ED 061 426

AUTHORTITLE

INSTITUTION

PuB DATENOTE

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

IDENTIFIERS

ABSTRACT

DoCUmENT RESUME

VT 014 789

Huffman/ Harry; And OthersProject TOMORROW. Special Projects in VocationalEducation for Youth and Adults with Special Needs.Colorado State Board for Community colleges andOccupational Education, Denver.; Colorado StateUniv., Ft. Collins. Dept. of Vocational Education.Aug 7171 p.

MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29Activism; Adults; Dropout Prevention; Drug Abuse;*Economically Disadvantaged; *Educational Needs;*Program Development; *Socially Disadvantage SocialProblems; *Vocational Education Youth*Project TOMORROW

Project TOMORROW is designed to provide bettervocational education for Colorado youth and adults who have specialproblems, including social and economic disadvantagementrparticipation in student unrest, disinterest in education, droppingout of school, lack of motivation, and drug use. Phase l'of theproject (1970-1971) sought to help a .number of Colorado schooldistricts develop at least one vocational teacher as a resourdeperson on the vocational problems of youth and adults with specialproblems. A total of 30 vocational teachers were brought together ina variety of meetings and were encouraged to conduct projects thatput them on a one-to-one basis with youth, adults, parents, teache s,and others in alleviating the vocational problems of thedisadvantaged. Outcomes resulting from Phase 1 activities include adistinct change in the attitude of participants, continuation ordevelopment of projects for the next year, high degree of awarenesson the part of the participants' supervisors, and descriptions ofprojects conducted by participants. Phase 2, planned for 1971-1972,will seek to establish teams in' the school districts which willconcentrate

Tplegn7i::edTi=st:LIS774111°Vs:MaltitZgraNlath andwhere the need is great. (Author/SB)

-

Special Projects in VocationalEducation for Youth and Adults

With Special Needs

ProjectTomor-

row

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITYin cooperation With

COLORADO STATE BOARD FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGESAND OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION

2

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION & WELFAREOFFICE OF EDUCATION

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO-OUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTHE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG-INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN.'IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU.CATION POSITION OR POLICY

Harry Huffman, Pro essor of Businessand Office Education

Helen Haas, Head of HomeEconomics Education

Bert Masterson, Head of Businessand Office Education

Maurice Ryan, Research Assistant

August 1971

Department of Vocational EducationColorado State University

;II cooperation with

Colorado State Board for Community Co egesand Occupational Education

PREFACE

Vocational educators have always been concerned with the educational needs of all of thepopulation expecting to enter a vast gamut of occupations. Recently, they have particularly concernedthemselves with special educational and vocational needs of youth and adults who have special social andeconomic problems. Project TOMORROW was developed to help Colorado school districts to meet thesespecial needs.

Phase 1, already completed, sought to help a number of Colorado school districts to develop at leastone vocational teacher as a resource person on the vocational problems of youth and adults with specialneeds. Phase 2 continues the effort by establishing a number of teams in school districts as demonstrationmodels.

An independent evaluation of the outcomes of Phase 1 was prepared by Dr. Ross J. Loomis of theHuman Factors Laboratory of Colorado State University, which is incorporated in this report. Many otherscontributed to the project. Great appreciation is expressed to Dr. Duane L. Blake, Head of the Departmentof Vocational Education, CSU, and Mrs. Betty Meskimen, State Board for Community Colleges andOccupational Education. The assistance of all the consultants is also appreciated. Special thanks is extendedto Charles and Loretta Jacob for obtaining the pictures. Also, special thanks are due to the twenty-oneteachers who prepared detailed descriptions of their projects, which are included in this report.

The development of Phase 2 had the assistance of others. Dr. C. Dean Miller of the PsychologyDepartment of Colorado State University provides a direction for Project TOMORROW Phase 2, throughhis luncheon address on the Advocate, which is included in its entirety. Mrs. Anna May Stivala assisted indeveloping the plan for Phase 2 and a description of the team models.

Ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAG E

Preface . . .... . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . .

Table of Contents

List of Tables iv

Action for TOMO R ROW . . . .. ..... . . . . ............. 63

Abstract

Pha 1 Project TOMO R ROW

ProblemObjectives.... . . . . .... . . . .. .0.0m0ORm ..... 0 ...... O0o0o0O 0

Definition of TermsProceduresFindings -- Participants' Change of AttitudeFindings and Evaluation by Dr. Ross J. Loomis,

Human Factors Laboratory, Colorado State University .

Part I -- Design of the Evaluation . . OOto Om ... o . o . moo. .. .0 ..... ONO

SubjectsI nstrumentsProcedure

1

1

1

2

4444

Part I Results 5Goals 5Process . . 000m0. * .................. . ... .. ...to 6Future Plans 7

Reaction of Supervisors to Participants' Projects 7

Part I l I -- Conclusions 9Abstracts of individual Projects . . . . . . . 00OOOPOOmmOO .. w .......... 10Project Abstracts and Descriptions 13

Pha 2 Project TOMO R ROW

An Invitation . . .............................. oWww*OofOOOO

The Approach .

The ProgramThe Action .

The Advocate by Dr. C. Dean Miller, Department of Psychology,Colorado State University

4

43434445

LIST OF TABLES

Table Mean Scores on Perception Scale By Participantsand Non-Participants

Table 2 Participant Respon s to Selected Questions onProject Goals

Table 3 -- Relative indication by Participants and Non-Participants of Plans to Continue or Start Projects Next Year

Table 4 -- Selected Supervi: r Responses to the Project inTheir School

PAGE

6

8

ABSTRACT

The special purpose of Project TOMORROW is to provide better vocational education for Coloradoyouth and adults who display various symptoms possessing social and economic disadvantages, droppingout of school, participating in student unrest, expressing disinterest in education, exhibiting apathy and thelack of motivation, and going on drugs.

Phase 1, in 1970-71, involved thirty vocational teachers in a number of school districts in meetingsat Colorado State University and in a variety of area meetings with the expert help of consultants andauthorities. A semi-monthly newsletter stimulated the thirty participants to sthdy the problems of theseyouth and adults and to conduct individual projects that put them on a one-to-one basis with youth, adults,parents, teachers, and others in alleviating the vocational and educational problems of the disadvantaged.Several outcomes of Phase 1 were (a) a distinct change in the attitude of the participants as compared withnon-participants, (b) more than twice as many participants as compared to non-participants werecontinuing or starting projects next year, (c) the high degree of awareness on the part of the participants'supervisors of their efforts to improve the vocational programs of youth and adults with special needs, and(d) 21 descriptions of projects curied out by the participants.

Phase 2, planned for 1971-72, seeks to establish in school districts teams for special projects invocational education for youth and adults with special needs. Teams will be set in target areas where theneed is great. It is hoped that the team approach will provide models for other school districts.

iwca,

On page 1, adjoinIng, delete line 17 and Lnaert the followIng lines in itsplace.

are reinforced by their own successes.The teachers have had success in over-coming their awn failures. They have

Phase 1 Project TOMORROWTHE PROBLEM

Successful vocational teachers ofnon-disadvantaged youth often find that theirmaterials and methods do not adequately meet theneeds of disadvantaged youth. They find difficultyin motivating disadvantaged students toachievement and in preventing them from droppingout of school. Furthermore, they do not knowhow to change attitlides, perceptions, andaspirations. Also, these teachers often have not hadan opportunity to apply their background inpsychology, sociology, and human growth anddevelopment to these problems. Even though theymay be sympathetic to such problems and even onthe surface appear to know what the problems are,they find themselves at an impasse to make alasting impact on the problems. They themselvesare reinforced by their own failures. They havecontrol over what happens in their lives, and theygain easy access to information that helps them.Thus they often have difficulty in comprehending-the hopelessness, insecurity, lack of social skills,and the paucity of experience in coping withdifficulties of disadvantaged youth and adults.

The major purpose of this project was toprovide clinical experiences for in-service teachersso that they gained a sufficient grasp of the home,community, and work opportunities to preparenew teaching materials and methods. Otherpurposes include establishment of workingrelationships with the opinion leaders of thepoverty community so that the new materials andmethods are accepted and discovery of andutilization of human resources to alleviate thevocational education problems of disadvantagedyouth and adults.

This approach is based on the assumption thatan accurate knowledge about a situation iseffectively attained by experience in and directinvolvement with the situation. The project wasdesigned to bring about such involvement byproviding the prospective teacher with a series ofclinical and field experiences. A field experience isbasically observation and analysis. A clinicalexperience is defined as one in which the teacherdirectly interacts with disadvantaged youth oradults.1Harry Huffman, Clyde Welter, and Bert Masterson. Designs for the Preparation of Vocational and Technical Teachers of

Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Youth, The Center for Vocational and Technical Education, Ohio State University, 1971.

In the state of Colorado there arcapproximately taw school districts having three ormore d ifferent voca tional progra ms. such :t s

aaicultural, business and office. distributive, homeeconomics, trade and industrial education. -thirtyschool districts agreed to participate in the projectThe participating teachers were encouraged toconduct local projects in their schools so that theywould secure the field and clinical experiences.

A number of guidelines that were followed inthe overall project are described in detail inanother project. 1 The procedure for conductingfield and clinical experiences is fully outlined inthis report.

THE OBJECTIVES

Two objectives were established for theoverall project, which are next discussed. Oneobjective of this project was to develop proceduresfor gaining understanding of the disadvantagedyouth and adults and for working with leaders ofthe poverty community. To meet this objective,participating teachers were encouraged in theirlocal projects to work on a one-to-one basis withone or more disadvantaged youth, parent,community leader, or other person from adisadvantaged group. Another objective was toprepare the participating teacher as a resourceperson for the school district.

Thetfollowing were the expected outcomes ofthe overall project:

Descriptions of local projects and planstheir continuation.

2. A description of effective and ine fectzveexperiences for developing positive attitudestoward the disadvantaged.

Trained resource personnel in theparticipating scho ols.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the purposes of this report the follo- ingterms are defined:

Disadvantaged: Includes youth and adults

9

whose special needs result from poverty, neglect,delinquency, cultural or ethnic isolation from thecommunity at large, but (:oes not includephysically or mentally handicapped persons unlesssuch persons also suffer from the handicapdescribed previously.

Areas: For the purpose of meeting with theparticipating teachers, Colorado was divided intothree geographic sections or areas. The northernarea included teachers from Sterling, Fort Morgan,Greeley, Loveland, Fort Collins, and LongmontThe central area included teachers from theDenver-Metro area, Leadville, and Delta. Thesouthern area included teachers from Monte Vista,La Junta, Colorado Springs, Rocky Ford, Pueblo,Lamar, Las Animas, Cortez, and Alamosa.

Participants: Those vocational teachers whowere randomly selected from those nominated toattend the meetings and participate in projectactivities.

Control Group: Those vocational teachersnominated by the school districts but not selectedto participate in the project activities.

PROCEDURES

In June of 1970, a brochure describing theprogram was sent to 50 schools and districts in thestate of Colorado having three or more vocationalservice areas. This brochure requested each districtto recommend two teachers from their district whomet the following criteria:

1. The two teachers represent two differentvocational services and are currently teachingin vocational programs.

2. The two teachers have demonstrated theirconcern with improving the learningopportunities for the disadvantaged in thelocal school district.

The two teachers have the potential forleadership in developing programs for thedisadvantaged.

From the two vocational teachers nominatedby the district, one teacher was randomly selectedas a participant, the other was placed in the controlgroup. The original groups consisted of thfrtyteachers each.

Beginning in September, 1970, those teachersselected to participate in the project began

receiving information on the purpose of theproject. Semi-monthly newsletters were mailed tothe participants as a source of directioninformation from the project director's office.

A planning meeting for the 30 participa itswas held at Colorado State University in earlyOctober. At this meeting the participants, with thehelp of consultants, planned their local projectswhich are later described in this report.

During the remaining school year, theparticipants were encouraged to pursue theirprojects. Information and guidance was providedby means of the monthly newsletters and areameetings. Three area meetings were held during theyear in each of Fort Collins, Denver, and Pueblo.At these meetings the participants reviewed theirprojects with the help of the staff of CSU,including Dr. Mary Helen Haas, Dr. HarryHuffman, and Dr. Bert Masterson, and withespecially invited consultants, including Mr. HarryAnderson, Vocational :Director of Delta PublicSchools, Mr. Gilbert Carbajal, Spanish teacher andJunior Achievement Director in Loveland, Mr.Abelardo Delgado from the Colorado .MigrantCouncil, Dr. Donald Eden from Adams StateCollege, Mr. Willard Newton, Contract RelationsOfficer with the Department of Defense, and Mr.Curt Phillips, Director of Vocational Education inPueblo. Consulting .assistance in projects fromexperienced vocational educators (who are workingon their doctoral degrees) was made available tothe participants throughout the project.

At these. meetings, the participants alsointeracted with the staff and consultants aboutbuilding their' competency as a resource person todeal: with students and adults with special needsthat could be met educationally.

A final meeting was held in May, 1971, atColorado State University to summarize andevaluate the results of the project, which aredescribed later in this report. At this meetingfurther in-service training was provided theparticipants. A number :of the control group alsoparticipated in this meeting and also received thebenefits.

Although the primary purpose of the Maymeeting was to gather data to evaluate theeffectiveness of the project, the participatingteachers presented panel discussions of theirprojects. This served' to acquaint all the teacherswith the -results of individual projects, to plan forthe improvement of .the projects,- and to provide

for discussions between participants, controlteachers and consultants.

Before the panel discussions of individualprojects completed by the participants began, datawere collected about the total project whichincluded administration of the Perception Scaleand individual interviews.

FINDINGS--PARTICIPANTS'CHANGE OF ATTITUDE

The first evaluation technique cons sted ofadministering a perception scale. The scalePerceptions About Disadvantaged Youth andAdults consisted of 38 items designed toinvestigate the perceptions and opinions peoplehave about the disadvantaged. This instrument wasthe out-growth of a study conducted at The Centerfor Vocational and Technical Education, The OhioState University, and was refined during 1970-71at Colorado State University. The inventory wasadministered to the 26 participants and 12non-participants.

It was hypothesized that, as a result ofparticipating in this project, the participatingteachers would have greater insight into andawareness of problems, attitudes, and valuesassociated with disadvantaged students than wouldnon-participants. The results of the test arepresented in Table 1.

Individual InterviewsAmong the original purposes of this project

was the intent to involve teachers in leadershipactivities so that they could become resourcepersonnel for other teachers interested in

overcoming the educational problems ofdisadvantaged youth and adults. In order todetermine whether this objective was achieved,each participant was interviewed.

With the assistance of Dr. Ross j. Loomis,Human Factors Laboratory at Colorado StateUniversity, three interview schedules weredeveloped. The first schedule was directed towardthose teachers who had participated in the project,the second toward non-participants, and the thirdtoward the supervisors of the participatingteachers.

Under the direction of Dr. Loomis, eightgraduate students from the Vocational EducationDepartment were instructed in conductinginterviews. These graduate students interviewed theparticipants at the May meeting and conductedtelephone interviews with their supervisors.Follow-up telephone interviews are planned forearly 1972 of all participating teachers todetermine the long-range effectiveness of theproject.

Dr. Loomis has prepared an evaluation of theeffectiveness of the project as determined throughanalysis of interview responses. This report is

TABLE 1MEAN SCORES ON PERCEPTION SCALE BYPARTICIPANTS AND NON-PARTICIPANTS

GROUP

Participants

Non - Participants

Total

26

12

38

MEAN

102.53

98.9

TEST

1.486

The t-value (1.486) is significant at the .05level. Therefore, we can conclude thatparticipation in this project promoted improvedperceptions about disadvantaged youth and adults.

presented next.

FINDINGS AND EVALUATION BYDr. Ross f. Loomis*

Part I Design of the EvaluationThe current evaluation was designed to assess

goals centering around a program conducted by Dr.Harry Huffrnan entitled "Teaching theDisadvantaged in Vocational Education." The goalsof this program, operated out of CSU during1970-71, were four in number.

First, the program was designed to involveteachers with disadvantaged youth and adults insolving their educational, social, and economicproblems. The second goal was to provideknowledge of the various means of assistingdisadvantaged youth and adults. A third goal wasto involve teachers in the dissemination of the newprocedures and materials in a leadership activityamong their colleagues and community leaders.The final goal was to develop a reference group ofother teachers interested in overcoming theeducational problems of disadvantaged youth andadults so that they could gain mutualreinforcement and assistance.

The evaluation was planned to get a readingon these goals and how well they were beingrealized by a number of teachers in Coloradoinvolved in the program. In addition, theevaluation wanted to assess how well the specificprojects of the teachers involved seemed to beprogressing. Other concerns of the evaluationcentered around uncovering any kinds ofprocess-oriented problems that the participants inthe program might be experieiicing. These wouldinclude such things as problems encountered incarrying out their project at the local level, andreactions of the participants to the plannedmeetings and other materials prepared by directorsof the program at Colorado State Univers..ty. Onefinal goal of the evaluation was to take a measureon what kinds of future planns were anticipated bythe participants in the program, perhaps resultingas a direct function of being involved in theprogram. The evaluation will be reported in threeparts. Part I gives the design of the evaluation.PartII gives results, and Part III contains someconclusions of the evaluation of the Teaching theDisadvantaged in Vocational Education program atCSU.

Subjects

A total of 59 persons were interviewed _orreactions to the program. Twenty-seven of

rhe interviewees were participants who were given/

projects in the program. Seventeen werenon-participants persons who had beendesignated as possible alternates to theparticipants. Fifteen supervisors of the participantswere also interviewed . Thus, it was possible to getinput from three distinct subgroups of subjects(a) participants, (b) teachers who had an interest invocational education but were designated asnon-participants, and (c) the supervisors of theparticipants.

Instruments

Three interview schedules were designed foruse with the three different subject groups.Samples of the instruments are contained inAppendix A. The basic interview schedules forparticipants and non-participants were designed inthree parts. First, goals of the overall program;second, problems of issues in the process -- thatis, how the program was run; and finally, plans forfuture participation in the program. The interviewschedule for supervisors was designed to assesswhether the supervisor was aware of theparticipant's program and whether working on theproject had contributed to the increasedunderstanding of the teacher of problems ofdisadvantaged students. Supervisors were alsoasked to indicate whether they felt there had beensomething accomplished as a result of participatingin the project.

Procedure

Following a preliminary draft of theinstruments, interviewers were trained in twotwo-hour sessions and briefed on the details of theinterview schedule. At this time it was also possibleto get feedback from the interviewers who wereknowledgeable in terms of changes and questionsand the addition of other questions. The majorityof interviews were taken during a meeting at theColorado State University campus when it waspossible to interview all of the participants in thesample and most of the non-participants. PhoneInterviews were used to follow up with supervisorsand some additional non-participants. In additionto these measures, phone interviews will be madeof the participants next March to ascertain whetherthey have followed through on the projects they

*Dr. Loomis is Head of the Human Factors Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University.

4

have been working on and also any indicated plansthat they told the inter iiewers about in themeasure taken th s year.

Part I I Resu Its

The first section in the Results section willreport the outcomes of interviews with participantsand non-participants. Responses will besummarized in terms of goals-oriented questions,process-oriented questions, and future plansindicated by the participants or non-participants,In this portion of the results, non-participants willbe used to some extent as a control comparisongroup. The second portion of the Results sectionwill summarize the responses of supervisors ofteachers who had projects.

