The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published an Issue Brief about Undergraduate Enrollments in Academic, Career, and Vocational Education in February 2004 and examined postsecondary vocational education within the context of all undergraduate education. With this Issue Brief, NCES introduced a new taxonomy reflecting the evolution of the labor market and education systems. The new taxonomy classifies all undergraduate majors as academic majors, career majors, or no declared major. Academic majors are defined as “formal programs of study designed to impart knowledge and skills that represent the accumulated knowledge base in a subject area”. Career majors are defined as “formal programs of study designed to impart knowledge and skills that represent the relevant accumulated knowledge within the context of occupation-specific job requirements”. Career majors are classified as “vocational” at the subbaccalaureate level.

The seven academic areas of study examined in the Brief are:

• English/literature and humanities
• Fine and performing arts
• Interdisciplinary studies
• Liberal arts/general studies
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social studies

The 12 career areas of study examined in the Brief are:

• Agriculture/natural resources
• Business/marketing
• Communications/design
• Computer science
• Education
• Engineering/architectural sciences
• Health care
• Legal services
• Personal and consumer services
• Protective services
• Public, social, and human services
• Trade and industry

The brief reports that most (about two-thirds) degree-seeking undergraduate education is career related. Career education is more common at the subbaccalaureate level (e.g., at community colleges) where 71% of students had career or vocational majors than at the baccalaureate level, where 61% of students had career majors.
Four areas account for about half of all subbaccalaureate majors:

• Business/marketing
• Computer science
• Health care
• Liberal arts/general studies

This enrollment pattern reflects the role of community colleges as both providers of job training and as transfer institutions. For more information, please contact author Lisa.Hudson@ed.gov. The report may be downloaded at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004018. Copies may be ordered from EDPubs by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

No Child Left Behind puts special emphasis on determining educational programs and practices proven effective through rigorous scientific research. This is especially evident in reading programs. No Child Left Behind supports scientifically based reading instruction programs in the early grades under the new Reading First program and in preschool under the new Early Reading First program. In this same spirit of doing what works, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education is set to launch a new Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) Program this summer in six selected states. The STAR pilot will help create a national dissemination system to identify evidence-based practices for adult education and infuse them in state professional development systems. STAR will translate research-based principles from the recent Partnership for Reading report into usable classroom practices as well as put those practices to work in instructional settings. A competition to select STAR states will roll out in coming weeks. Selected states will be those willing to put together teams of state and local adult education personnel to look at new ways of delivering staff development. Participation in STAR brings states a number of benefits including:

• A close partnership with an expert national technical assistance team to guide them through all aspects of the pilot;
• Access to research-based materials and resources focusing on adult reading instruction;
• Incentives for implementing program improvement in adult education classrooms;
• Development of a cadre of instructional leaders at state and local levels who will enhance reading instruction statewide;
• Data-driven decision-making models that provide a foundation for continuous improvements in instructional quality; and
• Involvement in an innovative project that provides access to evidence-based reading practices.

More information on STAR will be available on our website at http://www.ed.gov soon.

As communities work to ensure that a highly qualified teacher is in every classroom, four new publications examine how community colleges are assisting states as well as current and future teachers by providing teacher education courses, programs of study, and professional development. The policy briefs by the Community College Policy Center (CCPC) at the Education Commission of the States cover the topics of: professional development, paraprofessional training, teacher education baccalaureate degrees offered at community colleges, and transfer and articulation of teacher candidates from two- to four-year institutions. Each brief explores the advantages, challenges, promising state or college examples, and policy recommendations related to the community college role. CCPC also offers a policy issue section on this topic with further resources and information. Teacher education is just one area in which community colleges have stepped forward to become important partners in serving critical community education and workforce needs.

Recruiting and training highly qualified teachers is a key principle in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The Department of Education promotes the recruitment and preparation of future teachers and the professional development for current teachers through Title II programs in NCLB, including state Improving Teacher Quality grants. Title II of the Higher Education Act supports the Teacher Quality Enhancement program. In addition, Carl D. Perkins grants to states support professional development activities.

Last summer, Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced the formation of the Teacher Assistance Corps (TAC), comprising 45 educators, leaders from higher education and national experts to better understand and support state efforts to implement the highly qualified teacher requirements of No Child Left Behind. A common theme emerged from their frequent meetings, visits and listening sessions with teachers and state and local officials across the country: States haven’t been taking full advantage of flexibility already at their disposal through No Child Left Behind. The following are some of these untapped areas:

1. HOUSSE for Current Teachers
   No Child Left Behind does not require current teachers to return to school, get a degree in every subject they teach, or take a test in every subject to demonstrate that they are highly qualified. The law allows them to provide an alternate method (HOUSSE) for experienced teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency that recognizes, among other things, the experience, expertise, and professional training garnered over time in the profession.



2. Middle School Teacher Requirements
   Importantly, states have the authority to define which grades constitute elementary and middle school. States may determine, by reviewing the degree of technicality of the subject matter being taught and the rigor of knowledge needed by the teacher, whether demonstrating competency as an elementary or as a middle school teacher is appropriate. In addition, states may approve rigorous content-area assessments that are developed specifically for middle school teachers aligned with middle school content and academic standards.



3. Testing Flexibility
   NCLB provides flexibility in developing assessments for teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency. States may tailor teacher tests to the subjects and level of knowledge needed for effective instruction.



4. Special Education Teachers
   The highly qualified teacher requirements apply only to teachers providing direct instruction in core academic subjects. Special educators who do not directly instruct students in core academic subjects or who provide only consultation to highly qualified teachers in adapting curricula, using behavioral supports and interventions or selecting appropriate accommodations, do not need to demonstrate subject-matter competency in those subjects.

For U.S. Department of Education resources for teachers, please visit:
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/landing.jhtml?src=fp

• No Child Left Behind is the first federal education law to give state and local governments more power and more authority to solve local problems.



• No Child Left Behind encourages local control because local solutions are the best tools for fixing local problems.
• Congress and the President both recognize that state and local officials know what is best for their schools, and that will not change.
• That’s why under the new law, state and local officials have unprecedented flexibility to direct federal resources to the areas where they are needed most.
• Some critics have claimed the law contains unfunded mandates. It does not. No Child Left Behind presents a moral vision voted for by both parties in Congress: that every dollar must be used wisely by every public official to ensure that every child is learning.

• Provides states and local communities the option of combining federal resources to pursue their own strategies for raising student achievement.
• States and local school districts may transfer up to 50 percent of the funding they receive for Teacher Quality, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs and Safe and Drug Free Schools to any one of these programs or to the program for the education of disadvantaged children known as Title I.
• States and districts have the flexibility to find innovative ways to improve teacher quality, including alternative certification, merit pay and bonuses for people who teach in high-need subject areas like math and science.

• Offers unique partnerships between local communities and the federal government.
  • In return for more flexibility on how they spend their education dollars, states must set high academic standards for student academic achievement, and hold students, teachers and principals accountable for results.
  • The law provides for the creation of up to 150 local flexibility demonstration projects, where school districts will be allowed to consolidate funds received under four major formula programs in exchange for entering into performance agreements with the state or federal government.

• Under No Child Left Behind, state and local leaders can focus on student needs instead of maintaining the status quo.
• Education leaders now have the public support to reform the schools and equip children for the future.
• For many states, districts and schools, this will mean slimming down bureaucracy and meeting children’s needs with better programs.

• Almost without exception, those attacking this law share an unstated belief that not every child can learn the basics and that debates about spending are the best excuse for not demanding more of the schools.

Call 1(888) 814-6252 or visit www.nclb.gov for more information on No Child Left Behind.