to Create a Program of Study 131 Major Issues in Developing a New Program of Study 132 Model Approaches to Providing a Structured Program of Study for Career-Bound Students 149 An Upgraded Academic Core for All Students 151 Upgraded Academic Core with a Major in College Prep, Tech Prep, or an Academic Area 153 Summary 161 viii Chapter 7 GUIDING STUDENTS TO BETTER CHOICES 163 Effective Guidance and Counseling 164 Parallel Paths Through High School 166 Interests and Aptitudes 166 Planned Efforts to Include Guidance Acttvities in the Curriculum 166 High School Counselors Need to Shift to a New Model 167 The Woodland Experience 169 The Counselor's Dilemma 171 A Four-Year Educational Plan 172 Student Handbooks 174 The Importance of Involving Parents in the Guidance Process 175 The Role of Academic and Vocational Teachers in Guiding Students to Better Choices 179 Summary 180 Chapter 8 EXTRA HELP FOR TEACHERS 181 Areas Where Teachers Need Extra Heap 181 A Clear Signal Needed from School Administrators 184 Giving Teachers Authority and Flexibility to Solve Problems 186 Unlocking Teachers from the Existing System 187 Reorganizing the High School Curriculum and Schedule 190 Staff Development 191 Meeting Common Staff Development Needs Through State Institutes 195 Multi-State Workshops and Resources 197 New Materials 197 Summary 198 VD 9 ix HIGH SCHOOLS ARE CHANGING 199 Pleas From Buziness 199 A Better Deal 200 Seeking a Vision 200 Essential Elements 201 Involve Parents and the Community 202 Characteristics of Success 203 A Ray of Hope 204 Benefits of Change 204 Total Revitalization 205 How to Join the Network of High Schools That Work 207 Resources 209 Index 213 iJ Foreword BY THE YEAR 2000 Significant gains will be achieved in the mathematics,