There is ample evidence that the structural characteristics of American secondary education are not well suited to vocational education. The solution may require a redesign of the structure of secondary schools, especially their governance. (SK)

Identifies the major functions of short cycle education and two aspects of governance and administration related to these purposes: specifically, local or regional autonomy v national control, and comprehensive, multi-purpose v specialized programs. Considers short cycle education in 12 countries. (AYC)

One of the most significant educational reforms in Western Europe during the last two decades has been the attempt to create a system of comprehensive secondary schools. The traditional approach to secondary education was characterized by a highly stratified formal system in which students were allocated to academic, commercial, or vocational…

With the change to comprehensive schools in Sweden completed, the author considers how education will be restructured in the future both at the compulsory and the post-compulsory levels. (SJL)

Early in the 20th century, vocational education was a concern of educators in the United States as schools struggled to meet labor force needs during the shift from an agrarian to an industrial economic base. A 1914 Congress-authorized commission studied whether federal aid to vocational education was warranted. Charles Prosser, a student of…