Submitted by Matt (not verified) on May 3, 2007 - 03:38.
Contrary to some research and the popular belief that vocational education decreases the likelihood of dropping out, Ainsworth and Roscigno (2005) found quite the opposite: that participation in vocational education classes in fact increased the likelihood of dropping out of high school. In their study, the skills acquired through vocational education courses frequently prompted students to leave school for jobs in an effort to provide income for themselves and their families. The authors further argue that the “potential negative effects are not indiscriminate, but rather disproportionately affect those of lower social class backgrounds in particular” (p. 269) – the very students most likely to be tracked into vocational education classes in the first place (see Campbell & Laughlin, 1988; Rivera-Batiz, 1995; Silverberg et al., 2004). Acknowledging the fact that the lower class and minorities are already over-represented in vocational education, it is important to ask if all schools will have vocational curricula, or whether such curricula will exist only in select schools split along demographic lines of race and class. Even in instances where vocational education exists in more elite communities, it is often the case that “vocational” in these highly affluent schools means classes in architecture, journalism, graphic design, and engineering, whereas in poor and high-minority schools, “vocational” means classes in sewing, cosmetology, customer service, auto service, and other such professions (Kozol, 2005). Such an approach to curriculum risks not only further entrenching class divides throughout the state and nation, but also risks exacerbating the current reality of income inequality.
Contrary to some research
Submitted by Matt (not verified) on May 3, 2007 - 03:38.
Contrary to some research and the popular belief that vocational education decreases the likelihood of dropping out, Ainsworth and Roscigno (2005) found quite the opposite: that participation in vocational education classes in fact increased the likelihood of dropping out of high school. In their study, the skills acquired through vocational education courses frequently prompted students to leave school for jobs in an effort to provide income for themselves and their families. The authors further argue that the “potential negative effects are not indiscriminate, but rather disproportionately affect those of lower social class backgrounds in particular” (p. 269) – the very students most likely to be tracked into vocational education classes in the first place (see Campbell & Laughlin, 1988; Rivera-Batiz, 1995; Silverberg et al., 2004). Acknowledging the fact that the lower class and minorities are already over-represented in vocational education, it is important to ask if all schools will have vocational curricula, or whether such curricula will exist only in select schools split along demographic lines of race and class. Even in instances where vocational education exists in more elite communities, it is often the case that “vocational” in these highly affluent schools means classes in architecture, journalism, graphic design, and engineering, whereas in poor and high-minority schools, “vocational” means classes in sewing, cosmetology, customer service, auto service, and other such professions (Kozol, 2005). Such an approach to curriculum risks not only further entrenching class divides throughout the state and nation, but also risks exacerbating the current reality of income inequality.