Perceptions of Career and Technical Education in Montana: How Did A Nation at Risk Effect Workforce Education in the Late 20th Century and Now?

Abstract

Career and Technical Education provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. It marries educational objectives and workforce skill sets identified by industry as critical and in high demand. Demand for employees with these skill sets are critical, yet employers are having an increasingly hard time filling these positions.  Have stigmas and biases created by education policy such as A Nation At Risk, as well as, the resulting education shift from Career and Technical Education as a part of a well-rounded public education to College Preparatory curriculum in high schools created a “four-year or bust” societal norm?