ERIC Number: ED326695
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1990-Dec
Pages: 5
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Serving Urban Youth with Special Needs in Vocational Education: Issues and Strategies for Change. TASPP Bulletin.
Neubert, Debra A.; Leak, Lawrence E.
TASPP Bulletin, v2 n2 p1-3 Dec 1990
Vocational educators and special needs personnel face many challenges as they address the educational needs of urban youth and update vocational programs in large inner city school districts. Vocational education programs must take a holistic approach to meet the needs of a wide range of disadvantaged students. Demographic projections of increased proportions of nonwhite students in urban areas underscore the need for personnel who can serve culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Because as many as 40% of minority students live in poverty, the risk factors associated with persistent poverty must also be taken into account. Predictions that the majority of new entrants to the work force will be females, nonwhites, and immigrants mean that sex and race stereotyping in program placement and training opportunities must be overcome. Pressures for higher skill levels among workers also make postsecondary training imperative. To meet the challenges posed by demographic and work force trends, it is recommended that vocational programs implement early intervention to ensure equal access of urban special needs students, beginning at the middle school. Flexible instructional programming and support services are needed to provide alternatives for diverse student groups. Interagency planning and comprehensive service coordination are needed to help disadvantaged individuals throughout each stage of transition from school to work. Multiple or second-chance opportunities for education, training, and employment help ensure that special needs students participate in training opportunities and succeed in the workplace. (28 references). (YLB)
Descriptors: Change Strategies, Early Intervention, Education Work Relationship, Educationally Disadvantaged, Employment Projections, Population Trends, Postsecondary Education, Program Improvement, Secondary Education, Special Needs Students, Urban Schools, Urban Youth, Vocational Education
Technical Assistance for Special Populations Program, University of Illinois, 345 Education Bldg., 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, Berkeley, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A