Question:
Will parents and school officials support vocational education
more than they have in the past?
Answer:
With this in mind, your questions as to whether a name change will get more
funds allocated to vocational education, or if parents and school officials
will support vocational education more than they have in the past, or will it
improve the quality of vocational education at the local level, I think the
answer is "yes", but only with the substantive changes along with it that you
talked about. Take a look at the actual School-to-Work Opportunities Act.
There is hardly a mention of vocational education in it, yet local vocational
programs have benefited greatly from it. I believe that if the STW Act had
been proposed as a "vocational education" act, it would have been defeated in
Congress. The words "vocational education" did not serve as a light switch to
turn things off, and this is the same approach many are taking with parents
and school officials. By not giving parents and school officials a reason to
"tune out", we can now show them the substance of our programs, the depth of
our dedication to educating and training young people to enter society in
rewarding, essential careers. And, we can build a new, well deserved,
positive reputation for our programs.
