This document contains the National Council on Vocational Education's recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the vocational-technical educational system. They follow a list of council members, explanations of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and the purpose of the council, a quiz on vocational-technical education for the reader, and a description of vocational-technical education as a hidden national treasure. The recommendations address the council's desire to (1) improve program effectiveness by offering states flexibility in providing services to special populations, further implementing the concept of technical committees, and maintaining the emphasis on academic skills; (2) increase the cooperation between business and vocational education by expanding model programs; (3) retrain adults by emphasizing lifelong learning; (4) provide access to information regarding the market demand for skills by developing a national labor force database; (5) meet the needs of handicapped people by establishing successfully employed graduates as role models; (6) link vocational education with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) by (among other things) making similar the timetables for vocational education and JTPA; and (6) provide current information on the types and levels of occupational competencies by working with business, industry, and labor. The document also includes information on the council's national awareness campaign and awards it presents, a summary of its meetings in 1988, biographies of members, and seven references. (CML)