Goals

All but one of the 27 participants (See Table2) felt that participation in a specific projectprovided them with new ideas and means forassisting disadvantaged youth and adults. Theseresponses could be broken down into threesubcategories:

1. Some respondents felt they had pickedup definite method skills such as ideas forcurriculum, strategies for getting into the homes ofstudents, dealing first-hand with problems, andcoming into contact with resource people.

2. Miny respondents felt that they hadincreased their understanding of the attitudes ofdisadvantaged youth. Some felt that they hadlearned that disadvantaged youth were moremotivated to change thea- status than is commonlythought, but their uniqueness is not wellunderstood by the majority culture.

3. A fairly common response to thisquestion was to rnention an effective changebrought about by contact with disadvantagedyouth through the project. Respondents felt thatthey could empathize much more with the lives ofthese students and that they had greater sensitivityfor how the students felt about the schoolsituation and life in general.

Twenty-four participants reported that theyestablished contacts and played a role intransmitting information about materials andprocedures involved in teaching the disadvantagedas a direct function of working on a project. (SeeTable 2.) The kinds of contacts established were as

5

follows: (a) Sixteen directly mentionedprofessional contacts such as counselors, otherteachers, and school personnel. (b) Fourrespondents mentioned specific attempts to makecontact with the homes of the students. (c) Twelveof the interviewees reported they had informationdisseminating contacts with various communityleaders and groups. (d) Two respondents reportedthat they were active with formal student groups inthe dissemination of information about teachingthe disadvantaged. The frequency of contact withother people regarding disadvantaged studentsvaried widely from daily contact with fellowteachers and students to less frequent contact withsupervisors and community people. The form ofinformation dissemination and contact ran thegamut from highly informal face-to-face situationsto very formal presentations such as slide shows,brochures, open houses, talks, and plannedprograms.

Another way of assessing whether theparticipants in the program were becoming moreinvolved with the problems of disadvantaged youthwas to take a measure of their reading habits in thisarea. Twenty-one teachers said that they had readmaterials related to the teaching of disadvantagedyouth. Most of the respondents reported readingfour or five sources such as books, technicaljournal articles, or published materials through thepress, etc. The range of material cited by thosewho noted some reading in the area was from oneto 30 separate items. Some reported reading thenewsletter put out by the project director at CSUas a source for finding reading materials in the area.

As a final question under "goals,"respondents were asked to note what they hadlearned about disadvantaged youth in regard totheir educational, social, and economic problems.Five of the 27 interviewees clearly indicated thatthey did not learn anything new. (See Table 2.) Inthe case of the remaining 22, it is hard to

istinguish for sure what constituted new learningas a function of the project and what ideas theypossessed before the project since many of thethings suggested were rather conventional thinkingabout disadvantaged students. Typical commentsabout educational problems of these youth werereferences to the interaction between economicand social factors which made it less likely forthese youth to stay in school and be interested in atwical educational situation. Mention was made of

Table 2PARTICIPANT RESPONSES TO SELECTED QUESTIONS

ON PROJECT GOALS (27 Participants Sampled)

QUESTION ON PROJECT GOAL YES NO

Participation in the project provided new ideas and means for assisting disad-vantaged youth

Because of working on the project I became involved with co_ -unication *about teaching the disadvantaged

*Communication contacts mentioned were:Professional contacts (Other teachers, etc.) . . . 16Contacts with community leaders & groups. . 12Contacts with the homes of students 4Contacts with formal student groups 2

Number of participants who felt they learned something new about the ed-ucational, social, and economic problems of the disadvantaged

26

24

1

the major problem of the irrelevancy ofstandardized curriculums in relation to the needsof these youth, thus resulting in a problem ofholding their attention. Some mentioned the lowlevel of achievement of the students and theproblem of breaking through stereotyped notionsabout disadvantaged youth. Under social problems,they mentioned rather typical problems cited bypeople in low economic groups, such as rejectionby peers, discrimination, above average numbers ofhome and family problems, general alienation fromthe majority culture, and an increased amount ofdrug use. Most of the respondents were aware ofunique economic problems faced by their studentsincluding problems of not enough money, being onwelfare, poor consumer finance habits, resentmentof being labeled poor, problems in affordingtransportation to school, and work relatedproblems in terms of job placement. Somerespondents felt that more school activities shouldbe geared to the special problems of low incomestudents, such as improved vocational education.

Non-participants gave similar answers to thegoals-related questions as did participants.Flowever, there was a much higher frequency ofinability to answer the questions dealing withknowledge about educational, social, and economicproblems of the disadvantaged. Also more

6

non-participants reported that they had playedlittle or no role in communicating with otherpeople about materials and procedures involved inworking with the disadvantaged. There alsoappeared to be a somewhat lesser amount ofmaterials read relating to the disadvantaged. Eventhough these respondents were not participants inthe CSU program, they were aware of the program.Furthermore, a majority of them said that theyhad been involved in another project involvingdisadvantaged youth in vocational educationprograms. Thus, non-participants constituted acontrol group of teachers who have had someexposure to vocational education with thedisadvantaged. For this reason it is not surprisingthat those who were able to give a positive answerto questions about social, economical, andeducational problems had some knowledgebackground to draw from.

Process

Most all of the participants attended a

meeting at CSU and some of the regional meetings.The overall reaction was that the participants werefavorable to both kinds of meetings. Criticism wasminimal and it was difficult to see any overalltrend to the criticism. As is typical of professional

meetings, the main function scrved by the CSU andregional meetings seemed t e be informationexchange. Participants indicated that they werepleased with the opportunity to talk withconsultants and other teachers who had projects.They liked the openness and straightforward aspectof the planned CSU meeting. Some participantsalso indicated that they were able to get a betterdefinition and awareness of problems ofdisadvantaged youth from the CSU meetings. Aswas expected, non-participants did hot take part inregional meetings. Thus, one of the main functionsthat seems to be served by both regional and theplanned CSU meetings was to disseminateinformation. It also appears safe to assume that inaddition to this information function that theinteraction exchange process was probablymotivating to the participants. This was indicatedmore precisely in some of the comments aboutregional meetings where it was possible to get morespecific help or a more direct reading on one's ownproject in relation to the others.

The newsletter put out from CSU also servedan information exchange function. All of theparticipants indicated awareness of the newsletterand some degree of use of it, The most frequentuse was to get information about the projects andthe overall program. Some participants indicatedthat they also gained information about readingmaterials and improved their definition of thedisadvantaged as well as got ideas for working ontheir project from reading the newsletter. A fewparticipants indicated that they actively circulatedthe newsletter to other teachers. In contrast, onlyabout a third of the non-participants were aware ofthe newsletter. They gave rather similar reactionsto those of the participants. That is, the newsletterserved as a source of information.

Nineteen of the participants indicated thatthey had some problems in carrying out theirproject. The nature of these problems can bebroken down into the following categories. (1)Lack of adequate time to meet the needs of theproject. (2) Lack of support from other personsincluding other teachers and school personnel. (3)External related problems such as the lack of jobsor difficulties in getting the business comrnunityinterested in the project.

A related question was asked ofnon-participants to assess the extent to which theymay have become involved in one of the projectsand asked whether they had worked with one of

(

the participants on a project. Only two thenon-participants polled indicated that they had.

i

(1 There appears to be a relative independence thenof the non-participants from any of the ongoing

1 projects.1

Future Plans

The majority of participants planned toconl:tnue some aspect of their project next year. Inson, cases this will be continued on a moreinfd:rnal basis. Three of the participants stated thatthe-)- were uncertain about future plans for theprciject or that someone else might be continuingtha;: project. Only two participants definitely

ay.ed that they would not continue some aspectof their project next year. It is this question on

.ture plans that will make up the basis for thet,Aephone follow-up next March to see how manyof these participants have, in fact, accomplishedsomething more on their project during the comingyear. Consistent with the n-end to the answer ofthe question about continuing the project, mostparticipants are definitely in favor of seeing theproject continue. Most indicated that they havemade some specific plans for the continuation oftheir work. Eleven of the participants indicatedsome planning for a new or different project forthe coming year. Most of this planning is at thepresent indefinite or in a rather general form. Thiswould appear to be consistent with answers to theearlier questions about the future since most of theproject people are making plans of some kind forcontinuing this year's project. The phone interviewfor next March would need, then, to be based onthese stem questions about the future on thisyear's questionnaire. Ideally, the format of thephone interview would ask participants about theprogress in relationship to the plans they havestated this year, and also whether they are planningto continue or start a new project at that time nextyear. Five non-participants indicated that they hadmade some definite plans for a new project fornext -ear. An additional non-participant indicatedthat they would carry on some informal work intheir class. (See Table 3.)

Reactions of Supervisors to -the Participants'Projects

Only two of the .snpervisors sampled indicatedthat they did not know anything about thevocational education project for the disadvantaged

going on. The distribution of reackions ofsupervisors for some questions is summarized inTable 4. The supervisors' awareness of the projectvaries from being highly aware and knowledgeableabout it to a very superficial awareness of theproject. Most of the supervisors who indicated an

disadvantaged or his knowledge of thedisadvantaged or his activities with disadvantagedstudents as a function of the project. The majorityof the supervisors could make some definiteobservations about the changes they felt had takenplace with the teachers. The most frequent change

Table 3RELATIVE INDICATION BY PARTICIPANTS AND NON-PARTICIPANTS

OF PLANS TO CONTINUE OR START PROJECTS NEXT YEAR(27 Participants and 17 Non-participants Sampled)

UESTION ON PROJECT PLAN YES UNCERTAIN NO

1. Do you plan to continue your project next year? 22 3 2(Asked of project participants.) (81%) (10%) (8%)

2. Do you have any plans to start work on a project next year? 6 0 11

(Asked of non-participants.) 5%) (65c'i

awareness of the project were also able to point tosome definite accomplishments obtained duringthe year because the project had been undertaken.Frequently, the accomplishments cited were suchthings as changes in the attitude of schoolpersonnel towards the disadvantaged, changes incurriculum or suggestions for the program for thedisadvantaged, and additional interaction ofteachers with these particular students. In a couple

cited in the teacher's att rude toward thedisadvantaged student was an increase inunderstanding and empathy for these kinds ofstudents. A typical kind of comment was that theteacher had difficulty during the first year relatingto this type of student but by working on theproject and having more contact with thesestudents the teacher improved his skills andunderstanding of the student. Thus, the most

Table 4SELECTED SUPERVISOR RESPONSES TO THE PROJECT IN THEIR SCHOOL

(15 Respondents Sampled)

QUESTION ON PROJECT IN SCHOOL YES UNCERTA N NO

1. I am aware of the project of a teacher in my school.

2. I feel something positive has been accomplished by the p oject.

3. Would you want your teacher to participate in the programnext year?

13

12

12 1

2

2

of instances, the supervisors felt that the image ofthe institution had been improved with thecommunity because the program had beenundertaken. A major question asked of thesupervisors was to note any changes that had takenplace in the participant's attitude toward the

8

frequent change in the attitude of teachers seemsto be related to emotional and understandingcomponents, with the teacher showing greaterempathy and awareness of the problems that thesestudents have.

Supervisors were less specific about changes in

the knowledge of disadvantaged students that hadtaken place with the teachers who had workedwith these students. In part, this is probably due tothe fact that this question was answered to a greatextent in the first portion of the interview whenmany supervisors noted that teachers had increa5 '

their awareness of the students' problems. Somespecific comments, though, to the second part ofthis question about knowledge of disadvantagedstudents invol-ed teachers who were makingspecial curriculum recommendations along thelines of knowledge they had gained from workingwith the students or were using more media withthese students or had learned to relate better tospecific problems encountered by these students.

Supervisors were not able to enumerate toomany changes in the participant's activity. Themost frequent change mentioned was that teachershad been able to improve job possibilities,placement, and follow-up of these students.Additional comments to this question were thatsome of the teachers had changed their strategies indealing with these students such as putting morestress on individual contact with the disadvantaged.

Twelve of the supervisors interviewed felt thatthe participant had some influence on otherteachers in the school regarding disadvantagedstudents in vocational education. The most typicalkind of influence seemed to be the enthusiasm thatthe participant had for working with these studentsand communicating this enthusiasm as well asspecific items of information to other teachers andin some cases to the school's administration.

Thirteen of the 15 supervisors sampled statedthat they were positive toward continuing theprogram in their school for vocational teachers ofthe disadvantaged. Most of the answers that wereaffirmative to this question seemed to beenthusiastic answers with some definite statementof commitment of personnel, or ideas to thecontinuation of the program.

Part III Conclusions

The following conclusions can be drawn.1. Evidence based on the interview data

revealed that more participants, as compared tonon-participants, were achieving the four goalsoutlined for the project. For example, participantswere becoming involved with disadvantaged youth,learning about their character and problems, anddeveloping means of assisting them. Participants

9

involved with the indivIdual projects also weredisseminating information about their projects andsome of the procedures and materials that theywere using. The ideas were disseminated to otherteachers and school administrators, as well ascommunity leaders. Evidence also revealed that theparticipants were interacting more thannon-participants with other teachers interested inworking with disadvantaged youth in vocationaleducation.

2. Participants were favorable toward theCSU and regional meetings in which they reviewedtheir individual projects and secured consultingassistance. There was evidence that they were usingthe newsletter materials distributed as part of theprogram.

3. The major problems in dealing with theirprojeLts appear to be lack of enthusiasm or supportfrom other teachers or their school administrators,or in some cases members of the community, andthe problem of budgeting enough personal time todeal with the project.

4. With regard to the project next year, thefollowing suggestions can be made:

(a) Define the goals more explicitly in termsof perhaps unique or highly specialized methods ormaterials that might be used with this particulartarget group of students. For example, specializedmaterials might include teacher-constructed_earning packages, and a specializefl, method mightinclude peer instruction. With m'ore specific goalsstated it would be possible to make a more detailedevaluation of the project. (

(b) Planned meethigs in the future could beused to stress these more specific goals andmeasurements taken ro see how well the goals arebeing understood and reaked.

(c) The problem of the participants notfeeling that they are adequately supported, thatthere is not enough enthusiasm at times for whatthey are doing, could be aided by bringing otherpeople ihto direct contact with the project. Theplan for next year to use the team approach to theindividual projects could prove to be an effectiveway of accomplishing this kind of support.

(d) In the current evaluation, three differentgroups were compared for their perceptions of theimpact of the projects. In the future, it would beadvantageous to add a fourth group: namely,teachers who have shown no interest or contactwith teaching the disadvantaged youth. This group

would make a much sharper comparison with thelearning that is going on with teachers who areinvolved with the project or even thosenon-participant teachers who are interested in theproject area. It is likely that this comparison wouldgive even more dramatic evidence that learning istaking place along the lines of the four goals thatwere stated for the program.

In summary, the participants had movedcloser to the goals than non-participants, which isevidence of the success of the total project.Furthermore, in general, their supervisors werepleased with the results

ABSTRACTS OFINDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

Towards Helping the Disadvantaged by Bartell

Through individual and small-groupsessions the students were assisted withprogramming and registration. Specialsessions were directed at problemsconcerning grades, absenteeism, droppingout, and working.

2. The Counselor and Coop by Brunner. . .

By working with individual counselors thisproject was directed at increasing theeffectiveness of cooperative workexperience programs. Counselors visitedwork stations and talked with employersand students gaining a greater appreciationof the opportunities afforded studentsthrough participation in the program.

Team Approach to Coop by Campbell

Orientation to work and encouragement tostay in school were provided through ateam approach to work experienceprograms. The student's teacher, vocationalcounselor, and work experiencecoordinator worked together monitoringhis progress and o fering assistance.

Keeping Lines of Com unication Open byCooke

The turned-off' student was provided apipeline to the school administration,acuity council, and student council

10

through rap sessions WO Pt -iiltymembers. These sessions proviiled anopportunity for unrepresented studentsand students with special problems tointerject their thoughts and opinions intothe school system and obtain results.

Financial Help for Disadvantaged Students byGraves . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

Many students could not afford to attendthe area vocational school or could onlyattend with the assistance of welfare. Thisproject was designed to providescholarships and work experience programsfor disadvantaged students.

Development of a Vocational Curriculum forDisadvantaged Boys in the IntermediateGrades by Hasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As a result of poor classroom performancema n y students, e sp ecially thedisadvantaged, drop out of school in theekhth and ninth grades. The program wasdesigned to provide an introduction to theworld of work. Through a knowledge oft h e re q uirements for successfulemployment it was believed that thestudent would become motivated tocontinue his vocational and academiceducation.

Teaching Vocational Education ThroughEnglish by Hayes . .

Certain concepts from o ccupationaleducation were incorporated into anEnglish class. Field trips to local businesses,resource people, and a simulation game o"Careers" were utilized to develop anawareness of the different occupations andbackground requirements for job entry.Students wrote their own personal profile,practiced filling out applications, andparticipated in simulated job interviews.

8. Developing Employment Opportunities forthe Disadvantaged by Hazelton

Special programs were tailored to meetindividual needs. Disadvantaged studentswere provided assistance through

student-tu tors, and part-time eniplo'ymentin related occupations LL 7S obtained.

9. Career Review and Placement of RuraStudents by Jacob and Jacob

Through increased knowledge about urbanlifestyles and the development of positiveattitudes and improved self confidence,disadvantaged students from rural settingswere assisted in meeting the competitionfrom urban students in obtainingemployment in the city job market.

10. Teacher Involvement by Kirk . . . . . . . . .

This project attacks the problem of thedisadvantaged student being "pushed out"

.school. Through special programs,teachers were made aware of the needs andproblems of disadvantaged students whichcan be helped through personal actions ofthe teachers.

Coordinator-Counselor-Teacher by Perrino. .

This project incorporates the counselingunction with the activities of the

coordinator of work-experience programs.As a reuslt, education became moreeffective and relevant in meeting the specialneeds of the disadvantaged.

Helping the Disadvantaged Help Themselvesby Pieper

Each vocational instructor selected onedisadvantaged student who was in need oassistance. By working on a one-to-onebasis, many of the students' problems wereovercome and the teacher gained newawareness of the needs and problems facedby disadvantaged students.

13. Get Everybody Involved in Work Experienceby Porter

Potential dropouts were identified and,through part-time work experience, wereprovided with the funds and motivation tocontinue with school. Counselors, teachers,employers, parents, and the communitywere involved in helping these studentsobtain employment and complete theireducation.

14. Business Education Da for 9th Graders byRelyea. . . . ... . ..

An orientation to the world of work wasprovided through an exchange of studentsin home economics and shop courses.Students spent time discussing humanrelations, job preparation, and personalitydevelopment and spent a day with anemployer in an occupation of the student'schoice.

15. Project Big Sister by Rethemeier

Through the e orts o "Big- Sisters" inFuture Business Leaders of America,potential dropouts and disadvantagedstudents were given the opportunity to visitplaces of employment and encouraged toenroll in secretarial and business programs.

16 Teacher Awareness by Salaz

Through home visitations, rap sessions, andsocial interaction, teachers working withdisadvantaged students were assisted indeveloping an awareness of the differentcultural values possessed by minoritystudents.

17. A Little "jingle by Shirley.

Increased sel -confidence of disadvantagedstudents by providing part-timeemployment was the heart of this project.Even though many jobs were onlytemporary, the student's self-image wasimproved by being able to purchase clothesand pay for school lunches and supplies.

18. Coop and Rehabilitation by Uhlinger

This project was directed at develop ngcooperative work experience opportunitiesor girls who are institutionalized. Tips are

provided for teachers who may haveadjudicated youths who are released andhave returned to the public schools.

