The Status of School Reform in Pennsylvania Career and Technology Schools: Systemic Issues
The purpose of this study was to investigate the issues and implementation of high school reform efforts in the 81 career and technology schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The specific areas that were examined were those identified in the research as contributing to high school reform efforts of secondary schools. The researcher developed four research questions that guided the study. Pennsylvania Association of Career and Technical Administrators (PACTA) aided the researcher in reaching directors of the 81 career and technology schools in the commonwealth via e-mail. The e-mail asked directors to complete an electronic survey concerning high school reform issues with their sending school districts. Seventy-one of a possible eighty-one directors completed the survey. The results of the completed survey were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The statistical outline includes discussions of correlation, central themes found and percentages.
The results of this study indicated that there is an overwhelming lack of communications between career and technology schools and their sending school districts. The researcher also found that comprehensive career and technology schools are more actively engaged in high school reform efforts than shared-time career and technology schools.
By surveying a statistically significant number of career and technology school directors about the reform efforts of their schools, this study provides a clear road map for improvement in the overall high school reform efforts. This road map suggests Pennsylvania policymakers and school administrators need to make collaboration and communication a top priority to ensure that all students are provided the same high quality education regardless, of whether they chose career and technology or traditional academic education.
Advisor:Fred Monaco, Ph.D.; Charlene Trovato, Ph.D.; Charles Gorman, Ed.D.; Sean Hughes, Ph.D.
School:University of Pittsburgh
School Location:USA - Pennsylvania
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:administrative and policy studies
Date of Publication:06/30/2008