Educational Philosophy

Career Technical Education Vocational education has been a part of the American educational system for decades. It is accepted as a vital part of the educational process as a whole and is regarded as a vital role for the future of the American economy. The movement for vocational education consists of two forces, one which would utilize the public school to simply turn out more efficient laborers and the other would utilize educational resources to equip individuals to control their own future economic careers (Passe 2001).

The latter, many feel, would "help on such a reorganization of industry as will change it from a feudalistic to a democratic order" (Passe 2001). With the arrival of large numbers of immigrants during the 1800's, there arose a concern about the socialization of foreign-born children and their parents, thus, the common school was formed as a means of assimilating new Americans into the dominant culture (Passe 2001).

Through the use of the McGuffey Readers, social education became a central part of the curriculum and the development of citizenry capable of handling democratic responsibilities was identified as the primary goal of the educational system (Passe 2001). The first thirty years of the 20th century was such a period of rapid corporate growth that schools began to move away from their primary goal of preparing students to be responsible citizens (Passe 2001).

With the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, schools began to create programs to train students in the fields of agriculture, trade, industry, and home economics (Passe 2001). States assumed total control of educational policy until the Smith-Hughes Act that provided matching funds for vocational education, a financial incentive states could not ignore, and thus, the birth of vocational education (Passe 2001). By the end of the 20th century, jobs focusing on repetitive tasks were in less demand and the business economy needed multi-skilled, teamwork-oriented workers (Passe 2001). In response, the U.S.

Labor Department issued "What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000" (Passe 2001). The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) recommendations included "basic academic and thinking skills such as reading, writing, listening, and making decisions, as well as such workplace competencies as planning and allocating resources, working with other people, and understanding complex systems" (Passe 2001). This revolutionary document offered a vision of schools in which learning is merging knowledge and application (Passe 2001).

According to SCANS project director, Arnold Packer, The most effective way to teach skills is in the context of real-life situations and real problems" (Passe 2001). According to a recent report of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, higher education today is significantly more professional and technical in orientation than it was thirty years ago (Lagemann 2003). In 1970, fifty percent of all bachelor's degrees were awarded in a liberal arts subject, however, in 2000, roughly sixty percent of the degrees were awarded in a pre-professional or technical field (Lagemann 2003).

These statistics reveal that the importance of vocational education has not only increased in public schools at the high school level, but today's college students do not have time or money to waste and are seeking vocationally oriented programs of study (Lagemann 2003). Student course selection indicates that they want their college education to prepare them for careers (Lagemann 2003). The word vocation implies earning a living or having a career, however, it also implies having a calling, and having a sense of oneself and one's place in society (Lagemann 2003).

In today's technologically driven global society, it is imperative for students to not only learn a career skill, but also be aware of the world as a.