19. Improving Student-Faculty Relationships byWallace

Through individual and group sessions thereasons for disadvantaged students' failureto find relevancy in the existing

educat onal programs was explored. Theresults of these sessions were shared withthe faculty and staff and approaches tomeeting the students' needs formulated.

20. Preventing Dropouts in Business Occupationsby Walz... .. .....

This project was directed at helpingstudents who were having difficulties incertain business subjects. Techniques usedincluded parent conferences, tutorial helpfrom advanced students, individualized

12

20

instruction, and pre-cinployincnt workorientation.

21. Implementing an Occupational WorkExperience Program by York.

The objective of this project was to developa cooperative work experience program mhome economics. The project wasespecially directed at assisting thedisadvantaged students through workorientation and part-time employment.

PROJECT ABSTRACTS AND DESCRIPTIONS

TOWARDS HELPING THE DISADVANTAGED

Donald BartellLake County High School

Leadville, Colorado

Introduction

Lake County High School has approximately485 students of which 40 percent are SpanishAmericans. This rural community has a populationof 8,200 people employed in mining, recreation,and services. The lack of diverse employmentopportunities, compounded with a high andincreasing dropout rate encouraged the writer tosearch for a solution.

bject ives

1. To locate students with special needsand find out their problems regarding family,community, and economics.

2. To make a firm commitment to be ofsetvice to the disadvantaged in the most effectiveway and encourage other instructors to becomemore aware of the disadvantaged.

3. To be instrumental in securing jobplacement in the world of work for those we serve.

4. To develop meaningful vocationalprograms that are beneficial to the students,including summer programs which will be moreresponsive to the special needs of thedisadvantaged.

Generally, the objectives of this project wereto bring about a change in attitudes, behavior, andabilities in the students, the faculty, and thecommunity and in the development of social/civicvaits such as cooperation, tolerance, honesty,reliability, and moral values.

Procedures

Planning is an important aspect of any newendeavor. Three additional teachers were recruitedand the planning process begun. Problems of thedisadvantaged such as improper registration,absenteeism, poor grades, and dropping out werediscussed in detail.

1. Small adv sor-advisee groups wereestablished.

2. Each professional staff member wasassigned 15 students (5 sophomores, 5 juniors, and5 seniors). Each student will remain with his

1422

advisor throughout high school.3. A graduation requirement sheet and

grade progress card were developed to provide theadvisor and the disadvantaged student with a

comprehensive record of his school backgroundand progress.

Conclusions

Discussions are now underway on the specialneeds of students. The main topic of discussion is"Who Fails School or Student." New strides inthis area will be accomplished next year becausewe have some teachers, guidance personnel, andadministrators who are active in obtaining moreinformation on what is needed and what can bedone. It appears that during the next school termall teachers will be involved: Therefore, as thisproject has developed I feel it has brought about achange in teachers and students changes inattitudes, in behavior, and in abilities.

This summer we are conducting a carpentryprogram for disadvantaged students. Hopefully, inthe future this summer program can grow toinclude other fields of endeavor.

THE COUNSELOR AND COOP

John BrunnerWest High SchoolDenver, Colorado

Introduction

West High School serves the inner city ofDenver and has a student population ofapproximately 1,750 students. Eighty percent ofthe students at West High terminate their formaleducation at grade 12 or before. Many of theseyoung people could be and are good candidates forvocational education. Cooperative educationprograms can be the ground upon which retentionof would-be dropouts is based. Also, cooperativeeducation could provide a substantially soundbackground for students who will go directly into aworking situation upon completion of grade 12.There is a great and real need for more vocationaleducation at West High School. In the last threeyears, new programs have been implemented, butbecause of the lack of funds for new physicalfacilities, the development of any new or in-depth

vocational program has been broughtstandstill. Fortunately, cooperatitte education, oneof the present program phases of vocationaleducation, can continue to operate and to expandwithout added physical facilities; and the WestHigh community has a wealth of potential trainingstations for cooperative education students,primarily because of its geographic location.

Objectives

1. To establish lines of communicationbetween vocational teachers, teacher-coordinators,and counselors concerning cooperative education.

2. To provide counselors with informationand a first-hand experience :with cooperativeprograms.

Proced u res

1. Provide counselors with informationabout the cooperative education programs itspurposes, procedures, and benefits.

2. Have the counselor accompany theteacher-coordinator to a work station. Here he willperceive t h e relationships betweenstudent-employer, studen t-teacher, andteacher-employer. In viewing the students'on-the-job training, he can become aware of theexpectations which teacher and employer have forthe student. In speaking with the employer, he canrecognize the service which the employer is, infact, giving to the school system. Hopefully, thecounselor might see beyond the momentary sceneand recognize what a beneficial interplay of actionis going on between the school and the businesscommunity.

Evaluation

1. The counselors were interested andwilling to become more informed aboutcooperative education.

2. The total cooperative education programshows a growth in students enrolled for the firstsemester of the 1971-72 school year. Many morestudents are talking with teacher coordinatorsabout the cooperative education program.Counselors are sending more students to teachercoordinators for vocational and career counseling.

3 Six full time counselors with a studentload of 250-300 are working t West. These people

15

did have a problem in committing as much timthis project as I wished. I would have liked moretime for my own involvement, but teachers in atarget area school find their time divided amongmany projects in today's changing educationalscene.

4. I believe that the total vocationaleducation program has made the turn in beingaccepted as a integral part of the schoolcurriculum. As tragic as it may seem, vocationaleducation has --. for all practical purposes juststarted in the high school in the Denver PublicSchool System.

Conclusions

1. It became obvious to me thatcooperative education must be "sold" to all schoolpersonnel. It also became very obvious to me thatthis project was just a small part of a total programthat must be commun cated to all who are involvedin education.

2. Once the project got underway, I founda need to involve more than counselors. I foundthat there are many others who could benefit froman in-depth look at cooperative education. In turn,these informed people could help build a bettertotal program for the disadvantaged student.

3. I will hope to find the necessary timenext year to carry this type of project to others onthe West High staff. So many problems of differingmagnitudes exist at a school like West. One attimes becomes very frustrated and only anoptimistic, positive, and 110 percent effort keepsone moving forward toward solution of theseproblems.

TEAM APPROACH TO CO OP

Foster CampbellMapleton High School

Denver, Colorado

I ntroduction

Maple .on High School serves an urbancommunity of 40,000 people. The mainoccupational outlets are in industrial and smallfarm occupations. The student body of 637 ismade up from primarily lower-middle incomefamilies. There is a. large concentration of

Mexican-Americans and Anglo students whosehomes have just one parent, usually the mother,and many are on welfare. This project concerned33 students who were enrolled in an occupationalwork experience program.

Objectives

. To provide work orienta :ion for studentsseeking part-time employment through theOccupational Work Experience program.

2. To identify the special needs anddevelop the unused talents of the OWE group.

3. To develop the kind of flexibility thatencourages a student to pursue a work-studyprogram--while gaining academic credits for asecondary education.

Proced u res

The OWE program was set up with the ideathat a team approach would be used. The teamwould consist of three faculty members: a teacher,the vocational counselor, and the coordinator ofthe OWE program. The coordinator would placethe students in jobs, visit the business people in thecommunity and the students while they were ontheir jobs. The vocational counselor wouldschedule the students into the OWE program,counsel the students, and teach the occupationalorientation class. The faculty member would keepin close contact with the students' academicprogress and make a report every three weeks at astaffing meeting. These periodic reports would helpthe teams decide what actions should be taken toassure the students' continued success in theprogram.

The following methods were used to meet theobjectives:

1. Students were in an occupations classthree days a week for one semester.

2. Group counseling for the purpose ofdiscussing attitudes.

3. Field trips.4. Guest speakers.5. One-to-one counseling pertaining to the

students' academic progress.6. Group staffings teachers and

counselors discussing each student's problems ifany existed.

Selection of students to participate in theOWE program was based on:

16

I. Basis of need, each student havingprimarily the same basic needs.

2. Business people selected the studentswho would be employed in their firm. There wereapproximately 26 business concerns who eitheremployed the OWE students or showed an interestin helping the students in the world of work.

In order to implement the project, the projectwas explained to each business owner I met duringthe first three months of the school year. Theprogram was well received.

Evaluation

The students supported the project very well;they were extremely positive toward the project.The project wa s received by the faculty ratherpoorly the reason being poor communication.The community was very much sold on theproject.

The project was successful, in the writer'sopinion, because it p evented 12 students fromdropping out of school.

Conclusion

I personally feel that the OWE project is avaluable addition to Mapleton High School'scurriculum. During the 1970-71, school year therehave been between 20-31 students in the program.Already (as of May 15) 38 students have signed upfor the OWE program for the school year 1971-72.A total of around 45 to 50 students are expectedto sign up for the program by next fall. However, ascreening procedure will have to be set up in orderto hold the number down to about 35 students.

One very important outcome which I hopewill evolve from this team approach is that thefaculty will have a better understanding of theOWE program.

KEEPING LINES OFCOMMUNICATION OPEN

Betty Cooke, BOE CoordinatorNorthglenn High School

Northglenn, Colorado

Northglenn High School has approximately1750 students. It is a school that serves apredominantly white, middle-class suburban

community of about 25,000 residents. Theprincipal occupational outlets in the area are retailstores, offices, and the businesses and industries ofthe metropolitan Denver area. A survey conductedin 1969 revealed that over 50% of the mothersworked at jobs outside the home. Lack ofsupervision at home, lack of recreational facilities,and lack of sufficient numbers of parttime jobsavailable are all contributing factors which have ledto a drug delinquency problem among thestudents. Since culturally and/or economicdisadvantaged students were not major problems inNorthglenn, potential &op-outs, drug users,discipline problem students were the most"disadvantaged" students available to work with inNorthglenn High School. Students who are "turnedoff" as far as school is concerned feel the need tocommunicate with adults and in particular,school personnel. They expressed over and overagain the need to have someone listen to their ideaswithout condemning them. The main threadrunning through the conversation of the poteLtialdrop-out is lack of communication and the feelingof hopelessness of having anyone to listen to themand of having any means of injecting their ideasinto the mainstream of school activities andpolicy-making bodies.

0 bjectives

In thinking through possible projects, the"rap session" was chosen because of the desire ofthe participant to work directly and intimatelywith student who are some of the "problem"students in the school.

The primary objectives of the project were:1. Provide a channel of communication

among "disadvantaged" students, the faculty, andadministration.

2. Provide an opportunity for the writer towork in a non-threatening situation with youngpeople who, because of behavior, dress, habits,discipline, and attitudes, seemed to be "problemstudents in the school.

3. Accept students as people and developthe ability to listen and talk with them withoutjudging or condemning them because their ideas ofconduct and values are different from those of theadults involved.

4. Change attitudes of the studentsthe selves by having them discuss all sides of the

issue, then arriving at a conserus of desirableattitudes and behavior.

The desired behavioral changes were toencourage students to use establishedcommunications systems to effect change withoutresorting to antisocial forms of behavior. As aresult, students would remain in school, presentfewer discipline problems, and would be able tofind their ideas inserted into the proper channels.:

Procedures

1. The project was presented to theadministration and was given the administration'swholehearted approval. Our principal wasespecially supportive of the project and was willingto listen to the ideas formulated by the students.Without his support the project could not havesucceeded.

2. Students were selected by asking severalteachers to recommend those whom they felt werepotential dropouts, discipline problems, andsuspected drug users. The writer contacted thesestudents personally, discussed the project, andasked whether they were interested inparticipating. After six volunteered, the firstmeeting was held. Membership was not closed bythe selection process, and anyone who wanted tocome could come. After the initial meeting,attendance ranged up to 20 as students broughttheir friends. Membership or attendance wasstrictly voluntary.

3. Faculty involvement was limited,although most members knew about the project.Mr. Larry Smith, Social Studies Teacher, was askedto be co-leader in the group because he wassponsor of Student Congress and was interested instudents with special needs and problems. Hisparticipation was a key factor in the project'ssuccess. Counselors were informed of the project,asked for suggestions, and were appraised of thegroup's progress.

4. The first meeting was held during theactivity period. Three rules were established forconducting the sessions: (a) Discussions were to beconfidential, (b) no personal attacks would bemade on each other, and (c) anything could bediscussed that the students wanted to bring up.Students involved in this project were usuallyuninvolved in other activities. Cookies and punchwere provided during the meeting. The students

17

seemed to enjoy this and it helped "break the ice."The participants named the rap group the

Mickey Mouse Club. This name caught on andsome kids even wore Mickey Mouse T shirts to themeetings. Another interesting sidelight was thatstudents would stay as long as two hours just

rapping." They seemed to enjoy getting togetherand talking about things of interest to them.

Topics of discussion ranged from drugs toGod and everything in between. The subjectsdiscussed almost every meeting were:

I. Student Congress, its unrealisticapproach to student government, its overconcernwith the social events of school life, the apathy ofstudent members, etc.

2. Discipline within the school and its notbeing equally enforced on all students.

3. Dress code for students.4. Drug abuse and effectiveness

programs designed to educate the public.5. Open campus school.6. Curriculum changes neededmore

vocational subjects, students should know who theteacher of the subject will be before enrollments,girls automechanics, boys home economics,photography, jewelry making, etc.

7. Personal problems of a wide varie8. School happenings.9. Smoking lounge for students.Since the writer was a member of the Faculty

Advisory Committee, many ideas and feelings ofthe Mickey Mouse group were transmitted to thisgroup. Also, since the co-leader was StudentCongress sponsor, students' feelings and ideasfound their way to Student Congress.

Evaluation

The Mickey Mouse group was received withconsiderable enthusiasm by the teacher- andstudent-participants. Any time you can get a groupof students who have shown no inclination toparticipate in any school-sponsored activities to sitfor two hours after school and discussenthusiastically a wide variety of subjects, then onewould have to assume that the rap session was asuccess.

It is the feeling of the group leaders that theproject achieved many results. The following aresome specific results:

I. Provided a means of establishing rapportbetween some young people with special needs and

members of the faculty.2. Provided a vehicle for injecting idea

these heretofore unrepresented snidents into themainstream of the school.

3. Provided teachers an opportunity tobecome involved with students with problems andto develop an understanding of these young peopleas individuals with some very good ideas eventhough their yalues of life may differ from theestablished thinking of the adults involved.

4 . Provided the opportunity forencouraging students to run for Student CongressPositionsfive of these were elected to StudentCongress!

5: Provided many topics that werediscussed at both the Faculty Advisory Committeeand Student Advisory Comrnixtee.

6. Provided a means for offeringestions as to school policies, curriculum,

individualized instruction, etc., through establishedroutes of communication.

7. Provided a forum for discussion ofpersonal problems without fear of recrimination orrejection.

8. Provided an opportunity for the ideas,values, and rationale for a variety of rules andregulations, etc., to be injected into the thoughtprocesses by the adults of the group.

Some comments from students when asked ifthey felt the project was worthwhile are listed

below:1. From a girl who sat for two hours

without entering into the discussion, when askedby Mr. Smith about her nonparticipation said,"Sometimes it helps just to sit and listen to otherstell about their problems, feelings, and ideas. Atleast I know I'm not the only one with problems."

2. From a girl whose mother is a drugaddict, "I think it is great to have teachers take thetime just to sit and listen to us kids."

3. From a long-haired, reben ous youngman who was elected to Student Congress, muchto his surprise, "This Mickey House group has beena real help to me. I'd like to see it continue nextyear, but adding some 'sensitivity training'besides."

4. From an extremely bright boy whohated school, was suspended for truancy, but wasallowed to audit two classes in the Social Studiesclasses because the teachers went to his defense,"If I'm going to have a future, support a wife, then

I must get an educa ion. About three or fourmonths ago, I was completely self-centered, now Ifeel more social concern and interest in others. Ihave been attending Redeemer Chapel in Denverand have enjoyed that, too."

5. When two former outstanding studentleaders, turned hippie, returned to talk to thegroup they told the young people, "You have a lotmore freedom in this school than you'll ever havein the adult world." Also, "If I had it to do over,I'd take all the vocational subjects I could andforget about taking all those college prep courses."Both of these young men were outstandingstudents who received college scholarships, went tocollege less than a semester, then dropped outbecause they didn't like it. They were having agreat deal of difficulty locating a job one was alinen boy at a motel and the other was trying tobreak into the constmction industry as a laborer orapprentice.

6 . A s a very middle-class,establishment-oriented teacher with a sincere desireto understand and work with these students, theproject leader says, "Working with these youngpeople has been the single, most rewardingexperience I've had this year. I have learned tolook past their bizarre (by my standards) mode ofdress, and have learned to listen to them, theirideas, and have realized how very intelligent theyare! Their ideas and mine may differ diversely, butwe are tolerant and understanding of each others'points of view.. I respect them and I feel theyrespect me. They are a great group of kids!"

Conclusions

The most important result of this project hasbeen, in the writer's opinion, that regardless ofappearance, differing moral values, andinappropriate social behavior, these young peopleare extremely intelligent and have very validreasons for viewing their world as they do. It isextremely important for adults, especially teachersand parents, to take time to listen to the young.Keeping lines of communication open is essential ifwe are to benefit from them and they from us.This was expressed over and over by the groupmembers, "No one will ever listen to us. They tuneus out and start preaching!" What an indictmenton us as teachers and parents. Establishment ofrapport between generations is needed desperately

by both young and adults. It is this writer's beliefthat because of the efforts of the teachers andadministration to keep lines of communicationopen that Northglenn High School has had nomajor disturbances. The potential is there. but upto this point, there has been none.

FINANCIAL HELP FORDISADVANTAGERF,STUDENTS

Jack GravesSan Luis Valley Area Vocational School

Monte Vista, Colorado

Introduction

San Luis Valley Area Vocational Schoolserves the valley residents numberingapproximately 37,500. The principle occupationsin this large valley are agriculture, mining, andrelated service industries. The area vocationalschool has an enrollment of 82 high schoolstudents, 55 post high school students, and serves173 adults in evening classes. Of the 137 students,33 are on work-study, 18 have their tuition paid byvarious agencies such as welfare or rehabilitation,and 12 students are receiving tuition wavers.However, there are additional students who are in

need of assistance in meeting the tuitionrequirements of the school.

bject ives

1. To provide disadvantaged students witheither a scholarship or the funds necessary to enterand remain at the SLV Area Vocational School.

2, To develop awareness and a concern onthe part of valley service clubs of the needs of thedisadvantaged students.

Procedure

This project involved two phases. The firstphase was to identify students who were in need offinancial assistance. The second phase was topromote interest and concern among themembership of valley service clubs concerning theschool and its students.

1. Through contact with high schoolcounselors, the employment service, welfaredepartment, drop-outs and students in need of

19

27

assistance were located.2. Four instructors vccre organized into a

speakers bureau and traveled throughout thevalley. They spoke at numerous service clubs andcommunity organizations explaining the purposeof the area vocational school and especially theneeds of the disadvantaged students.

3 As the response from community andservice clubs was insufficient to meet the financialneeds of all the disadvantaged students, work-studyprograms and special outside Jobs were developedby the instmctional staff.

Evaluation

Through the contributions of the serviceclubs, 10 to 12 students will receive scholarshipsfor the coming school year. Employment has beenfound for the graduates of a sewing class and sixstudents who were identified as beingdisadvantaged are working on a building tradesconstniction project for which they are receivingpay.

As a result of instructors becoming involvedin identifying disadvantaged students and throughefforts to obtain financial aid for these students,there is an improved student-teacher relationship inthe school.

