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As contemporary federal education legislation requires schools to ensure that all students are prepared for college and careers upon graduation, the college and career readiness of ELs is an urgent matter requiring investigation. Within this policy context, career and technical education (CTE) has been presented as a potential pathway for ELs to achieve college and career readiness. This necessitates research examining ELs’ opportunities to participate in CTE programs as an alternative to traditional secondary schools. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is (a) to examine the processes required to access CTE programs and the barriers ELs face when attempting to enroll in CTE, (b) to understand how institutional culture and the distribution of resources support ELs and instructors with ELs in their courses, and (c) to investigate ELs’ classroom experiences and opportunities to learn, as understood by the students, teachers, and administrators in a school dedicated to CTE programming. Drawing on ethnographic methodology, data were collected through fieldwork and classroom observations documented as fieldnotes; 36 in-depth interviews with teachers, administrators, ELs and former ELs; artifacts from classrooms; policy documents; student academic records; and state-level data from the Department of Education. The data analysis demonstrated that, overall, ELs did not experience equitable access to educational experiences leading to college and career readiness. First, ELs’ access to CTE programs that aligned with their career aspirations was restricted; administrators and counselors justified this practice through discourses of meritocracy and deficit framing of ELs. Second, despite the fact that ELs and instructors complained about the lack of support and resources, administrators drew upon race- and language-neutral ideologies to rationalize their failure to invest in programs and practices that would ensure equitable access and success for ELs. Finally, within this context of limited support, instructors expressed deficit views of ELs and relied on pedagogies that did not accommodate the linguistic needs of ELs. As a result, ELs believed that they did not receive adequate support, and many felt unprepared for college and careers. Interpreting these data from a critical race theory perspective, these findings suggest that CTE functions as a White educational space, operating under tacit White supremacist ideologies to justify inequitable treatment of ELs and privilege the cultural and linguistic practices of White students. This undermines CTE’s potential in providing equitable access to college and career readiness for ELs. / Teaching & Learning

This qualitative case study is designed to document the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania. The research was conducted utilizing a qualitative case study protocol on two specific CTE Centers in the suburban Philadelphia area. The study centered on the following question. Has compliance to the accountability components of NCLB impacted the delivery of secondary education in CTE centers in the Pennsylvania? The study identified the changes that have occurred to selected CTE centers in the NCLB era. The assessment mandates of federal policy NCLB are narrowly focused in academic curriculum. The data used to answer the questions was accumulated through interviews with facility staff and the examination of archival records at the two specific centers to be researched. This study determined the impacts of NCLB on the facilities. The impacts included; decreased enrollment, increased academic and testing focus, reduction in technical budgets, increase in academic budgets, increase of special education students, staff changes for the increase of academic areas, morale issues, program changes, shifts in staff development, facility changes, negative publicity and public image due to academic reporting in the media. Questions for future study. What are the costs, financial and opportunity related to the reduction in CTE for increased academics? How many students have been denied the opportunity of attending or completing CTE programs? Why there isn't an alignment of NCLB and IDEA goals? What is the emotional impact to our students who keep getting told they are below basic? The conclusion from this study suggests that the public education system in this country needs to be more centered on actual student outcomes and preparing students with marketable skills and not based on the narrow focus of academic test scores. / Educational Leadership

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The intent of this two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the role teachers' beliefs play when making instructional decisions. The population included in-service teachers representing four Career and Technical Education disciplines located within the commonwealth of Virginia. Using a stratified random sample, 622 teachers were selected for the quantitative strand, and employing a system of four contacts, quantitative data were collected from 292 participants. Dweck's Theories of Intelligence scale assessed the nature of in-service teachers' beliefs about intelligence, and the Epistemic Belief Inventory was used to measure their epistemological beliefs. Finally, the participants rated their use of teacher-centered and student-centered teaching methods. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected from nine participants to further understand how in-service teachers' beliefs are related to the teaching practices they use. The quantitative and qualitative data were combined to determine if the descriptions of teaching method used, beliefs about intelligence, and epistemological beliefs aligned with the outcomes of the quantitative questionnaire. Significant correlations existed between the Theories of Intelligence scale and the Epistemic Belief Inventory. A significant positive relationship existed between the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory and the overall teaching practices score, indicating in-service teachers' advanced epistemological beliefs are related to the use of student-centered teaching practices. A regression analysis indicated that teaching discipline, epistemological beliefs, teaching experience, and highest level of education completed predicted the teaching practices in-service teachers' select. The qualitative data supported the claim that beliefs about intelligence and epistemological beliefs influence teaching practices. Six themes emerged from the qualitative data, and the themes were used as a framework for organizing the findings. The researcher acknowledges that teachers possess a variety of beliefs, and those beliefs influence how teachers teach. The researcher recommends that teacher educators attempt to identify the beliefs pre-service teachers hold, and if modifications of beliefs are needed, facilitate interventions to modify those beliefs. While some have labeled the direct relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching practices as "messy", the evidence indicates the two, are in fact, related. / Ph. D.

