ERIC Number: ED551265
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 207
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2677-6425-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Linked Learning: Can Career and Technical Education Programs Take California High Schools into the 21st Century?
Adams, Brian Edward
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California Lutheran University
This qualitative study explored the ability of a linked learning career and technical education program to engage fully students and thereby increase at-risk students' persistence in school. The focus was to identify the degree to which linked learning career and technical education programs provide a community atmosphere, increase and maintained student engagement, and prepare students to compete in a global economy. An educational community in this study is defined as a place where all members of the community (administrators, teachers, students, and employers or intern sites) share in its leadership. There is a shared set of values and covenants and moral leadership, where the teachers and other members of the community manage themselves because it is the right thing to do, not for some reward or to avoid a consequence. The study site served 100 high schools in a diverse county in southern California with a large gang population and students from very low to very high socioeconomic status. Through in-depth interviews and surveys, the study found the teachers, students, and administrators described the atmosphere as a family. The teachers and administrators were tightly knit and worked well together. The intern sites and employers had direct communication with the program, provided feedback to improve the program, and the program responded by making changes to improve the program. Student engagement was high, there were virtually no problems among the students, and there were strict rules and standards. The findings indicate that linked learning career and technical education programs provide a community atmosphere that keeps at-risk students in school. In addition, the teachers, administrators, intern sites, and students worked together to maintain the community and create a family atmosphere where student needs are the central focus of all the community efforts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Qualitative Research, Career Education, Technical Education, At Risk Students, Academic Persistence, Educational Environment, Learner Engagement, Global Approach, Communities of Practice, Values, Instructional Leadership, High Schools, Socioeconomic Status, Juvenile Gangs, Surveys, Interviews, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Collegiality
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A