Conclusions

This effort will continue throughout nextyear. It has been well received by the school andthe community. Through additional contacts,many more disadvantaged students can continuetheir education. Additional work will be needed inthe area of job placement and it appears thatworking on a one-to-one basis achieves success inplacing students.

DEVELOPMENT OF A VOCATIONALCURRICULUM FOR DISADVANTAGED BOYS

IN THE INTERMEDIATE GRADES

Lester HastyLincoln Resource Center

La Junta, Colorado

Introduction

La Junta, Colorado, is a town ofapproximately 10,000 residents. The major

20

industries in the area are farming, ranching, and asmall amount of manufacturing. Man), people areon welfare since most work is seasonal. Aboutforty percent of the public school students in LaJunta are Spanish-surnamed.

I teach elementary industrial arts and crafts atthe Lincoln Resource Center, which serves studentswith special needs. The center has approximately130 students, of which 48 are included in thevocational program that I teach. These 48 studentsare fifth and sixth grade boys ranging in age fromeleven to fourteen years of age.

I planned a special curriculum becausedisadvantaged students need an introduction to theworld of work. The students with whom I aminvolved experienee many failures in the regularclassroom; as a result, they tend to drop out ofschool when they turn sixteen. Many willeventually become welfare recipients and severalmay spend time in a correctional institution.

bject ives

The curriculum was devised: (1) To providespecific industrial arts and crafts activities in acomprehensive vocational program fordisadVantaged boys. (2) To stimulate and enrichlearning. (3) To contribute to the practicaldevelopment of the student. (4) To aid inacquainting hirn with his future adult environment.(5) To give each student more incentive andmotivation for cOntirming his vocational andacademic education.

Procedure

The units listed below are appropriate forgrades one through eight with variations.

1. Plastics and Plasters2. Leather

Paper Mache and PunchedYarn Decorations

4. Wood and Cardboard Constructionplus FinishingCeramicsPot Metal and HandwroughtJewelry

I presented the program in five-week blocksusing films, filmstrips, general discussions, fieldtrips, and talks presented by resource peopleconcerning the world of work.

One building was set up within the schooldistrict as a resource center. A questionnaire wascompiled by the five teachers of the instTuctionalstaff and administrators and circulated among theelementary schools. Teachers and principals wereasked to identify students who were having specialproblems in school because of poor attitude, poorhome conditions, or lack of interest in theacademic classroom.

The Resource Center staff selected studentsby evaluating the responses to the questionnaires.The Resource Center staff included a classroomteacher, psychologist, principal, and resourceteachers.

The students were bused to the Center fromdieir neighborhood schools. Twenty-eight fifth andsixth grade boys spent one hour and fifteenminutes daily in my classroom where:

(1) They were introduced to plans, designing,tools, materials, processes, and products. Thisallowed them an opportunity to apply themselvesto many aspects of job situations.

(2) They gained technical experiences byreading, visualizing, computingand assemblingwhen they worked on the six units.

(3) They were able to discover for themselvessome of the adult values and gain an insight intoday's world of work, in addition to verbal andacademic experiences.

In addition, the other four teachers at theCenter conducted programs in language arts andmathematics. Carry-over into the regular classroomwas an important objective since industrial andvocational activities may be related to basic andsequential skills.

Besides working with the classroom teachersand principals of the elementary schools, I was infrequent consultation with the Superintendent ofLa Junta schools, Dr. Jack Reed; the Director ofthe Arkansas Valley Board of CooperativeEducational Services, Dr. Robert Cooley; and theDirector of the Career Development OrientationProgram, Mr. Bill Gress. All of these peoplecooperated with me in every way possible tofurther this innovative vocational developmentprogram.

Evaluation

A questionnaire was administered to eachprincipal near the end of the year. The five

principals of the elementary schools involved in theprogram reported that because industrial processeshad been related to subjects studied in the regularclassroom, the students benefited in several ways,such as:

1. Improved attitude toward theacademic classroom.Improved behavior.Improved academic effort andachievement.

Most of the principals and theIr teachers feltthat the program should remain limited to fifthand sixth graders because of the maturity needed.

The principals felt that the presentlycentralized program off-set the inconveniencescaused by busing and missing academicpresentations. They preferred the presentarrangement over a modified program that couldpossibly be offered in the regular classroom.However, each principal did state that he wouldlike to have a comprehensive vocational programwithin his own school, but this is not possible atthis time because of the required additional spaceand funds.

Administrators and teachers alike wouldprefer to see the program continued and expandedto include at least sixty percent of all the boys inthe fifth and sixth grades; and many felt that girlsshould be included in a comparable program. Thiswould require more funding for supplies,equipment, and additional teachers.

The attitudes of several drop-out potentialschanged from expectations of a welfare existenceto hopes for a vocation. The interest expressed inthe industrial arts and crafts program permitted anadditional twenty boys to participate one day eachweek, and a large percentage of students expressedinterest in work performed by adults.

These changes occured because of twoinnovations: (1) For the first time in the district,special education students were integrated into theregular classroom. Being a part of the regularclassroom enabled them to share the values andgoals of the mainstream school pcpulation. Theirsocial status improved because they were no longerself-contained in "retardo rooms" (using thevernacular of the students themselves).

Although their academic achievement waslow, their social opportunities were heightened by

21

29

this integration.(2) The students have had no opportunity to

learn about the world-ofwork since their parentsare second or third generation welfare recipients.After learning that jobs are available to skilledworkers and craftsmen, these boys became morepositive in their approach to education and to theirfuture adulthood. An important consideration forchanging such life-styles is through innovative,meanin- ul programs in the public schools.

Conclusions

This vocational program merits continuanceand expansion to include more students by thehiring of an additional teacher or aide, if at allpossible.

Considering past experiences and results,plans have been made to expand the program toinclude basic electricity, small motors, founand additional plastic projects next year.

A specified schedule is needed for more fieldnips to industrial firms .and occupational trainingcenters, .more resource speakers on the world ofwork, and the use of audio-visual materials onvarious occupations related to the units studiedduring the year.

The administrators have confirmed that thisprogram will be continued in the future andfunded under Title I.

TEACHING VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONTHROUGH ENGLISH

Robert HayesMeritt Hutton High School

Thornton, Colorado

Introduction

Mean Hutton High School has an enrollmentof 1,130, is located in Thornton, a suburbancommunity of 10,000. The principal occupationaloutlets are in retail stores and offices. The City ofDenver is nearby and business and industry fromthere are readily accessible. The community ismade up of average socio-economic families.Students having difficulty with their Englishreading skills were identified as disadvantaged sincethey are potential dropouts.

bject ives

The following were broad goals of the

program:1. To help the stu ents to understand

themselves in terms of their potential as humanbeings.

2. To help the students understandthemselves in terms of their potential to achieveeconomic security as adults.

A course of study was 'developed to lie'mplemented in the English Reading Skills class.The plan was to develop the attitude, behavior, andabilities of the student so that he would:

1. Be able to identify personalcharacteristics which make him unique as anindividual.

2. Be able to identify various means ofachieving economic security in current Americansociety.

3. Be able to identify factors whichcontribute to a satisfactory life for a person.

4. Be able to identify the various decisionsinvolved in planning his life.

5. Be able to fill out a job applicationacceptable to the instructor.

.6. Be able to participate in a simulated jobinterview in a manner acceptable to the instructor.

Procedure

Basically, the plan was to develop a course ofstudy to meet the needs of the disadvantaged,implement the course, and evaluate it on theoutcome expected.

1. An English class was selected at random.2. A profile of each student was developed

so that the instructor could work with studentsindividually.

3. Group discussions, field trips to localbus nesses, resource people, and a simulation gameof "Careers" were utilized to develop an awarenessof the different occupations and backgroundrequirements for job entry.

4. Students then wrote their own personalprofile, practiced filling out applications, andparticipated in the simulation of job interviews.

Evaluation

1. Of the eleven students who started theproject in November, one dropped out of school atthe end of the semester to join the NaTy, andanother elected not to take the class the secondsemester. The nine who remained seemed to likethe activities in which they were involved.

2. The English teacher who worked with

the project felt that the course was well receivedby the students and that it should be expanded toinclude a full 9 weeks unit next year.

3. A clearer concept of the course wasdeveloped and can now be written into acomprehensive course of study.

4. There are indications that furtherexploration in developing ways of relatingvocational concepts to general education classeswill be implemented. This could have an impact onthe number of students served by the vocationaleducation programs in the future.

Conclusions

There are many smdents who need help inunderstanding the factors involved in relation totheir economic security in today's culture.Integrating vocational concepts into generaleducation classes is one method that may beutilized. Simulation techniques can help studentsrecognize these concepts and make decisions abouteducation and work.

In the future, lesson plans will be morecomprehensive and the objectives will be stated inbehavioral terms. The class will be expanded toinclude social studies and plans for class visits andthe use of resource people will be highlycoordinated.

DEVELOPING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESFOR THE DISADVANTAGED

James HazeltonAurora Central High School

Aurora, Colorado

Introduction

Aurora Central High School hasapproximately 1,800 students and is located in aresidential area. The community has a populationof about 80,000 residents and the principaloccupational outlets are retail stores, smallindustry, and the military.

The public school system is progressive andbelieves in an education to meet the needs of allsnidents. However, most of the disadvantagedstudents cannot continue their education after highschool and are not prepared for job entry. Thepurpose of this project was to motivate and trainthem sufficiently to obtain employment.

23

iectives

1. To help identify those disadvantagedstudents in the electrical-electronics vocationalprogram in the Aurora school system.

2. To find part-time employment for themin related vocational areas.

3. To guide, motivate, communicate andunderstand them to the best of my ability.

4. To develop an ability for job entry level,by training them in an area of electricity orelectronics for which they show an interest andaptitude.

Procedure

This project was developed slowly,deliberately, and with a purpose. Disadvantagedyouth require special attention and their ownprogram and curriculum. Each person must betreated as an individual and is motivated bycommunication and understanding.

I . Students were selected by therecommendations of various counse rs, teachers,and a questionnaire. Basically, the faculty is awareof my participation in the project but there was noeffort to secure direct involvement in the project.It was felt the best procedure, for thedisadvantaged youth, the community, and theschool, was to develop the program, prove that itwould work, and then involve all concerned.

. After identification of severaldisadvantaged youth, a crash program of specialinstruction was initiated. Training was on a 1 to 1ratio, using senior "A" students as assistants.Part-time employment was secured at various localelectronic or electrical companies. Of the sixstudents originally selected, one moved out of thestate, two decided on other vocational fields, threeare still in school, working, and will graduate.

Evaluation

Important to the success of the project wasthe support, encouragement, and counsel from alllevels of administration. As a result of the project,the following observations could be stated:

1. Attitudes of the participants improved.2. Grades improved.3. The desire to succeed in world-of-work

improved.4. The participants are aware that the

world of work is competitive.

5. The writer's awareness of the needs ofdisadvantaged is further developed.

6. The implementation of an importantnew program for Aurora Central High School hasbeen accomplished.

7. There was a minor updating effect in thetechnical curriculum.

Conclusions

Results of the project are:1. The needs of disadvantaged youth are

now being better served.2. A new awareness and understanding of

the disadvantaged youth.3. Realization that more time should be

spent in the community in order that needs can bevisualized.

4. There is a need for this progra in allvocational courses in the school system.

CAREER REVIEW AND PLACEMENTOF RURAL STUDENTS

Loretta Jacob, Rocky FordHigh School, Rocky Ford, Colorado

Charles Jacob, Otero JuniorCollege, La Junta, Colorado

Introduction

This project served 17 students at RockyFord High School, Rocky Ford, Colorado, and 12students at Otero Junior College in La Junta,Colorado. Both .are considered rural communities,with a population of 5,200 and 8,000 respectively.The principal occupational outlets in these twocommunities are service, agriculture, and foodprocessing. Many students in the rural areas are at adisadvantage because they do not have access tothe training needed in career preparation, Inaddition, they lack the knowledge of urbanlifestyles and the attributes and attitudes and theself confidence essential to successful competitionwith urban students in today's job market,

Objectives

The primary objective .of the program was tocreate a training program whereby disadvantagedrural students would acquire those skills,'attributes, and attitudes essential to successfulentry into the job markei and wo ld be able to

compete successfully with urban students for theavailable lobs.

Procedures

In order to reach the objective it wasdetermined that the project needed to establishfive operational procedures. Program orientation,establishment of an advisory committee,development of occupational materials,establishment of training stations, and placementwere adopted as procedures.

The following outline describes the methodsand procedures by which this objective was met:

I. PROGRAM ORIENTATION

A. Consultations with administration, faculty,and counselors were held to inform them ofthe project and to suggest the ways in whichthey could be of help. Individual contacts,group meetings, and chance encounters in thefaculty lounge were ways used to meet withthese people,

B. A special report describing the project waswritten for the school board.

C. Bulletin boards and posters were placed atvarious points in the schOol buildingemphasizing on-thejob training. Radio andlocal newspaper publicity was used fororientation purposes.

D, Consultations were held with studen s whowere to be directly involved in the project.

Group a_ dinner was given wherestudents enjoyed a Mexican style mealand afterwards discussed the project.The students themselves planned themeal, did the grocery shopping and thecooking, thuS becoming a functioninggroup from the very beginning.

Individual students were interviewedindividually to determine their personaloccupational goal.

Meetings and consultat ons with parents ofthe involved students were managed byholding a departtnental "open house" wherethe project was discussed, SO= parents .werealso contacted through home visits,

F. Consultation with prospective employers wasalso accomplished at the "open house."Follow-up work was done by visits at thevarious places of business.

ESTABLISMIENT OF ADVISORY COMMIT-TEE

A. A Student Advisory Committee was selectedfrom senior business students, by a vote of allbusiness students. This committee has proveda valuable asset to the project.

B. Influential businessmen were selected fromlocal enterprises to make up an AdvisoryCommittee. The assistant principal, oneguidance counselor, and one parent wereinvited to attend each meeting of theAdvisory Committee.

III. DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONALMATERIALS

A. Individualized instructional un ts wereprepared to assist in classroom training ofstudents. These units consisted of such itemsas ten-key adding machines, transcribingeq uipment, electronic and printingcalculators, duplicating machines, filing andoffice practice sets. In addition, personalitydevelopment, personal grooming, and otherswere also used.

B. Booklets and pamphlets were ordered tosupplement class textbooks.

C. A l brary of business books was developed toaid the students and to serve as a referencelibrary on current business subjects.

D. Local resource people were utilized wheneveravailable. Guest speakers from the communitypresented their particular specialty as part ofthe classroom training. Some of the topicscovered were grooming, office etiquette,telephone techniques, budgeting, legal rights,money management, and human and personalrelafionships.

E. Field trips were implemented. Students wereasked to name the places in Denver in whichthey would like to work, if given the choice.Employers were contacted and arrangements

3

were made, where possible, to allow studentsto spend two days working in the business oftheir choice. The students stayed at the "Y"in Denver, used taxis for transportation, andmanaged their own money. This particulartrip was sponsored by the school district.

Another trip for the girls was to a charmschool, where the instructor discussed manyfacets of charm, grooming, and personalityimprovement. The students had their hairstyled and were taken out to lunch.

IV. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRAININGSTATIONS

A. A brochure was printed describing theprogram and was distributed to the localbusinesses, with a follow-up visit by thecoordinating teacher.

B. A survey of the local businesses was made inorder to determine the number and nature ofexisting jobs in the clerical and office field,and what new jobs are expected to emergeover the next five years. Assistance wasobtained from the chamber of commerce inthe form of a list of the local businesses whichhired clerical office help.

C. After reviewing the qualifications of thestudents involved in the program, a visit wasmade to the businesses which offeredpositions appropriate for each student.

PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS ON TRAIN-ING STATIONS

A. A "manpower" book was prepared, whichconsisted of a condensed resume of eachstudent involved in the program.

Picture of student2. Skills and experience of student

B. A training agreement was designedstudent, parent, employer, andsupervisor, administrationteacher/coordinator.

involvingtraining

, an d

C. Students were selected by theteacher/coordinator to interview forparticular jobs. Among the criteria used in

selection were studcw: occupational goals,proficiency and aptitud:. ,r the demands ofthe job, and attitudes of the student. Studentswere interviewed by businessmen who hadagreed to participate in the program. Thebusinessman made the final decision as towhich student was employed. Students wentthrough the same procedure as any other jobapplicant, and thus were given theopportunity and experience of interviewing ina real-life situation.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES

A. Employers were asked, at monthly intervals,to evaluate the student trainee by discussinghis or her progress, taking into account suchfactors as personality traits and attitudes aswell as work skills and job performance.

B.

D.

E.

A confidential appraisal of the student traineewas taken periodically by the coordinator byway of an informal discussion with theemployer. This was done to enable the teacherto guide and assist the student in areas thatthe employer may not wish to discuss directlywith the trainee.

An end-of-. chool dinner was held for theemployers and training supervisorsparticipating in the program, the AdvisoryCommittee members, school adminisrraion,interested teachers and parents, andprospective employers. Included on theprogram was a color slide presentation whichwas prepared during the year, in which thestudent trainees, their employers andsupervisor trainers were the principalinterests.

The Student Advisory Committee, throughinterviews with the student trainees, obtaineda critique of the program for the past year. Byhaving students interview students, it was feltthat more candid responses would beobtained. The feedback obtained in thismanner would facilitate improvement of theprogram for each succeeding year.

At the end of school, parents of participatingstudents were interviewed regarding theirfeelings about the program.

F. Local businessmen participating in theprogram were asked for comments,recommendations, and criticisms concerningthe effectiveness of the program.

A confidential appraisal of each trainingstation was completed by theteacher/coo dinator.

Evaluation and Conclusion

At this point in the project, a completeevaluation cannot be made. Short-run results havebeen quite good, but a long-run evaluation willrequire follow-up interviews and studies of theproject's effectiveness over a period of at least ayear.

Since it is our intention to continue theprogram as a reg-ular part of the curriculum, anongoing evaluation will lie effected. Three changesrecommended for next year are:

1. Students should be given morejob-entry-level skills during their sophomore andjunior years, in order that they may be moreemployable when they go into the on-the-jobtraining phase as seniors.

2. On-the-job training should begin at thebeginning of the school year, and not at mid-term.

3. Cornmunications skills - particularlyEnglish composition and grammar -- should bereinforced before students come into the program.

lt is felt that the BOE cooperative programhas been quite successful thus far. Several of thestudent participants have already obtainedfull-time employment as a result of the program,and all have a much better conception of whatthey will do and how to go about achieving theircareer goals. In addition, every one of theemployers who supplied the training stations hasenthusiastically agreed to participate .in theprogram for next year, and this is an indication offavorable community reaction to the program.

4

Lon

TEACHER INVOLVEMENT

Dorothy KirkLongmont High SchoolLongmont, Colorado

Introduction

ont Senior High School's enrollment of

1,600 is from the city of Longmont andsurrounding rural area with a combined populationof 25,000. The principle occupational outlets areconstruction, International 'Business Machines nearBoulder, Federal Aviation Administration inLongmont, agriculture, and work in Den Ver.

This project was chosen because citizens ofthe community have been heard voicing theiropinion that students were "being pushed out" ofs c hool by teachers', counselors', andadministrators' attitudes towards students.

0 bJect ives

1. Keep the potential dropout in highschool.

2. Become aware of and examinedisadvantaged students' problems.

3. Become personally involved with thestudent so as to assist the student in overcominghis difficulties and to complete high school.

