The Quality of Vocational Education. Background Papers from the 1994 National Assessment of Vocational Education.

This document contains five papers. "Vocational Teacher Education in U.S. Colleges and Universities and Its Responsiveness to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990" (Richard L. Lynch) documents the trend toward decreasing enrollments in teacher training programs in virtually all vocational fields. "Occupational Experience as the Basis for Alternative Teacher Certification in Vocational Education" (Richard L. Lynch) establishes that occupational experience is an inadequate substitute for formal teacher preparation in vocational education. "Curricular Tracks and High School Vocational Education" (James A. Kulik) demonstrates that most of the difference between vocational and academic students' test scores is due to students' characteristics rather than the nature of vocational education. "The Impact of Academic Course Work on Labor Market Outcomes for Youth Who Do Not Attend College: A Research Review" (Adam Gamoran) documents the importance of a solid foundation in basic academic skills. "The Effect of High School Vocational Education on Academic Achievement Gain and High School Persistence: Evidence from NELS:88 (National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988)" (Kenneth A. Rasinski, Steven Pedlow) suggests that the benefits of vocational education for high school completion may occur by improving students' success in courses. (MN)