Is Vocational Education Working for High-Risk Populations? :: Educational education argumentative Essays

Is Vocational Education Working for High-Risk Populations? Any number of vocational education programs have been targeted to solve the education and employment problems of the nations high-risk populations--the dropout prone, persons with disabilities, educationally and economically disadvantaged persons, and so forth. Some have realized successful outcomes; others have not. This publication examines vocational educations role in the success of high-risk populations. Reducing the dropout rate is the most common outcome of vocational education for at-risk populations Although in-school retention is a goal of vocational education programs targeted to at-risk youth, it is not the most significant outcome. Data from the evaluation of a 3-year demonstration program funded by the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act reflects a broader perspective on program success. In summarizing the outcomes of the 12 evaluated projects, Hayward and Tallmadge (1995) report that only 4 of the 12 showed a significant reduction in numbers of dropouts. The most successful outcome was the improved school performance of program participants. Ten of the 12 projects showed an increase in students grade point averages; 7 of the 12 showed a reduction in number of courses failed. In a review of literature regarding the impact of vocational education on student retention, Hill and Bishop (1993) acknowledge that, although there is some evidence that vocational education programs and approaches have succeeded in keeping students in school, other research showed that vocational education enhanced student retention only when it included other components such as work experience. Coordinating vocational education programs with programs that address the special conditions that place individuals at risk may provide better outcomes than programs solely devoted to vocational education. The Comprehensive Bilingual Vocational Education for Refugee Youth program is one example. Serving youth with limited English proficiency (LEP), this 2-year program provides students with a half-day of vocational training with bilingual assistance and 3 hours per week of life skills training. As part of the vocational component, bilingual members of the business community visit the classroom, talk with students about work in their fields, and take themto their places of work. In the first year of operation, the LEP dropout rate in the metropolitan area dropped from 35% to 0. In the two counties served by the program, the dropout rate went from 20% to 4% (ibid). Vocational programs raise the employment and earnings of at-risk youth and adults Not all programs achieve the goal of enhancing the employability of at-risk persons,.