Equity from a State Administrator's Perspective. Research and Development Series No. 214G.

Overview & Synopsis

Administrators at local, state, and national levels must be strongly committed to equal opportunity in vocational education. State administrators must fulfill mandates of Title II of the Education Amendments of 1976, including identifying major thrusts and challenges issued by Congress, identifying responsibilities of a state board/agency for administering vocational education, and providing a state staff for this board. Barriers to equitable job training and placement are institutional, personal, societal, and programmatic. Techniques available to state directors of vocational staffs for providing ready access to vocational training or retraining are greater involvement of agencies and individuals in process of state planning, emphasis on nondiscriminatory practices, sole state agency concept for governance, and renewed efforts in accountability and evaluation. The state director of vocational education and state vocational staff can ensure equity in vocational education programs through a separate state board, a state plan, positive approach to evaluation, linkages, equal employment opportunity and personnel procedures, and combined staff efforts. State agencies should locate and make available positive strategies to vocational administrators, research quality of service from various vocational education structures, and research strategies that increase utilization of equal opportunities for vocational education and job placement. (YLB)