Dropping out of school is a major concern as high school graduation credentials have been used as an important measurement tool to define post-secondary success. Numerous researchers presented a multitude of factors that predict dropouts at individual and school levels. Curriculum track choice, or high school course-taking sequence, defines students' schooling career and ultimately the post-secondary path that they choose (Plank, DeLuca, & Estacion, 2008). Scholars have debated on various outcomes related to dropouts influenced by various curriculum choices, namely academic, career and technical education (CTE), dual enrollment, and general curriculum. Several argued students following academic tracks are more likely to graduate. Others claim that CTE benefits students who are at-risk and suppresses dropout likelihood (Rumberger & Sun, 2008). New vocationalism or dual enrollment has proven successful at reducing dropout rates. This study attempted to investigate the influence of curriculum track and CTE program areas on dropout likelihood while controlling for possible individual differences. Analysis was conducted via Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling (HGLM) due to the nested data structure of Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS). Variables included were academic background, academic and career aspiration, school-sponsored activity participation, school minority composition, school average student socio-economic status (SES), school type (private or public), school urbanicity, CTE courses offered at the school, and demographic indicators (gender, race, and SES). Findings reflect higher dropout likelihood among general curriculum participants than academic and occupational concentrators after controlling for all possible individual differences. Dual concentrators had 0% dropout rate, and therefore comparison with other curriculum tracks was not possible via HGLM analysis. Results suggest substantial importance of academic background, post-secondary education plans, and school-sponsored activity participation in predicting dropout likelihood. Comparing CTE program areas, Family and Consumer Sciences, Human Services, Public Services, Health and Education (Human Services area) participants were more likely to drop out than other program areas while Technology Education participants were less likely to drop out than Human Services and 2 or more CTE program area participants. Results suggest 9th grade overall GPA and school-sponsored activity participation as substantial predictors of dropout likelihood among occupational concentrators. Variability across schools was insignificant. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of an expert group of secondary school business teachers regarding whether previously identified competencies for working with students who have disabilities are important for secondary business teachers. The research questions used as a guide to conduct the study were: 1. From a list of identified competencies compiled from course objectives and literature, to what extent did the members of the expert panel of secondary school business teachers in Virginia and agree on competencies that are essential for business teachers related to working with students who have disabilities? 2. What comparisons can be made among the ratings of competencies by the members of the expert panel? The data were collected using a modified, two-round Delphi technique. The initial instrument used in Round I was developed by the researcher based on a literature review and authenticated by a validation panel. The 28 competencies were grouped in eight topical categories to assist in the review by the validation panel. The 16 members of a nominated Delphi panel were business education teachers from Virginia. The Delphi panel responded to the competencies using a five point Likert-type scale in which 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree. The Round II instrument consisted of four competencies that did not meet consensus in Round I by having a standard deviation equal to or less than 1, and consensus was achieved on all four competencies in Round II. Of the original 28 competencies, 27 achieved the predetermined minimum mean score of 3.5 to be considered as important. The category of classroom management had the highest mean rating of 4.61 on the 5.0 scale. Also, the mean ratings were high for the categories of inclusion (4.31) and individual education programs (4.29). The two categories that had the lowest mean ratings (3.88) were characteristics of learners and transition services. Recommendations based on the results were made for improved policy and practice and for further research. / Ed. D.