4. To encourage teachers and counselors toexchange successful methods of working with thedisadvantaged student.

R ocedu re

Before starting my project, I talked with theadministration, explaining what I had planned.With administration approval there were meetingsof administration, counselors, and vocationalteachers in the home economics department from11:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., which is the lunchperiod between the first session of school and thesecond session. Several meetings were plannedduring the year.

This project is basically concerned withidentifying the needs of the potential dropout andthe way these needs might best be met throughteacher and student interaction. The vocationalteachers will identify two or more students whomay be potential dropouts. They will give thesestudents more personal attention by counseling,and directing their educational activity so they willsee the need for a high school education.

At the first meeting there was a group oftwenty-two people, including vocational teachers,counselors, high school administration, and adirector of vocational education.

After several noon meetings we identified thedisadvantaged person in our school as the one whois: absent a lot, tardy, disinterested, can't read,lack of success, lack of social adjustment,

27

emotional problems caused by home 1 fe, rejection,

low self concept, apathy, work interferes withschool, etc.

Of the 19 vocational teachers, 7 teachersidentified two or three students each. The onlyorganized interaction with these students was onthe part of the teacher. Group participationincluding counselors was discussed but nothingconstructive was done due to time schedules. Also,

many tutoring services are offered to high school

students desiring help.Contact with teachers was personal or

mailbox" correspondence during the last

semester. Paul Miller and Sheldon Mendelson,doctoral candidates in the Vocational EducationDepartment at CSU, spent one day visiting withteachers giving them information on effective waysto work with their students, etc.

Evaluation

The administration and teachers may not have

understood the purpose of the project. The factthat six teachers out of nineteen continued withthe project is self evaluative.

However, the fact that vocational teachersand counselors attended some meetings andexchanged ideas about less advantaged studentsand their problems, was progress. Teachers werehonest in their comments about the project whichranged from doing all they could for students inclass and then it was up to the student to theteachers who would like to explore methods ofinteraction with less advantaged students in orderto "reach" this student. Many of our vocationalteachers have excellent rapport with the less

advantaged student that could be shared with othervocational teachers. We need morecounselor-teacher communication.

The lack of time for administrators,counselors, and teachers to meet was the greatestdeterrent to the project.

Six teachers reported their results with thefourteen students they selected as possible

dropouts. Four students dropped out of school andone moved. Two students remained unmotivatedand two were enrolled in other classes more suitedto their needs. Five students were showing moreinterest by regular attendance, doing extra work in

class, adjusting socially and gaining self-confidence

and would pass the course requirements.

Conclusion

As a result of this project, I found out thatone must have at least one hour for meeting witht h e personnel involved. Administrationrequirement, release time, and remuneration seemsto be necessary for total teacher-counselorparticipation.

On a voluntary, overtime basis mostvocational teachers feel they have done their bestduring the teaching day. However, many studentsneed that personal attention to cope with theirproblems, for which the classroom teacher justdoes not have time.

I have learned more from this project thanany vocational teacher in our school.

I would not recommend this kind of projectfor Longmont High School as long as we are ondouble sessions.

COORDINATORCOUNSELORTEACHER

Mike PerrinoPueblo County High School

Pueblo, Colorado

Introduction

The specific characteristics at Pueblo CountyHigh School and the surrounding communitywhich contributed to the need for this project are:low socio-economic level, low educationalachievement, and limited occupational choice.

There is a segment of our school populationthat comes to high school from isolated ruralcommunities. In most part, the parents that areemployed are employed in non-skilled jobs, whileothers make their livelihood through welfare, or atleast supplement their income in this way. A largepart of our dropouts seem to come from thesecommunities. Also, many seem to terrninate theireducation by the end of their junior high school.

bject ives

The objectives of this project are to:1. Enable students to graduate from high

school and to assist students in selecting anoccupational choice.

2. Provide training stations that will: (a)provide meaningful learning experiences, (b) assiststudents in decisions as to the occupation which hewishes to make his or her livelihood, (c) referenceto future employment, (d) give students an

understanding of why an education is needed.3 To acquaint the faculty to the special

needs of the student and to understand thestudent's problems. The main goal is to get toknow the student as a person.

4. To develop interest in helping set up theprogram and articulate what their children shouldbe getting out of school and/or the CooperativeVocational Occupational Training program.

Procedure

The coordinator will not only coordinate thecoop G program, but he will assist the students inthe program by counseling them into classes in therequired areas of English, math, and science, andhelp these students meet all requirements with adegree of learning that is relevant and meaningfulto them. These teachers will already know aboutthese students and their problems, thus making itmuch easier for the teacher to work with thestudent through the program coordinator. In short,the idea of the program is to articulate orsuperimpose it on the existing curriculum withproper guidance and follow-up.

In selecting students for the program, it is

recommended that the coordinator go to the sixth,seventh, eighth, and ninth grades and find thesestudents that can be identified as potentialdropouts or those that can be identified as likelynot to succeed in the present high school setting.

The existing program started with aninterview of 240 students. This in itself showedthere was an interest, also a need. Of the 240students interviewed, 25 students were selected; ofthese 25, 16 are in the program. This includes threestudents that had previously dropped out. Thesestudents are still in school and doing well.

The regular class meets in the morning from7:30-8:30, then the students follow a regularsix-period day with regular school or, those thatare assigned to a training station go to work andreceive one credit.

Evaluation

Since the program has only been in existencesince February 1971, there is not enough time toadequately evaluate it. Perhaps it can be said wefeel that some positive things have happened tomany disadvantaged students. Some are ineennggraduation requirements, others arc placed intraining stations, and still others are, for the first

6

time, getting an education that they can understanding of disadvantgaed students, theirUnderstand.

Conclusions

1 It has been observed in the short 1 fe ofthe program that there exists a real need for acooperative program here at Pueblo County HighSchool.

2. We fully realize that the program has notreached the point of satisfaction and continuedwork on the enrichment and development of abetter program is a must.

3 The program will continue in the futurewith the idea that the C.V.O.T. will besuperimposed on the total curriculum of thedisadvantaged. Therefore, the coordinator will beallowed to work in three areas: (a) the C.V.O.T.class, (b) He will be the focal point of learning forthis group as a director-counselor or thego-between for the student and the teacher, (c)The coordinator will work with the student jobplacement.

4. The total effort of the entire program isnot to make education easier, rather makeeducation more effective and relevant to thedisadvantaged student.

HELPING THE DISADVANTAGEDHELP THEMSELVES

Orville PieperNortheastern Junior College

Sterling, Colorado

Introduction

Northeastern Junior College hasenrollment of approximately 1,500 students. Ilocated at Sterling, Colorado, which isagricultural community with a population12,000.

anis

anof

Objectives

The objectives of this projec we e:1. To identify students in the various

vocational education programs who may beclassified as disadvantaged.

2. To attempt to help these studentsidentify and achieve their goals.

3. To develop among the vocational faculty(including the project coordinator), an

29

problems, and how to help solve them.

Procedure

The plan was to encourage each vocationaltechnical instructor to concentrate on helping atleast one disadvantaged student. Periodically, theinstructors were to meet as a group to comparenotes on problems and techniques.

1. Instructors identified students theyknew were having problems and a questionnairewas developed to help the instructor determine thestudents' strengths and weaknesses.

2. One of the objectives of NortheasternJunior College is to meet the needs of theindividual student The faculty and administrationbecame involved through periodic meetings wheresuch topics as methods of handling problems,referrals to the counseling division and study skillscenter, and how to encourage strong students totutor those with difficulties were discussed.

3. The administration endorsed the projectand gave their full cooperation.

4. The community and student body werenot informed of the project since it was felt theproject would be more successful if disadvantagedstudents were not singled out.

Evaluation

1. Several students were helped as a resultof special attention from instructors after thestudent had realized the instructor was genuinelyinterested in helping him. The most progress wasmade when the instructor counseled a student inhis class.

2. Students who were referred to the s udyskills center received help from tapes on how tostudy, help from personal sessions with the studyskills counselors, and from tutors assigned by thecenter. The study skills counselor providedinformation on progress of those students whowere referred to him.

3 The project could possibly have beenmore effective through closer coordination withindividual instructors and through more frequentmeetings of participating instructors. However, aspecial project such as this must complement andnot displace the instructor's regular duties.

4. Many of the problems of disadvantagedstudents result from a long history ofcircumstances and cannot be solved instantly. Also,

imstructors must develop their own techniques ofdealing with these problems.

5. The value of the project may best beexplained by comments of the participants, suchas:

A. Student (who had been dismissed fromanother shop-type high school courseand was having difficulty in academiccourses) "Mr. Instructor is a friend. Hetries to help you."

B. Student (who at first showed anxiety orfear when meeting with the study skillscounselor and with the projectcoordinator) "Some adults really nyto help a person.

Student (who had previously expressedconcern over having been out of schoolseveral years and was out of the habit ofstudying, so was referred to the studyskills center) "I am sure glad you sentme to Mr. Brennan (study skillscounselor). He really has helped me."(This help included counseling in familyaffairs as well as study skills.

D. Student (who strongly consideredquitting school last fall from fear offailure, but who became the top studentin one class winter quarter) "I feel thatI am going to graduate."

E. Student (who for the past year and ahalf periodically conferred with theproject coordinator about quittingschool, but following recent visit to afour-year institution) "I am going totransfer and get a four-year degree. Myboss (during on-the-job training) hasbeen encouraging me to go on, but untilnow I could not see myself going toschool that long."

F. Work-Study Supervisor (who hadpreviously said student wouldaccomplish nothing if left alone)"Student X has improved considerablyin the last few weeks."

G. Mother -- "My son's attitude has reallychanged in the last couple of weeks.Sometimes he smiles now."

H. Another High School Teacher of studentin vo-tech prograin e are now able

to reach Student Y. He had been tuningus out for a long time."

Study Skills Counselor -- "The wordspread that the tutors were benefitingpersonally. We now have severalvolunteers to tutor next year, withoutpay, from students who do not qualifyfor the work-study program."

Conclusions

The most important result of this project isthat we helped people. Disadvantaged persons havea tendency to be suspicious of the establishmentand may be slow to respond to an attempt to helpthem. When convinced that the person is a friendand is genuinely interested in them they mayrespond remarkably well. In order to work withthese people, an individual must be patient andtolerant of their views and values. He should showunderstanding of their point of view, but alsopresent a positive approach to the ways in whichthey can benefit themselves. The instructor shouldshow a positive attitude toward the student. In acase where two instructors were involved with thesame student, one person reported that the casewas hopeless, whereas another instructor said thisstudent was making progress although at a slowerrate than other members of the class.

In order to improve the program in thefuture, three definite items will be considered:

1. Closer cooperation with high schoolcounselors regarding disadvantaged studentsenrolled in college-conducted high schoolvocational programs.

2 . Closer cooperation with othercommunity agencies such as welfare department,department of employment, department ofrehabilitation, and mental health department.

3. During faculty orientation week presentto all the faculty a few case histories, to show theresults of special attention by faculty and referralsto study skills center.

GET EVERYBODY INVOLVEDIN WORK EXPERIENCE

Roland PorterMorgan County Community College

Fort Morgan, Colorado

Introduction

Morgan County Community College servesprimarily a rural type community. The area has apopulation of about 8,000 and the principleoccupational outlets are farming, cattle, ranching,meat plant, with some business such as trailerfactoty, construction, stores, and filling stationswithin the city. Brush has a population of about3,600. This is a farming area with a grain elevator,cattle stockyards, feed and seed, with some storesand businesses within the town. Fort Morgan andBrush High schools have several students who werefailing and in need of help. They needed a programthat would increase their interest in school. Theprogram needed to provide a chance for thesestudents to learn and earn. Thus, a program wherethe students attended high school for half a dayand then work half a day was begun.

Those students served by the project were:

Fort Morgan High SchoolBrush High SchoolBoys World

7 boys4 boys4 boys

1 girl

bjectives

1. To help the student better adjust to hisacademic success by attaining success on apart-time job in the community.

2. To also encourage the students to finishhigh school while at the same time learn a trade.

3. To establish a good relationship betweenthe guidance counselor, the principal, teachers, andthe students.

4. To contact employers and establish abetter relationship between the student and theemployer so as to create a good atmosphere for theestablishment of work experience training stations.

5. To gain a better understanding in thestudent of his relationship with the communand a need for occupational training.

Procedures

First of all, I made visits to employers andexplained the program to each of them. I alsomade contacts with teachers so as to gain theircooperation with the student. I made home visitsto talk with parents and discuss with them theboys' problems, thus, hoping to bring about abetter understanding. I made an effort to discussthe program with civic organizations in order togain cooperation and more job opportunities. I alsoplanned to gain interest in the program by

submitting pictures and write-ups to the localnewspaper.

The students were selected by the high schooladministration on the basis of low achievement,lack of ability, and lack of interest.

Daily or weekly personal contact was madewith each and every person or persons involved inany way with the program and the student. I

contacted either in person or by phone all facilitiesthat could in any way give assistance to theprogram or the student.

At the beginning of the school year, aclassroom session of three hours each day was held.After three weeks of concentrated work theclassroom time was cut to one hour and a searchfor jobs was begun. The students had discussedpreferences on types of work in which they wouldbe most interested. An effort was made to placeeach student in the type of work in which he wasbest suited. Applications were filled out so that thestudents learned the correct procedure. Studentswent out and obtained jobs in either first or secondchoice. Guidance was given by the instructor andthe employer. Out of 14 students in the program, 8obtained jobs without any problems. However, ittook about three months to reach a 100 percentemployment status. For a short period of time wekept our perfect percentage, then some of thestudents changed jobs or lost them because ofslowdown on work. Because of the time of yearjobs became hard to find and so some boys neverdid regain employment. However, out of the 14there were never less than 8 working.

Evaluation

In the writer's opinion, the students served bythe project believed it was worth the time,especially the ones who are still working on thesame job and earning good money. Those who gotinto trouble with the law and now are on paroleperhaps did not gain from the discussions. Therewere also three boys who quit school and their joband left the state.

From the talks I have had with faculty,administration, and people in the community, allseem to believe there is a need for this type ofprogram to help the disadvantaged boys and girls.

I feel that my project achieved results becauseI have eight boys still working at their jobs, stayingin school, and planning to complete high school.

I feel my project was hampered in achieving

its objectives because in the fall five boys from thestate detention home were put in the class. Theseboys should have been separated and not placed inthe same class with the boys from the high school.The same program could be used for them but at adifferent time and place.

These boys from the detention home createdclassroom problems and had difficulty holding ajob. In fact, they did not want to work, but merelyused this program as an excuse to get away fromthe detention home. Only two of the boysmanaged to hold jobs.

This project did help to increase the interestin vocational education programs. People in thecommunity became more aware that education ispossible for these boys.

Materials used that were felt to be veryhelpful were:

World of Work, by Kimball-Vineyard,published by Mcknigbt & Mcknight.

How to Find a Job, by Willare K. Lather,published by American Technical Society.

Cooperative Part-Time Vocational EducationStudy Guide, secured from the State Departmentof Education, Jefferson City, Missouri.

We Want You, Mary G. Turner, published byNoble & Noble.

Conclusion

In summarizing the results of this project, Ibelieve that there is a great need to help thedisadvantaged student who feels he is a failure. Theneed for on-the-job training to earn money createsintent, changes attitude, and helps the student tofinish high school.

BUSINESS EDUCATION DAYFOR 9th GRADERS

Barbara RelyeaAlamosa Junior Fligb School

Alamosa, Colorado

Introduction

Alamosa Junior High School hasapproximately 600 students. The town is locatedin a rural area of the San Luis Valley. The principaloccupational areas are farming and relatedo ccupations, small retail outlets, andcollege-related occupations. Students are from awide range of backgrounds and this has resulted in

32

polarization ot groups, such as: (1) collegecommunity, (2) farmers, (3) business management,and (4) Spanish Americans. The unemploymentrate is high.

bject ives

The main objective of the project was toinvolve the 9th grade class, consisting of 185students, with the world-of-work. Through thisinvolvement the students were to;

1. Develop and improve their ownself-concept.

2. Develop an understanding of thepersonal qualifications necessary for success invarious occupations.

3. Develop an awareness of the broad rangeof occupations available.

4. Be able to determine where and howtraining can be obtained. Secondary objectiveswere to:

5. Help the faculty relate classwork to theworld of work.

6. Develop better school/co munity andschool/business relations.

PrOcedure

1. Boys attended a home economics class;girls attended the shop class for a six-week period.

2. Ten days were spent in the classroomdiscussing human relations, job preparation, andpersonality development.

3. The manager of the Chamber ofCommerce endorsed the project and worked v iththeir membership.

4. The manager of the State Department ofEmployment spent two days with the classexplaining job opporturiities and requirements.

5. A "Freshman Occupations Day" wasdeclared and each student reported to a job of hischoice.

6. The faculty visited students on the jobto let students and employers know the school wasinterested and appreciative.

Evaluation

1. Students have a deeper understanding ofthe requirements for employment that trainingand experience are worthwhile.

2. The heal newspaper provided coveragefor the project and published several editorials.

3. The administration received several

letters from parents who compli en ted the schoolon the project.

4. The students were enthusiastic a drequested that the project be continued.

5. The business community expressed adesire and interest to participate in futureprograms.

6. Several students have been employedpart-time and some were promised summeremployment.

7. The plan could have been betterorganized with the help of the entire faculty.

Conclusions

1. Stmdents want to know more about realjobs not just reading about them or havingsomeone come into class or the school to "tell"them about a job or occupation. They want toexperience the job situation before they get to highschool.

2. The project should be expanded withemphasis placed on human relations, personalitydevelopment, and on-the-job training.

PROJECT BIG SISTER

Judy Rethemeier, BOE TeacherLoveland High School

Loveland, Colorado

introduction

Loveland High School in Loveland, Colo ado,has a school population of approximateiy 1,200students. The majority of these students comefrom middle-class white families. Only a smallpercentage of Spanish-American students areenrolled. Sources of income for the people inLoveland range from small businesses to largerindustries, tourist trade, farming, and ranching.Loveland's population is approximately 17,500.

Loveland High School has been losing anumber of students because of the inability of theschool to meet students' needs in the area ofvocational education. Many students are interestedin acquiring vocational skills in business education,but they are having ouble in their transition fromjunior high to senior high due to such things aspoor performance in a typing class, poorattendance records, lack of interest in schoolactivities, and inadequate parental guidance. Thisproject attempted to provide some incentive for

these disadvantaged students to see the possibilitiesthat could be theirs.

Objectives

The objectives of Big Siste can be statedsimply:

1. That the project pa ticipants will beencouraged to pursue a career in business or someother vocation with the aid of advanced businessstudents at Loveland High School.

2. That the business students and thedowntown businessmen will become more aware ofthe needs of the participants involved.

Procedures

1. The total plan of "Big Sister" waspresented to the Future Business Leaders ofAmerica Club. They were enthusiastic about theidea, so the project was underway.

2. Mr. Harold Ferguson, the high schoolprincipal, thought that the FILA club would be anexcellent vehicle to implement such a project andcommented that there was definitely a need foryoung people in the Loveland community to showconcern for the disadvantaged students enrolled inLoveland High School. With Mr. Ferguson'sapproval, the next step was to contact thecounselors.

