An Analysis of Program Issues Perceived by Cooperative Education Coordinators in Pennsylvania Secondary Schools and Career and Technology Centers

Overview & Synopsis

Cooperative education has been a long-standing component of career and technical education. The practice embodies many established theories of learning and is a premier delivery model for the school-to-work connections espoused by modern legislation. Yet in this era of high-stakes testing and academic accountability, allocated time for cooperative education at the secondary level is being reduced in favor of academic areas of accountability. Using a three-round Delphi technique, this study produced nine major categories containing 51 top issues perceived by secondary education diversified occupations and capstone cooperative education coordinators in Pennsylvania as significantly impacting their programs. Addressing these issues and overcoming the barriers to work-based education for all students can have far reaching implications for practitioners, policy makers and students.