THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS COMPARATIVE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TENNESSEE VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS IN FOUR CATEGORIES -- (1) PILOT SCHOOLS, (2) LIKE-PILOT SCHOOLS OR SCHOOLS RESEMBLING PILOT SCHOOLS, (3) STUDENT TEACHING CENTERS, AND (4) NEGRO SCHOOLS. THE RANDOM SAMPLE INCLUDED 800 STUDENTS FROM 20 SCHOOLS DIVIDED EVENLY INTO THE FOUR CATEGORIES, FOUR GRADE LEVELS, AND INTO VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE AND NONVOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE GROUPS. A STANDARDIZED READING TEST SERVED AS A CONTROL, AND A 5-PART KNOWLEDGE-OF-AGRICULTURE TEST AS THE CRITERION MEASURE IN A COVARIANCE DESIGN. SOME FINDINGS WERE -- (1) NONVOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE STUDENTS SCORED HIGHER IN READING ACHIEVEMENT, (2) VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE STUDENTS SCORED HIGHER ON KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE, (3) STUDENTS IN STUDENT TEACHING CENTERS AND PILOT SCHOOLS SCORED HIGHER IN KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE, (4) ALL STUDENTS' SCORES IN KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE INCREASED IN RELATION TO HIGHER GRADE LEVEL, (5) STUDENT TEACHING CENTERS HAD THE BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS, AND (6) NEGRO STUDENTS WERE FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE, AND NEGRO SCHOOLS LACKED PROVISIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MANIPULATIVE SKILLS. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT -- (1) VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE STUDENTS' LOWER READING ABILITY NECESSITATES ADJUSTING INSTRUCTION TO DIVERSE ABILITIES, (2) THE EXCESSIVE DIFFERENCES OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS WITHIN SCHOOL CATEGORIES INDICATE THE NEED OF ATTENTION TO PROGRAM CONTENT, STUDENT RETENTION, AND OTHER FACTORS, AND (3) BECAUSE GRADUATE EDUCATION OF TEACHERS WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO STUDENT'S KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE, CONTINUED TEACHER EDUCATION IS INDICATED. (JM)