3. Counselors from both the junior highschool and the high school got together and arrivedat a list of fifteen girls from the sophmore classwho they felt could benefit from such a project.The criteria used in this selection included lowincome, disinterest in school, poor schoolattendance records, and inadequate parentalguidance. Sophomores arc just beginning to plantheir course of study and could benefit from anyassistance given them.

4. A meeting was called for all the p ojectparticipants n d the project was explained. Thegirls were not aware that they were selected for thereasons mentioned above; they just felt honored tobe part of the project.

5. An FBLA member was responsible forbringing her "Little Sister" to a get-acquaintedmeeting which consisted of a speaker,refreshments, and games.

6. Arrangements were made for thesophomore participants to visit their "Big Sister's"place of employment for half a day. The BOE

students provided transportation for their "LittleSister" to and from work. Taking the "LittleSister" to work showed her a behind-the-scenesview of business in Loveland. The BOE studentsacquainted their guest with the office routine,assigned some office tasks to her, and irmoducedher to fellow workers.

Evaluation

1. The project was received very well byeveryone concerned. Only one employer out offifteen did not accept the responsibility .of havingthe half-day visitation due to the confidential typeof work involved in his office.

2. The FBLA members and business andoffice students thoroughly enjoyed their "BigSister" responsibilities and were enthusiasticthroughout the entire project. It developedleadership qualities in themselves that they neverknew existed, and friendship between sisters grewthrough the months.

3. Most important is the impact this projecthad on the sophomore girls. The results of thisproject are not definite, but the reports of thestudents are proof that many of the participatinggirls are now interested in FBLA and vocationalbusiness and office education.

4. Plans have been made to follow up thosesophomore girls who were selected as projectparticipants to find out how many of themactually enroll in more advanced business coursestheir junior year.

Conclusions

The sophomore girls who participated in thep oject should be better prepared to make a choiceof a career in business just because the FBLAmembers took a personal interest in them. The"Big Sister" project was a success due to carefulplanning and interest on the part of thoseconcerned. It is a project that is relatively simple toimplement, providing the people cooperate withthe plan. If I were to do it again next year, I wouldlike to get started earlier so that the participantscould be involved in more club projects andperhaps make them honorary members of theyouth organization. This was in my original plan,but it never materialized. I would also like to seeother youth organizations in the school, such asthe distributive education program, work on a

similar project in their area.

EACHER AWARENESS

Ralph SalazEast High SchoolPueblo, Colorado

Introductiom

East High School, with an enrollment ofapproximately 1,500 students, is served by twojunior high schools. Heaten Junior High School, amile to the north, is in a predominently uppermiddle class Anglo community. Approximatelytwo miles to the south is Risley Junior High Schoolwhich has a student body made up of 70 percentSpanish-surnamed students. Risley's communityrepresents a lower middle class socio-economiclevel.

Pueblo's primary industry is the ColoradoFuel & Ironworks, with secondary employmentopportunities at the Pueblo Army Depot andsmaller manufacturing companies.

bject ives

1. To develop a pilot project to maketeachers aware of some of the problems faced bythe disadvantaged students.

2. After analysis of the pilot program, toexpand the program to include additional teachersfrom the high school and from the two junior highschools.

Procedures

Six teachers were selected from Risley JuniorHigh and East High schools. The writer chose towork with teachers in these two schools because:(a) Disadvantaged students attend these schools;(b) Since I have taught at both of these schools, Ihave good rapport with the faculty; (c) I work withmany parents of the disadvantaged students whoattend these schools; (d) I work with many of thecommunity leaders in the East High and RisleyJunior High schools' commun

The following is a step-by-step procedure usedto develop an awareness of the problems ofdisadvantaged students by the teachers of thesestudents. Due to the time schedule of this project,only steps 1, 3, and 4, had been completed at the

time of this report.

Step I Take teachers to the homes of thedisadvantaged students.

Step 2 Have teachers attend lectures byprofessional people on the disadvantagedstudent.

Step Have a "Rap Session" between teachersand disadvantaged students.

Step 4 Have teachers attend lectures bycommunity leaders on the disadvantagedstudent.

Step 5 A social gathering made up of teachersand disadvantaged students and theirparents.

Evaluation

At this point, the project is neither a totalsuccess nor a total failure. The writer was unable toinvolve many of the "hard-core" teachers whoneed help in understanding the problems of thedisadvantaged student. The pilot project was wellreceived by the principals of East High and RisleyJunior High schools. There were definite changes inattitude and empathy on the part of those teacherswho participated in the pilot project. Somecomments were: "I can understand why isalways tardy to my first hour class." This commentwas made after a home visit; "It's hard to believethat people live like that," and "I didn't know thatthere were homes out this far."

A LITTLE "JINGLE"

William ShirleyPueblo County High School

Pueblo, Colorado

Introduction

Pueblo County High School is a three-yearcounty high school with an enrollment of 800students. Most of the area served by this school isagriculturally zoned, even though only threepercent of the people derive their income fromfarming. The principal occupational outlets arelocated in the city of Pueblo. The area served bythis school district has a population of 25,000. Myproject was to find jobs for financially needystudents.

Objectives

To keep the disadvantaged student in35

school and not allow him to become a dropoutstatistic.

2. To help disadvantaged students findgainful, part-time employment so that they couldstay in school.

Procedure

I. Iden ify the disadvantaged student. Themethod used was primarily through observation,student records, and counseling.

2. Determine salable skills and interests.Thr o ugh several informal, unscheduled,person-to-person counseling sessions I identified sixstudents who I thought could be helped by havinga part-time job. With the help of the vocationalcounselor to affirm my selections, and assistance infurther counseling, we began to screen the studentsfor their salable skills and interests. In all six casesthe job experience of these boys was farm labor.One boy had also worked for a short time in aservice station pumping gas. Not much of a varietyof work experiences, but at least they had workexperiences.

3 . Employment opportunities.Transportation limited the scope for jobs, becausewithout dependable transportation to and fromwork the job opportunities must be close by. Theboys were encouraged to make application andpersonal contact with every business that theycould reach.

This approach proved fruitful for one senior.He found part-time employment in an auto bodyand paint shop that was reasonably close to hishome. He has worked very successfully for thisshop all year and intends to remain with it as heenrolls at Southern Colorado State College nextfall.

At our first area meeting in Pueblo, it wassuggested by one of the resource people that Iapproach the school administration for possibleplacement of these boys in the school system. Agood suggestion it was, for after meeting with thebusiness manager of the school district I had jobplacements for three additional boys.

Evaluation

The job placements with the schools wereonly temporary, since the students were placed onclean-up crews during the Christmas vacation. This,however, led to their being employed once againduring the spring vacation. The job placementswere ideally located for each of the boys; they

worked in the school that was nearest their home.Following spring vacation, the first boy was

placed permanently at the school he had beenworking at. As a student, he has had academicproblems. Not because he is mentallydisadvantaged, but rather he has almostinsurmountable financial and personal problems.His attendance and attitude at school are poor. Herecently married and soon expects a child. A jobfor hith is a necessity if he is to remain in school.One fact in his favor is that he wants a high schooldiploma, and should receive one this spring. I

believe the job he has held kept him in school andsolved some of his problems.

Another student has also been rehired by theschool district to work at the high school doingyard work. This situation has worked well for himbecause he works 2 hours after school and hismother picks him up on her way home from work,solving his transportation problem. This studenthas always displayed fair attitude and interest inschool, but with money in his pocket hisself-confidence and self-image are noticablyincreased.

Through working for the school districtduring Christmas and spring vacations, another wasable to pay off his school- debts and buy newclothes. His personal appeatance now is improvedwith a haircut and neat clothes. He also has shownbetter self-image.

Shortly after the initial counseling sessionstook place, two ,of my selections requested a classschedule change. They wanted to take R.O.T.C.instead of reamining in the metal shop. Theirreason: R.O.T.C. would give them a free set ofclothes that they could wear twice a week. No kindof persuasion could change their minds.

Conclusions

Throughout the school year I have had goodrapport with the boys and enjoyed the contact Ihad with them. It is gratifying to see the changethat takes place in a human being when his dignityis elevated to that of his peers. This project hasinspired me to carry on again next year and withthe added hope that I can influence more teachersto become involved with the disadvantagedstudents to help in whatever way possible.

Winifred UhlingerMount View Girls' School

Morrison, Colorado

Introduction

Mount View Girls' School was founded in1895 for the purpose of helping girls who wereserious problems in the community. There havebeen as many as 150 girls, but presently there areabout 55 girls who live at Mount View and arebussed to the Lookout Mountain School for Boysfor a coeducational program.

All girls at Mount View are adjudicated fromthe courts in Colorado. The program for these girlsis comprehensive. The school is made up of threemain departments, all of which have the aim ofhelping the girls. The first department is GroupLiving, which provides for food, shelter, andclothing, as well as the medical needs of the girls.Housemothers also work with the girls. A seconddepartment, the Clinical Services, assists withpersonal problems. If needed, a professional staffof chaplains, psychologists and social workers arealso available. A third department, the AcademicSchool, provides instruction. The school is set upon a tri-semester basis. Regular credits can beearned during all three semesters. All teachers arecertified in the State of Colorado. Students areassigned to classes after diagnostic testing. Theschool is child-centered and maintains recordsnecessary for all the staff to use in working withthe girls. There are also extra curricular activitiesfor the girls such as choir, special classes such asflower arranging, charm courses, crafts, plusrecreation, church, and special visits by big sistersor visits off campus with big sisters and family.

Objectives

1. To develop some employmentopportunities and training for girls who have beenor are presently institutionalized at Mount ViewGirls' School through the cooperation ofcommunity organizations.

2. To strengthen the rehabilitation programthrough work experience which will help thestudent adjust back into society more easily.

Procedure

CO-Op AND REHABILITATION 1 . Contact the leaders of youth com ittees

within local serv_ce clubs.2. Meet with the leader and his total

committee to explain the program.3. Meet with the executive body of the

organization with the youth committee present.4. Present a talk to the total body of the

organiz don.5. Make contacts ith interested people

immediately.6. Have a handout such as the cooperative

contract or outline of the responsibilities of theemployer, school, and student.

Evalu3tion

A talk was given to the Kiwanis Club, and fivecontacts were made. At this time, we have one girlplaced in a cooperative business program. Astrained girls are ready, we will have cooperativeprograms in places such as food service, selling,assembly, shipping, and packaging.

Evaluation

Some people in the school system feel this isan effective program and want it expanded, whileothers feel it rather fruitless in trying to work withstudents. The counseling, vocational rehabilitation,and juvenile parole staffs think it is effective towork cooperatively and have a planned programfor these students when they are ready to leave theinstitution.

Tips to Teachers(Of Adjudicated Youths)

Let s suppose a student who has beeninstitutionalized has returned to public school andentered your class. You really want to help thisperson adjust back into society. In order to do thisyou need to be informed about this student.Several sources of information are available:

I. Counsel with the student informally.2. Find out about home placement. (There

may be foster parents, group home parents, or realhome parents.)

3. Talk with parole officer on vocationalplans for this student.

4. Talk with vocational rehabil tationcounselor in your area.

5. Look up scholastic aptitude, andpsychiatric testing records at the institution.

6. Visit the counselors at the inst utionwho has worked with the student.

7. Visit with the vocational instructor orcoordinator who has worked with the studentwhile institutionalized.

8. When working with the adjudicatedstudent, as with any student, be empathetic andlevel with him or her.

If you are involved as a member of acooperative program, don't place the student outin a program too soon. Allow time for adjustment.When working with the employer, explain the goodthings about the student and his performancesExplain any problems and why you feel thisprogram will be a particularly good way to help theftudent. Level with the employer. If he doesn'twant this student, then don't press the matter.

IMPROVING STUDENT-FACULTY RELATIONSHIPS

Sue WallaceLas Animas High SchoolLas Animas, Colorado

Introduction

Las Animas High School serves a rural areawith a population of approximately 3,500 persons.The main occupational outlets are in agriculture orat a nearby Veterans Administration hospital. Thewriter had observed many of the 400 students werebeing "tuned out" by the school and its staff.These observations indicated that many studentsfelt that no one on the staff cared about them --their opinions, problems, aspirations, or culture.These students appeared apathetic towards schoolwork and did not participate in school activities.They appeared to lack a positive self-image andwere usually on the detention list, absent, or tardy,and did not seem to respond to instructionalefforts of the faculty.

bJect ives

1. To investigate attitudes of the unedout student and the reasons for his attitudestoward himself, the school, and community.

2. To investigate attitudes of the stafftoward "tuned out" students and the feelingstoward his role with the student, his role as part ofa staff, and his role as an "educator" in a "declaredpoverty" community.

3. To bring about an awareness among staffmembers that some students felt alienated, and thereasons for this feeling.

4. To bring about an a areness amongstudents that some staff members are notpurposefully and intentionally indifferent tostudents, but rather are unaware of the need to beconcerned about individual differences and needs.

5. To help students inventigate the jobopportunities in Las Animas and elsewhere.

6. To bring about an understanding by thestudent of the relationship between differentoccupations anu his education.

7. To help students take on a sense of valueand worth; to provide an experience for thestudents to realize they can make worthwhilecontributions.

8. To personally become more aware ofstudents' needs, the staff's needs, and, throughcontact with both, attempt to bring aboutunderstanding between them.

Procedures

1. Iden ify 'tuned out students. A list oftwenty students was made of those whose namesmost frequently appeared on the detention list,absentee and tardy roll, and five-week failure lists.Ten students were selected from this twenty byrandom sample; six of these ten expressed a desireto be involved in the project as members of thegroup sessions as well as individually. The otherfour were involved only as individuals. The reasonfor this, perhaps, was that all ten men bers of thegroup selected were not compatible.

2. Hold group and individual "rap" sessionswith the students identified above concerning theirattitudes, values, opinions, and problems.

3. Make individual faculty and staffmembers aware of problems luminated by thestudents f - which the member may beunknowingly contributing or which he can helpremedy.

4. Plan field trips and visits within thecommunity to .increase the awareness ofoccupational opportunities available to thestudent.

5. The above procedures were implementedthrough:

a. "Rap sessions" were started and as aresult contacts were made with staff.

b. Feedback was given to students andsome problems gradually were worked through.

c. In February as futures, occupations,school subject relativity were being discussed, acouple of students got the idea to make a filmstrip

presentat .on about Spanish-American people in theLas Animas area. The reason this came about wasmany Spanish-American students were gettingupset about their people always being shown asleepagainst a cactus or living in a ghetto, unemployed,etc. The students felt this was a very general, unfairpresentation of them and their culture in andaround Las _Animas. As a result they wanted to dosomething to show how the Spanish-American intheir own area lived and worked.

d. A list was made of Spanish-Americanpeople of Las Animas and their occupations. Oneperson was chosen from each occupationrepresented. Interviews were arranged and carriedout. To date this is not complete. As soon asinterviews are complete and film developed, theslides and tapes will be edited and completed. Thispresentation will be available for anyone whowishes to use it.

Evaluation

The ten students involved directly in theproject were suspicious and unimagininative atfirst; but as time progressed they began to be moreopen and excitable. The_ general student body wasnot generally aware of the project as such. Thefaculty, administration, and community receivedany ideas presented in order to complete theproject. This project appears to have achievedresults as changes of attitudes in staff and memberswere observed. Students who had not before heldtheir heads up, spoke, smiled, liked themselves andothers, exhibited willingness to be a part of anyschool function, were now doing this.

The ten students involved have notre-appeared on the detention list, have had fewerabsences and tardies and almost no five-weeknotices since involvement in this project. Staff whowere frustrated by "tuned out" kids startedthinking and planning in terms of the studentsrather than themselves.

Conclusions1 As a result of this project I realized that

confrontations between students and staff on apersonal, pre-empted basis can be a veryworthwhile experience for those concerned; thatpeople are more flexible than I had anticipated;and that many problems ean be prevented if theycan be recognized in time.

2. One change that should be incorporatedf this project Was repeated would be a pre- and

post-test of staff, the ten students involved in theproject and the ten un-involved students in thecontrol group.

3. A recommendation to the school wouldbe for more experience-centered learning and morehuman relations activities for staff and students.

Some comments by students:"Teachers are just people after you talk to

them alone.""After he (the teacher) understood how I saw

things, he listened to me.""When my teacher found out I stuttered, he

quit trying to make me read outloud.""There is sure a lot of stuff to do after high

school."I sure didn't realize all the jobs Spanish

people had.""When you work on a project, you sure don't

get so depressed.""Some teachers are hard just because they

care about you."Comments by faculty:"I didn't realize my loud voice frightened shy

students and that was why they wouldn't recite.""I sure am glad I got the opportunity to work

out problems with students on an individual basis;I didn't even realize they felt they had a problemin regard to me."

"I was unaware some students were having totranslate what I was saying plus take notes and thatwas why they gave up."

PREVENTING DROPOUTS INBUSINESS OCCUPATIONS

Phylis WalzAurora Central High school

Aurora, Colorado

Introduction

Aurora Central High School hasapproximately 1,800 students and is located in aresidential area. The city of Aurora has anapproximate population of 80,000 and theprincipal occupation:0 outlets are in militay, retailsales, and small industry. The Aurora Public SchoolSystem is progressive and believes in education tomeet the needs of all academic students.

Objectives

The project was developed to locate

39

47

disadvantaged students enrolled in shorthand sinceresearch indicates that shorthand is not a subjectarea for low achievers, students with poor Englishskills, or students who have a low mental ability .

The primary objectives of the project were :I. To locate disadvantaged students in

shorthand class and to keep them in the shorthandprogram.

2. To develop a better attitude towardshorthand on the part of the disadvantaged so thatthey would have the desire to succeed.

3 To develop an interest in the class sothat students' attendance would improve.

4. To develop an ability for job-entry levelfor disadvantaged students.

5. To acquaint business teachers with -heproblems of disadvantaged students.

6. To develop in the wri er an overallawareness of the problems of the disadvantagedstudents in the area of shorthand.

7. To become better informed, moresympathetic, and more patient on the part of thewriter with disadvantaged students.

firs

Procedure

1. The above objectives were to be met bylocating disadvantaged students.2. Fifteen students were selected from

shorthand classes based on: (a) work achieved bythe middle of October in the shorthand class; (b)previous grades in English and related businesssubjects; (c) specific requests for help.

3. Meetings were held to inform parentsand students about the project.

4. Advanced students of shorthand wereutilized as tutors to meet the individual needs ofthe student.

5. If t became apparent that thedisadvantaged students could not learn anemployable shorthand skill, individual dictaphoneprograms were set up within the class structure,thereby making the girl still employable in thesecretarial field.

6. During the last nine-week period, theattitudes and attributes taught throughout the yearwould culminate through mock job interviews, j..-.11applications, and communication with potentialemployers.

Some of the advanced steno gir volunteeredand selected one disadvantaged girl to help on aratio of one to one. Information from thesetutoring sessions revealed that most disadvantaged

girls in shorthand were also having trouble in otherclasses and needed to devote extra time to thoseareas.

Evaluation

1. The project was received well whenintroduced to the students and this brought forth adesirable result in that they felt wanted andneeded.

2. Throughout this projeLt, there was aninterest displayed by my department co-workersand the administrators of the school system;however, the total faculty and community wercnot actively involved.

There was a new awareness of the needsof disadvantaged students on the part of the writer.

4. The failure rate in shorthand decreasedin comparison with previous years.

5. New items were introduced into theshorthand curriculum, pacing of units of study wasmore varied, and aides were utilized for the firsttime.

