Within the context of the reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, as amended, the predominant issues for vocational education in the eighties will be refined into policies. Central issues related to reauthorization and to the larger picture of the future of vocational education can be generally grouped into four broad categories: (1) federal role and national purpose of vocational education; (2) governance of the enterprise; (3) equity, access, and civil rights; and (4) program improvement. The federal role should be one of stimulation, equalization, and improvement. A nationwide statement of purpose must emphasize the critical nature of vocational education. Governance includes both the sole state agency concept and linkages with other agencies and groups. Provisions for equity, access, and civil rights must clearly be spelled out and enlarged upon in the new legislation. As part of program improvement, new technology, productivity, and economic development should not be ignored as a dimension of the outreach capacity of vocational education. These issues are the basis for laws which generate policies. Vocational education will become a dependent variable in the educational, social, and economic subsystems of the country when it achieves a political posture based on program effectiveness. (YLB)