Nan Stein's report "A Gender At Risk" (1988), prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Education, noted a discrepancy in reference to the economic and gender related consequences of schooling, in particular to the Occupational Education programs. A comparison of female enrollment figures in Massachusetts Occupational Education in 1982 and 1985 indicated that female students continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in some of the more highly skilled and lucrative trade areas. This fact is alarming considering the long term economic consequences for females, or as defined in "Equity, Educational Reform and Gender" (Tetrault and Schmuck, 1985), 'the feminization of poverty'. Female students need to develop skills and competencies that will allow them to compete in jobs that offer competitive salaries and opportunities for promotion. The purpose of this study was to examine selected characteristics of female students enrolled in a comprehensive urban vocational education program during the 1988-1989 school year and to identify factors that influenced their selection process. Research included examination of identified characteristics of female vocational students; reasons cited by the female students for choosing vocational education; and the influence of family and school personnel in the students' selection. Thirty-five female students in a vocational program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, participated in this study. Information was gathered from student records, surveys and interviews. The findings were presented qualitatively and quantitatively. The research documented two primary influencing components. A combination of internal and external factors, including the student's interests and skill levels and the influence of parents and teachers, were the culminating factors effecting the student's decision to select a vocational program. Contributing factors included the students math and reading scores and special education needs. Factors that did not impact the student's choice included socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and single versus two parent homes.

The purpose of the study was to address the issues regarding professionalization of teachers in regional vocational-technical schools in southeastern Massachusetts. Professionalization was defined as the degree to which teachers participate in organizational decisions. The study was intended to determine the perceptions of vocational teachers, academic teachers, and administrators toward professionalization. The extent to which teachers in eight regional vocational-technical high schools were empowered was also explored. A review of the literature was incorporated into the design of the study. A survey was conducted at the eight schools. Five hundred two teachers and administrators responded (86 percent). The questionnaire measured six dimensions which included: horizontal and vertical communication, teaching behavior, leadership, centralization of influence, empowerment, and satisfaction. The findings indicate that there are many differences between the three groups with regard to the role of teachers in school decisions. Administrators tended to overestimate teacher influence. They rated nine of the fourteen areas higher than teachers. Vocational and academic teacher ratings were similar in nine of fourteen dimensions and categories. Vocational teachers rated four areas higher including teaching behavior and willingness. There is evidence of professionalization in the eight schools. Empowered schools show evidence of strong administrative influence, facilitative leadership, vertical communication and satisfied respondents.

This study was undertaken to discover which determinants led Massachusetts regional vocational technical high school students to choose nontraditional occupations by examining two populations: (a) all of the nontraditional students enrolled in the 26 Massachusetts regional vocational technical schools, of which 19 schools participated, and (b) one of each student's parents or guardians. Two survey instruments were used of which the first 15 items were questions directed to the nontraditional student or the parent/guardian. The last 10 items were reasons that may have led the student to a nontraditional choice, the importance of which were determined by the student and the parent/guardian. All the responses were subjected to a frequency distribution analysis, and the last 10 items were subjected to the chi-square test to determine relationships existing between variables of the student and of the parent/guardian to each of the reasons. The student variables were gender of student, vocational experience of a student's sibling/s, and participation in an exploratory program. The parent/guardian variables were educational level, employment status, and economic status. Findings revealed that the following determinants were important to the nontraditional choice: career opportunity of the program, interest in the subject, and exploratory programs and their teachers. There were significant positive relationships (p = $\leq$.01) between the student variable "Participation in an exploratory program" and the following: "The exploratory program made me interested in the career" and "Teachers in the exploratory program were great." There was only one significant relationship between the parent/guardian variables and their view of the importance of the reasons for the nontraditional choice, and it was a positive relationship (p = $\leq$.05). This variable was "Employment status" and the reason for the choice was "The program seemed easy." Regardless of the employment status of the parent or guardian, most respondents believed the reason was not important to the nontraditional choice. Based on these findings, it was concluded that exploratory programs for all the courses offered by the schools should be presented to every new student and that the teachers of these exploratory programs should be chosen with great care.