6. Eight of the 15 girls finished a year ofshorthand; two of them became "average" studentsand the other six succeeded to a lesser degree. Noquestionnaires, tests, or other measuring deviceswere specifically employed.

7. This project had a minor overall effecton the vocational education program in my school.However, I feel that I have made a tremendousstride in improving a specific area.

Conclusions

1. Results of the project include a newawareness and a better understanding of thedisadvantaged on the part of the writer.

2. More time is needed to develop theoriginal plan so that it is tailored to meet definite,specific needs with consideration for therestrictions of the school.

3. The administration should allow releasetime from a full teaching load to allow for planningand implementation.

All the changes I have recommended in thecurriculum for the next school year have beenaccepted and approved by the administration.

IMPLEMENTING AN OCCUPATIONALWORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM

LzVena York, Home Economics TeacberPlatte Valley HO Sebool

Kersey, Colorado

Introduction

Platte Valley High School has a total of 150students enrolled. A small percentage of minorityand low income families are in the community.Few students are motivated to attend college andapproximately 63 percent of the high schoolgraduates do not further their education. In therural community of Kersey few job opportunitiesexist. The nearby city of Greeley is the primaryemployment area and competition for a job is veryhigh.

bject ives

The primary objectives were:1. To help disadvantaged students compete

in the labor market by giving them occupationalexperience.

2. To develop self-confidence and skills intheir occupational interest.

Procedures

The work experience program was developedas a result of a survey of the community, ofinterested students, and of work stations in theGreeley area.

1. The school administration wasapproached with a planned program and theprogram was approved by the school board.

2. To implement this program, anadditional home economics teacher was employed.

3. The participants were selected on thebasis of their socio-economic level, the studentinterest, and the priority of individual needs.

4. Several talks were given to local socialgroups, school administrators, and homeeconomics organizations, to acquaint variousgroups and agencies with the occupationalprogram.

5. Many prospective employers werecontacted personally to acquaint them with theobjectives of the program and to obtain a possiblework station for the students. Upon the employers'acceptance of the goals of the program, a studentwas sent to the potential employer for aninterview.

40

Evaluation

1. A total of twelve students appl ed foremployment and twelve were accepted.

2. The occupational students wereenthusiastic about the prospects of employment,but several did not accept the responsibility of thework situation for various reasons.

3. Approximately 60 percent of the classwas employed at one job station the full schoolyear and obtained an acceptable work relationshipwith their employer. The remaining 40 percentworked at two to three job stations for varyingperiods of time during the school year.

41

Conclusions

The program was very successful andobjectives were accomplished. One indicationthe value of this type of program is that twodropouts have asked to participate in the workexperience program and will return to school nextyear. The employers have agreed to continue theirparticipation; therefore, work stations are assurednext year. An advisory committee of businessmenwas established and as a consequence, otheremployers have inquired about providing a workstation. It appears that the program will be able toexpand to meet the needs of the students. Thewriter is working with the administration toprovide the coordinator with an extra hour of class

time for counseling students.

PHASE 2

Phase 2 -- P.oject TOMORROW

THE INVITATION

Project TOMORROW seeks to make a bettertomorrow for many Colorado youth and adultswith special needs through vocational education.Colorado school districts are invited to set upteams to carry out special projects in vocationaleducation to help youth and adults take advantageof vocational programs so that they can becomesuccessfully employed.

Sensing society's concern for youth andadults with Special needs, vocational educatorshave come to recognize their need for more insightinto the associated problems and for certain skillsin providing education these youth and adults canuse.

Colorado State University, in cooperationwith the Colorado State Board for CommunityColleges and Occupational Education, therefore iscontinuing a project it began last year to assistteachers and administrators in discovering newunderstandings and techniques for working withthe disadvantaged. The purpose of the project willbe to deal with the practical problems thateducators in the field confront as they attempt toestablish and maintain programs for the educationof the disadvantaged. By combining the talents andbackgrounds. of -educators on various levels wehope to stimulate an exchange of ideas that will beuseful and satisfying to each participant. Thelong-range effect, then, can only be a bettereducational climate in which the disadvantaged willflourish, to the benefit of all society.

THE APPROACH

Picture, if youwill, the ripplescaused by ninepebbles beingthrown into a quietpond, and you willvisualize how farreaching the effectsof this project willbe on the educationof the disadvantagedin Colorado. Theproject will be basedon a team approach

to educational planning and programming inspecific geographical areas of Colorado. The ninemembers of the team will include the vocationalteacher, a related-subjects teacher, counselor,vocational supervisor or administrator, a memberof the advisory committee, a studentrepresentative, a P.R. representative, anundergraduate, and a graduate student from theuniversity. Such a group represents the broad scopeof education, and, as such, could generate a greaternumber of ideas for group discussion than wouldteams based solely on one stratum, or one field, ofthe educational system. Each participant couldbring to the discussion his concept of his role inthe education of the disadvantaged, develop anunderstanding of how others see his role in relationto theirs, and, as ,a result, work with the group inorganizing a team response to the need for bettereducation of the disadvantaged in his particularregion.

Each participant will have an individual actionproject that is in keeping with his position in theeducational system, and which will contribute tothe goals of the team project for the region. It isprecisely in this way that the project will have itswidest influence; for as each teacher, eachcounselor, or each administrator goes back to hisjob area and begins to carry out the plans madewithin the project team, he will be affecting theviews and activities of those around him. Theeffects of his participation in the project will bemultiplied as others are stimulated to inquire aboutthe project, to examinelheir present methods, andto explore other ways of providing education forthe disadvantaged in Colorado.

The person who is at the grassroots levelwho daily meets the challenge of educating thedisadvantaged -- the person who has the greateststake in finding workable solutions to the problem

is the vocational teacher, and . he shall bechairman of the team. The project is designed inthis way because teachers today are betterprepared, and eager to participate in leadership'sresponsibility for finding the keys to some ofeducation's complex problems. It is upon teachersthat programs, no matter how well conceived orsubsidized, must depend for success, and,therefore, It is only just that they should play alarge part in the design of programs for theirdistrict.

The project proposes to .encourage a better

understanding of the needs and culnire of thedisadvantaged and to use this insight to develop aneducational program that is meaningful to them. Itis hoped, also, that the participants' empathy andenthusiasm for working with the disadvantaged willbe transmitted to others in their job area so thatthe consequence is a school atmospLcre in whichthe disadvantaged feel secure and welcome. Onlythen will the disadvantaged be able to worksteadily toward their own educational goals in aprogram that is designed to meet their needs.

In order to promote the development of theleadership qualities the team members will need,they will engage in a variety of activities at theUniversity before undertaking the more difficultaspects of the project tasks. Discussions, reading,and conferences may be concerned w th suchtopics as:

the attitudes and mores of the disadvantaged

leadership behavior

techniques of group work

public relations techniques

assessment and evaluation

special learning materials

funding and facilities needs

innovative teaching methods, and/or othertopics according to the interes s of the teammembers.

THE PROGRAM

EQUIPMENT& MATERIALS

RESOURCES

TIME SCHEDULE

ACTIVITIES

PROGRA__ GOA 3

NEEDS OF AREA

After thispr eliminaryorientation, theteam members willdesign a program forthe disadvantaged intheir region. Theirassessment of thespecific needs of thedisadvantaged intheir area will be thecornerstone onwhich they buildtheir team goals,time schedules, andactivities. The teamproject will includedescriptions of how

each rean member will participate in.

contribute to, improving education of thedisadvantaged in their region. During this period ofthe project, the University will stand ready to serveas a resource for information and advice, and as acenter for the coordination and feedback betweenand among the various teams in Colorado.

The first publicstep that the project

evaluation teams will take willbe to go back totheir job stationsand discuss theproject with theirsuperior(s), theircolleagues, andthose people whoseposition o rinfluence within theparticular schoolsettings could affectthe progress of themembers' projects.They will then be

ready for the most important phase of the projectprogram the start of the planned project.

During the span of the action part of the teamproject, the members will have opportunities todiscuss with one another the difficulties they areencountering, to share new ideas and resources,and to modify the team plan according to theirfield experiences. Throughout the project therewill be critical self-examination by the teammembers so that the outcomes of the project maybe of value to other educators who will want toadapt part of the project program for use in theirown work with the disadvantaged. Analysis of theresults of the total project will be undertaken inthe spring of 1972.

Hope for the d sadvantaged lies in educationwhich provides them with avenues to economicstability. They have not utilized the types ofeducation present school systems have offeredthem, despite many educator's claim that certainprograms strive for quality.

Educators, then, have a serious respons bilityto probe, examine, and appraise what goes on inclassrooms and among people in our schools.Perhaps then educators will come closer toextending to the disadvantaged the kind ofeducational program and dedicated personnel thatcan relate to the needs of the disadvantaged. This

action

acceptance

44

pro e is an attempt to in this process

Outcomes

Next are listed some of the possible outcomesof Phase 2. These may take the form of specialinstructional methods and materials.

Instructional Methods:

Peer instruction plansIndividualized instruction plansTutoring activitiesSocial participation and discussionCommunity ParticipationGroup inte(viewsBuddy system (big sister or big brother)Student developed instructional mediaReinforcement systemsCooperative educationHome learning activitiesWork-study program

Instructional Materials:

Learning packetsJob sheetsSpecial visual aidsProgrammed instruuctionInstruction by behavioral objectivesIntegrated vocational and generaleducation instructional materials

THE ACTION

In order for the nine-member team to besuccessful in developing and carrying out projectsin its school district, each team member will havespecial duties and responsibilitieS. A list ofsuggestions is given below:

Vocational teacher -- to act as chairman of theteam; to convince two other VE teachers of needto work with youth and adults with special needs.

Related-sublects teacher (English, math, socialstudies teacher) to coordinate the vocationaleffort with the general education effort of theschool; to represent all non-VE teachers; toconvince two colleagues of the need to deal withthe problems of the target group; to make groupaware of views of non-YE teachers concerningplans; to research ttchniques by which VE can beincorporated in the general curriculum; to identi_groups who are in neeti of help.

Counselor -- tl coordinate _fforts of the

vocational staff with the g-uidance staf ; to providepsychological insights into the dynamics of groupaction in classroom; to make group members awareof the dynamics within the group; to investigatepsychological and/or counseling implications ofproposed plan; to convince two other counselors ofthe importance of involving themselves in specialhelp; to develop a file for teacher referenceregarding innovative techniques with the targetgroup; to demonstrate group discussion techniquesto train teachers in its use for relating to the targetgroup; to serve as a consultant to teachersconcerning appropriate reporting or interviewtechniques with parents of the target group.

Vocational supervisor and administrator -- toassist in implementing the efforts of the team bymaking recommendations to top schooladministration; to identify administrativedifficulties in group plans; to investigateadministrative innovations for educating the targetgroup; to convince two administrators orsupervisors of the importance of dealing with theproblem of the target group; to supervise thedistribution of the newsletter; to assist the PRrepresentative in writing up the district plan formedia; to visit teachers and cooperating supervisorsto provide consultation and support; to develop afile of printed materials for teachers on innovativetechniques in teaching the target group.

Member of the advisory committtee -- toassist in implementing efforts of the team byenlisting the help of the business and industrialcommunity; to make group aware of how thebusiness community might react, or might becomeinvolved in the group plan; to convince twocolleagues of need for support for project.

Student representative -- to reflect the needsand interests of all students with special problems;to represent the student body; to serve as a catalystfor the examination of biases; to act as a liasonbetween the pioject and the student body; toassess pupil reactions; to chair student meetings; toorganize a small group of helpers to recruitdisadvantaged, returnees to school, etc.; to assist ininforming community of project; to contactstudent newspaper.

PR representative -- to provid, news mediawith the facts and stories of the efforts of theteam; to advise on PR techniques; to representviewpoint of business, media, or other; to write up

project for media; to assist group members inreviewing promotional programs in their schoolsituation.

CSU undergraduate student -- to collect dataand information from participating teams bymeans of questionnaires and interview guides; toestablish monthly contact with each group memberconcerning their needs, progress, new ideas, etc; toperform the mechanics of the newsletter (stencil,run off, etc.

CSU graduate student -- to participate bykeeping notes and preparing a write-up of theefforts and accomplishments of the team and helpto develop questionnaires and interview guides; toprovide written materials for discussion; to assist inpreparation of newsletter, to edit and finalizecopy; to assist Director in coordinating program; toassist in researching the needs of the schooldistrict; to act as a "big brother" to a small groupof disadvantaged, dropouts, etc.

To provide a direction for Phase 2 ProjectTOMORROW, next is presented an address by Dr.C. Dean Miller, who spoke at the final luncheonmeeting that concluded Phase 1. Dr. Millerdescribes the role of the advocate in helping youthand adults with special needs.

THE ADVOCATE BY

DR. C. DEAN MILLER2

At this moment I am somewhat ill-at-ease,uncomfortable, and uneasy because I wish to sharewith you some ideas and impressions which havebecome important to me as a teacher and as ahuman being. The uneasiness is partially due toyour having much more experience than I inworking with groups which we label disadvantaged,and my respect and admiration are for individualslike yourscif who are on the firing line and workingwith the disadvantaged. Part of the uneasiness isrelated to my being too far removed from thefiring line and s a result you have some ideas,experiences and understanding that perhaps I'llnever have, therefore there is some question in mymind as to whether or not I should be listeningrather than talking_ At the same moment, I alsohave a strong desire to share some ideas andexperiences with you and I am not at all certainhow you will respond to these ideas.

There are two volumns that I wish to callyour attention. Both Volume I and Volume II, arctitled Helping and Human Relations by RobertCharkhuff and are published by Holt, Rhinehartand Winston. Dr. Charkhuff was, I believe, astudent of Carl Rogers and if you're one of Dr.Roger's many fans the books may have additionalappeal to you. The two volumes contain a

summary of approximately fifteen years ofresearch on training and teaching individuals howto build or develop helping relationships. My

response is due to the benefit I experienced instudying the books in that Dr. Charkhuff hasorganized the ideas in a way that makes a lot ofsense to me, and in the last year I've tried toimplement or put into practice many of theprinciples presented in the two volumes. I will bedrawing very heavily from these sources for manyof the ideas I wish to share with you.

It's been difficult for me to make a transitionin my own professional and personal life. In manyrespects the things I'm sharing with you are tosornc extent a testimony of the things I'vestruggled with in trying to become a more effectiveteacher. One of the things Charkhuff points out is

that if I'm going to help anyone, includingdisadvantaged, I've got to share something ofimportance witn these individuals. I must havesome similar interests with these individuals -- withthe students and I have to share with them somemutual concerns. Now this is kind of simple in

many respects, but you start thinking about it andtesting yourself by selecting a few of your students

pick a disadvantaged student and write downon a slip of paper the similar interests that youhave with this individual and list your shared ormutual concerns. I have had to struggle with thisquite often, and in addition to shared interests and

concerns, I have had to be able to relate easily andcommunicate freely with the individuals I wish tohelp or teach. I have to enjoy being with them. Ihave to benefit from this association it cannot bea one way street at all I've got to be willing andable to learn from them. I personally find at timesthat this is hard to do for several reasons, one beingdue to pressures that I experience in other aspectsof my work. It appears that one of the reasonsparaprofessionals are and may be effective inhelping the disadvantaged is that they may shareminority group or ethnic group status which also

2C. Dean Miller, Characteristics of Individuals Who Are Successful in Teaching and Helping the Disadvantaged," Dcpaitment ofPsychology, Colorado State University.

46

may be used to facili -ate communication andunderstanding. But the important principle is thatif I am to help a group of individuals I may bemuch more effective if I share with them commonconcerns and involvements in things we are tryingto do or accomplish, together. I must learn withthem, share with them and at the same time guideand direct them.

If shared interests, mutual concerns, status oridentity, and common endeavors are not present tosome extent in your work with the disadvantaged,your chances of really helping them in anysignificant way are greatly reduced or limited.

It is not enough just to share in the areasmentioned above if you are to teach thedisadvantaged, or anyone else for that matter. As Ihave tried to develop learning experiences for mystudents, assuming shared interests, commonconcerns, etc., I have found three skills ortechniques which have been very helpful. These areskills which were developed in the micro-teachingprograms at Stanford and I am going to digresssomewhat at this point because helping requiresmore than just shared interests, mutual concernsand the ability to communicate freely and easily.

The first technical skill I will discuss is labeled"set induction." You know it's been evident fortwo or three decades that one of the biggest wastesof time is for any of us to attempt to teachsomeone something that they aren't interested in,or that doesn't make sense to them, or that is of novalue to them. Set induction, the way we introduceand bring together learning experiences, materials,ideas and the pupils and their interacting both withus as teachers and these materials, becomes acritical issue and problem. There's a basic conceptof set induction which I believe has to be modifiedto be applied in teaching or helping thedisadvantaged. I think it requires moreunderstanding, more creativity, and a greaterwillingness on our part to try to determine what'sof concern to them. We find in the literature thatwe waste our time laying to teach and helpindividuals if what we are presenting is not ofinterest or potential benefit to them. Successfulapplication of "set induction" in working with thedisadvantaged necessitates our spending a lot oftime and effort in helping ...rid assisting them toidentify the things which they feel they need tolearn or want to learn. The objective of set-induction is to increase the learning by increasingstudents' involvement and interaction with the

ideas or skills to be learned. The question is one ofhow do we get the students involved andinteracting with the materials, etc., in order tofacilitate learning. A part of the answer- is that thestudents will have to be assisted and encouraged toinduce their own set for learning by selecting andidentifying what they want to learn_ Your role isnot a passive role at all and you are not to turn theteaching over to the students. It does mean thatyour use of set induction as a technical skillrequires student inputotherwise your efforts maybe of little value or ineffective in teaching andhelping the disadvantaged. In your lesson plans youshould have these questions. What do they feelthey need to learn? or What would they like tolearn? and How can I involve them in approachingthe learning experiences in order to provide a good"set or motivation for learning?" This is a criticalaspect of "teaching" anyone and the disadvantagedare no exception.

Stimulus variation requires preplanning,thought and awareness of the importance ofmulti-media and stimulus variation. This concept isbasic to teaching and.helping; and without stimulusvariation they don't listen, they don't payattention, they are not with you and you'rewasting your time and their time.

When I talk about stimulus variation, it maybe critical to change sensory 'channels every 15 or30 seconds. There are sonic pimple things we canlearn to practice that will contribute a great deal inmaintaining the attention of the group we'reworking with. It requires more planning, and effortand thought on our part but _it makes teaching a lotmore fun -- it really does. Stimulus variation canbring tremendous variety to our teaching andhelping the disadvantaged. You may have a topicor unit that you have presented a dozen times. Youought to have half dozen ways to introduce thedifferent topics (set induction) and half a dozenvariations in forms of media and stimuli. Youought to experiment with these two skills. Youought to try to use different kinds of stimulusvariation. If you get tired of teaching or presentinga unit, you can bring some new life back into itthrough creating a new challenge and more varietyfor you.

The third technical skill is " feedback." I amin trouble in talking about feedback with respectto my teaching here at the University. I have 174students in one course. Feedback is probably themost important single aspect of directing all types

of learning. As teachers we are able to provide a lotof stimuli and hopefully a lot of stimulation, but Ibelieve that most of us have difficulty in providingfeedback as the individual attempts to learn oracquire a skill. When you are working with a unit,idea, or topic, you ought to jot down what you aregoing to use as feedback and the idea that feedbackis important to your students. You will need to beable to provide many different kinds of feedbackin directing and developing various learningexperiences for your students.

