The National Assessment of Vocational Education. "What It Says and What It Should Say." A Symposium (Orlando, Florida, December 1989).

Overview & Synopsis

In preparation for the 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act reauthorization, the Department of Education established the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE). The plan of study examined five broad research areas: (1) implementation of the Perkins Act; (2) access of special populations to vocational education; (3) status of vocational education in secondary schools; (4) status of postsecondary vocational education; and (5) skill training and the economy. Although the specific purpose of NAVE was to provide Congress with data regarding what directions the Perkins reauthorization should take, the report was also of interest to the vocational education profession. At the same time, the findings were so numerous that few professionals were able to conduct a comprehensive review of the research. A symposium was held to examine the NAVE findings. The symposium, composed of a keynote address and five presentations, focused on how vocational teacher educators, educators in graduate education, and researchers could promote the future: "Implications of NAVE" (Wirt); "NAVE Teacher Education" (Lynch); "NAVE: Implications for Graduate Education in Vocational Education" (Copa); "National Assessment and Vocational Education Research and Development" (McCracken); and "What National Assessment Says and What It Should Say: Synthesis and Summary" (Hillison, Swanson). (NLA)