I wish to refer back to the topic ofcharacteristics of helping relationships andintroduce the idea that all too frequently we thinkof "learning" in relation to cognitive learning suchas facts, information, concepts, and principles. Ibelieve we have made a serious mistake in terms ofsegregating the cognitive functions from the feelingor effective functions of a human being. Bysegregation I mean a separation between thinkingand feeling. Again it has been evident for a numberof decades that learning at its best is an integrationof feelings and emotions as well as thinking,information and ideas. I have just begun in the lastyear to try to think of the feeling aspect of what itis I am trying to teach and how important thefeeling aspect is in relation to motivation, retentionand achievement. Graduate students in VocationalEducation have been helpful to me in this respectbecause in the statistics design courses it isn'tdifficult to create anxiety. If I really want thestudents to have an appreciation and understandingof research design and data analyses they have toexperience certain kinds of emotional feelings.Unless certain feelings are acquired as part of the"learning" it makes very little difference howmuch they understand and know about reserachdesign and statistics. Without the acquisition ofcertain feelings, research design and statisticsremains something separate from their thinking,feeling and acting as a professional. It is really a lotmore fun for me to approach teaching research anddata analyses from the standpoint of integratingknowledge and feelings which students need inorder to reach the goals that are important to theprofessional in relation to research. I am talking;out the aspects of learning that pertain to the

-4ctive or feeling part of learning.As a teacher you have to be able to sense and

understand how a . "student" is respondingemotionally to the various learning experiences

you are providing. This appears to be critical inworking with the disadvantaged and it appears tobe very important in any helping relaonship. Theskill or competency of sensing and understandinghow another individual feels emotionally is labeled"empathic understanding."

Empathic understanding is almost alwayspresent in interpersonal relationships andinteractions which are viewed as being beneficialand helpful. The one element that appears to benecessary for empathic understanding is the desireto understand and a willingness to work hard toachieve understanding. Three or four years agowhen I first became aware of this concept, I

decided I would try it on my wife and our children. . I honestly think that the quality of our family

relationships has increased two or three fold. I havehad some wonderfully fine experiences in trying tolisten and understand empathically what my wifeor what my children were experiencing. At times ithas been tremendous to be able to listen to andunderstand the important aspects of what myfamily was experiencing and trying tocommunicate verbally and nonverbally.

A high degree of understanding generallycannot be acquired except with a very intensepreoccupation and desire to understand. When webegin experiencMg or acquiring that desire, wehave to first learn to listen to the content of thecommunication, which is often only a clue and notthe important part of the message. We have tolearn to sense the feeling part of the message.Empathic understanding then is the bringingtogether of the feeling aspect of thecommunication (i.e., the feeling that the individualis experiencing) and your -awareness of it as well asthe content or information aspects of the message.If we are going to teach, and to teach humanbeings, we have got to somehow, as teachers,acquire this competency and learn to very quicklyachieve a mental set which enables us tounderstand what a student is experiencing andtrying to communicate to us.

I find this hard to do, particularly if I ampreoccupied about something else other thanhelping the student who comes to the office.Sometimes I have to really struggle with myselften, fifteen, thirty seconds just struggling like thedevil, you know, to.. get stuff out of my mind andto open myself up where I can understand. Peoplewho have been helped often attibute the benefits

to having been understood by someone.Furthermore, I don't b(dieve we can reallyunderstand our students without at the same timecaring for or being concerned about themindividually. Empathic understanding may be theessence of the ability to develop and sustainrelationships that provides for continued growthand development of our students.

Another characteristic which appears to befound in helping relationships is respect for theindividuals receiving the help. My students cansense whether or not I respect them as individuals,and 'if I don't respect them it doesn't make anydifference what I know, how much wisdom I have,how proficient I am as an instructor or howcompetent I am in lecturing. If I don't respectthem, it is doubtful that I can influence them orhelp them or facilitate their growth anddevelopment in a way that is beneficial for them,their fruends, and families and for all of us. The socalled disadvantaged are very perceptive andsensitive as to how you feel toward them and ifyou don't respect them your chances of helpingthem are rather limited.

Dr. Masterson and I have shared ideas andexperiences related to human relations. Bert has anexercise which he requires in his human relationsclass. The outcomes are classic examples of whathappens when a teacher sets out to learn to acceptand respect a student for whom there exists dislikeor disrespect. If we as teachers are really serious .

about helping students learn we need to pick out atleast one student in our classes who we dislike ordon't know (preferably one whom we do not carefor) and learn to respect the student. If I can'tteach myself to learn something that has asignificant and beneficial influence on myrelationship with others I doubt that I have anybusiness meddling in the lives of others. Each yearI pick out at least one undergraduate and onegraduate student that I don't like or really don'tcare much for and say "I'm going to walk in theirmoccasins long enough 'til I hope I can respectthem." Many times I learn to like them and respectthem. But we don't get there without some effort,and I believe it requires conscious effort on ourpart.

Confrontation is another importantcharacteristic which is found in helpingrelationships. The last few years I have realizedthat I have a "nice-guy" syndrome meaning that itis important to me to be liked and respected by

people. It has been difficult for me to give Indreceive criticisms and suggestions, even though theeriticisms were good and potentially helpful. It hasbeen difficult for me to accept confrontation as acharacteristic of helping relationships and yetCharkhuff has documented that if, in fact, we areconcerned about another individual then we mustlearn to confront this individual -- not belligerently

but quietly and definitely and firmly and offerboth criticisms and suggestions.

This year at the University I have really beentaken to task by some undergraduates for somethings I am trying in a large course and have hadwhat I think are some fine experiences in which Ihave confronted students. I have said things tostudents that I did not imagine I would ever say inmy life because I was afraid they would not likeme for saying it. For example, Wednesday afterclass I looked one of my students in the eye and Isaid "Don't you speak for me. Don't you try toput thoughts in my head because I will not tolerateyour thinking for me." And then he responded bysaying that he was speaking for the students in theclass. I said, "Don't speak for them." That wasconfrontation. There was a time when I figuredthat the student would have become angry andresentful as a result of my talking this way. Iremember a couple of young ladies in the office,and I was really put out with them, and I said,"Look, I am really disgusted with your lack ofconsideration for me as an individual. I just don'tthink you would tolerate it at all my treating youthis way as a human being. I'm really put out and Iam really aggravated with you." I was amazed thesame day to meet one of these girls between myoffice and the student center and she said, "Hi, Dr.Miller." Furthermore the girls were in class thatafternoon and they were both attentive and havecome by the office to visit even after the end ofthe quarter.

Then recently in reading Charkhuff's book, Ihave decided that we are deceiving ourselves andothers if we say we are really concerned aboutthem if we are not- willing to confront them withcriticisms and suggestions and indicate to themhow they affect us- and how they make us feel. Weare being dishonest if we withhold from them ourtrue feelings and how they affect us. If they makeus aggravated, we are not teaching them thj kindsof honest relationships necessary for learning bydenying that we are aggravated with them.

But then we also have to accept and recognize

their aggravations and frustrat ons and they have tohave the opporttinity to confront us. I have beentold "I think this is a waste of time," "I am boredstiff," "I just think itis Mickey Mouse," "I can seeabsolutely no value in it," so it has to be a two-waystmet. It is hard for me to accept the fact that Ihave to accept confrontation. But again theevidence, I think, suggests that if we are going tohelp any group including the disadvantaged wehave to be willing to be confronted and toconfront. And by confrontation I don't meanbeing antigonistic, belligerent, sarcastic this typeof thing. I don't mean that at all. I mean anintelligent, straight-forward, candid kind ofhonesty. This has been hard for me to develop andis beneficial only if I understand and respect theindividuals I am trying to influence.

Of all the things we have come across in ourManpower project, there is one thing that reallyseems to stand out. In the literature thischaracteristic of helping relationships is beinglabeled advocacy being an advoeate. Time andtime again individuals who are really successful inhelping the disadvantaged are first of all anadvocate for the disadvantaged. Initially I didn'tlike the concept because I thought of radical,revolutionary that is not what it means at all. Infact, it was during this, last Easter season that Ithought I had for the first time in my life anappreciation for the concept of 'advocacy. Ourfamily was reading an account in Matthew aboutthe events leading up to the crucifixion. I waswriting at that time about the function ofadvocacy for job coaches in Manpower programs.As a job coach you cannot help the disadvantagedunless you are an advocate of the people you aretrying to help. In Matthew, I listed the accounts ofChrist being an advocate.. I suddenly realized thathe was crucified because he was an advocate. Ithought it was a tremendous experience for me tostart listing the times he was an advocate of thedisadvantaged during his three years of activeministry. He committed gross violations ofculturally and socially accepted ways of behavingtowards people, after all there could be nothinggood come out of Samaria, except maybe a goodSamaritan. Advocacy means that the top priority isindividual§ and that I will go with them, I will walkwith them, I will talk with them, and I will removeobstacles that are detrimental to their growth anddevelopment. This means Out I will incur persOnaland professional risks in being an advocate of

people and especially the disadvantaged.About fifteen years ago in a Junior High

School in New Mexico, I fought against initiating aprogram very similar to the Junior AchievementPrograms that are set up and run for youth,particularly disadvantaged youth. I argued againstthe merits of this program and in a five to six yearperiod of time I saw this program helping morestudents than I have ever seen being helped in anyother program. I studied the effects of the programM terms of academic achievement as measured bystandardized tests and the students in this programdid very well on the achievement tests. Advocacyand I didn't know how to label it at this time wasthe primary factor in the success of this program. Iobserved a teacher and a junior high principal takeon a number of people in the local school systemand at the state level in terms of granting credits.This one teacher in one year gave credit in 16different areas. An individual student, as a humanbeing, had priority over certification laws, credits,and requirements. Now that was advocacy, andyou could not convince these two men that allkinds of regulations, certification laws, pedigreesand certificates were more important than thelearning and growing and development of anindividual student and they stuck with it.Furthermore they did not at any time violate orbreak any legal restrictions even though a fewregulations and "regulators" were, to use thevernacular, "bent-out-of-shape.

I had this point driven home to me aboutthree years ago in Hobbs, New Mexico, when Iwent into a bank in Hobbs I had been gone anumber of years to cash a check ahd do youknow who approved my check? His name wasRonnie. I had tried to kick him out of one of mymath classes. He went into this special program andI remember Homer giving Ronnie an "A" inmathematics after I had kicked him out of mymath class and I did not like that. Homer was anadvocate for Ronnie. I didn't do a single thing forRonnie. Well, that is not true. I put him in asituation that was good for him . . . However, Idon't take much pride in that. But Homer was anadvocate of the kids. Homer expected a great dealfrom his students and the last I heard he still had awaiting list to enter his program. Honor students,student council members and so calleddisadvantaged all participated in Homer's class.

Advocates run risks of disagreement,disharmony, and disrespect from fellow colleagues.

50

These people are not wishy-washy kinds of people.They have made the decision that a human beingand the integrity of a human being have firstpriority over anything else. I am trying to move inthat direction but I find it difficult. I have found itdifficult because professionally I have identifiedwith learned ideas and knowledge and with otherprofessionals rather than with human beings. I

sense now that many times in my life I havedeferred and have not been an advocate of mystudents out of the concern of what you wouldthink of me rather than being committed toprotecting the integrity of a human being.

The evidence is fairly well documented that itdoesn't make any difference at what level we areteaching, if our identification is with content,information, ideas, other professionals, teachingskills or techniques and not with human beings, wecannot be an advocate and we will not have thecourage and conviction to put ourselves in aposition to walk with, to learn with, and to directhe students we are trying to help. I don't see thisas being a radical idea at all. I see it as exemplifyingthe commandment that we were given to walk notonly the first mile but also the second mile. I thinkthe first mile is this decision that a human beinghas first priority over everything else. I am hestantto say this becuase I am not always able . toaccomplish this. I do identify and I feel I shouldIdentify professionally with my colleagues. But

yet it seems to me that the people who have madesignificant contributions in changing the lives ofindividuals are people who have first of all beenadvocates of the dignity, integrity, and worth oftheir students. Identification with knowledge andsubject matter still has a high priority but remainssecond to the identification with other humanbeings.

I have become somewhat evangelistic and Ifeel very strongly about these issues. If you wantyour life to take on some new dimensions and newmeaning, I don't care how much fun it has been,how stimulating it has been, take a few of theseideas and go back quietly and consistently try forempathic understanding. Try for the identificationof mutual concerns and similar interests, and thentry to become an advocate of your student. Ibelieve you will benefit from trying and I'm certainyour students will. You will experience with themsomething of tremendous and profoundimportance for all of us as human beings. They willhave an opportunity to really grow and I think youwill do the same.

Thank you very much.

APPENDIX A

Interview Schedu es for Participants, Non-pa icipants, and Supervisors

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE Loomis P

VOCATIONAL TEACHERS FOR THE DISADVANTAGED

DATE:

NAME OF RESPONDENT,

INTERVIEWER:

G. la. Would you describe your project?

G. lb. What is the current status of your project?

Has participation hi this project provided you with new ideas and means for assistingdisadvantaged youth and adults? (Probe for specifics kinds of things that they learned)

G. 3. By participating in this program, what do you feel you have learned about disadvantaged youthand adults in regard to their:

a. Educational Problems

b. Social Problems

c. Economic Problems

What role have you played in communicating with other people the new materials and proceduresinvolved in working with the disadvantaged?

G. Have you read any articles or books on the topic of the disadvantaged during this past year?(Probe for specifics such as number, type, titles, etc.)

G. 5a. Has being involved with this program brought you into contact with others interested in this areabesides the participants in this project? (Probe concerning who other teachers, communitymembers, cr others)

lf, yes continue with G. 5b and c.

G. 5b. How frequent have these contacts been?

G. 5c. How would you describe these co ac s?

Did you attend the October eeting at CSU?

lb. What did you like best about this meeting?

lc. What did you like least?

P. 2a. Did you attend the meetings held in your area?

P. 2b. What did you like best about these meetings?

P. What did you like least?

Did you receive the newsletter prepared by the Vocational Department of CSU for the teachersparticipating in this program?

P. 3b. If yes In what ways has it been useful to you? (Probe for specifics)

4a. Have you encountered any difficulties in carrying out your project? (Probe to determine ifrespondent received help for the Directors, other participants, Voc. Educ. Doctoral Students) IfNo, continue with P. 4d.

P. 4b. If yes How have these difficulties been dealt with?

P. 4c. Are you satisfied with the solutions to the proble -s?

4d. From what you have learned, ho _ would you do the problem differently?

F. la. Do you p n to continue your project in the co ing year? If yes, continue; if no, probe forreason.

F. 2a. How -ould you like to see your project continue in the co. Ing year?

F. 2b. Have you made any specific plans for its cOntinuance? If Yes, P -obe for details.

F. 3. Are you planning to start a new or different project next year? If Yes, Pr be for details.

Interviewer Co ments:

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

VOCATIONAL TEACHERS FOR THE DISADVANTAGED

DATE:

NAME OF RESPONDENT:

INTERVIEWER-

Loomis NP

G. 1 Have you been involved with any project in working with the disadvantaged in VocationalEducation programs? If Yes, Probe for details.

G. 2. During this past year, what do you feel that you have learned about disadvantaged youth andadults in regard to their:

a. Educational Problems.

b. Social Problems.

c. Econo -ic Problems.

3a. What role have you played in communicating with other people the new materials and procedures

involved in working with the disadvantaged?

G. 3b. Have you read any articles or books on the topic of the disadvantaged during this past year?

(Probe for specifics such as number, type, titles, etc.)

la. Were you able to a -tend any of the meetings held in your area? If No, continue with P. 2a. If Yes,

P. lb. What did you like -st about these eetings?

P. lc. What did you like least?

P. 2a. Are you aware of the newsletter prepared by the Vocational Education Department of CSU forthe teachers participating in this project?

If yes, how did you become aware of the ne_ sl er?

2b. In what ways has it been useful to you. (Probe for specifics)

3a. Did. you work on a project with one of the .participants? If Yes, which project and t -hatextent?

P. 31). Do you have any plans to start or work on a project next year?

lntervie e Comments:

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

VOCATIONAL TEACHERS FOR THE DISADVANTAGED

DATE:

_o S

Name of Respondent: ____

(If the respondent is a superintendent and not aware of the p ogra , ask for the name and number ofanother person who is.)

Interviewer:

Introductory comment: (Introduce yourself.) I am calling for Dr. Huffrnan at Colorado State -Universityabout our program conducted jointly with the Colorado State Board for Occupational Education entitledTeaching the Disadvantaged in Vocational Education.

We are attempt ng to assess the effectiveness of the overall program.

1. a. Are you aware ofteachers of the disadvantaged?

's project in our program for vocational

1. b. Would yov please indicate what you feel has been accomplished during this project?

2. a. Describe any changes you have observed in the teacher's attitudes toward disadvantagedstudents -

2. b. knowledge of disadvantaged students.

2. c. activity with disadvantaged students.

Has influenced other teachers to be.involved viith disadvantagedstudents in vocational education? (If yes, probe for specifics.)

4. Would you want any of your teachers to particIpate in the program next year? (If no, probefor specifics.)

APPENDIX B

Perception Scale

APPENDIX B

PERCEPTION SCALE3

Name

PERCEPTIONS ABOUT DISADVANTAGED YOUTH AND ADULTS

Directions: Indicate, by checking the appropriate box, whether you believe the following statements to betrue or false. If you are unsure, check "don't know."

1. It takes an exceptional student to overcomeboth adverse home and neighborhoodconditions

TRUEDON'TKNOW FALSE

2. If disadvantaged students know what is ex-pected of them, they will respect the rules

3. Disadvantaged students will obey rules andregulations if they have respect for theperson(s) setting these rules

4. Most disadvantaged students from minoritygroups dislike white teachers

5. Disadvantaged students realize that schoolshave no authority to back up rules

6. The disadvantaged are moving in areas of theschool where they have no business

7. It is amazing how well the disadvantaged areable to dress on the small income that someof them have

Disadvantaged students have a peculiar odor

9. Grooming and personal appearance of thedisadvantaged student is far below theaverage

10. The disadvantaged don't seem to know whatsoap and water are used for

11. Disadv9ntaged students make a real effort tobe proper in personal dress and appearance

3Huffman, Welter, and Masterson.

60

68

12. If tare

the

13. If tfulmo

14. Whtea

citit

15. In g

16. Diabo

17. Themus

abili

18. Disa

by'_'

19. Wheage

dep

20. Gresure

21. Thein t

22. Thecan

23. Thetime

24. Theoff"

25. Disa

butto p

TRUEDON'TKNOW FALSE

le parents of disadvantaged s udentsat all interested, and convey this tostudent, the student will try

le material is presented in a meaning-manner, disadvantaged students are.e willing to learn

!n challenged and understood by the.her, disadvantaged students are ex-

to work with

eneral, the disadvantaged have low ability

idvantaged students do not seem to careIt learning

disadvantaged have ability, but the teachert use different methods to utilize theirties

dvantaged students just want to "get

n friendship is established by a disadvant-student, it is done so with great warmth,

h, and loyalty_

jarious, loud, frank -- the disadvantagedly don't wait for you to speak first

disadvantaged students expect too muchle way of support and supplies

disadvantaged will confide in you if youwin their trust

disadvantaged have a great deal of leisureand it is rarely, if ever, used constructively,

disadvantaged spend their tIme "goofing

dvantaged students like physical activities,infortunately, they don't have much chanceIrticipate in school athletics _

26. Disadvantaged students would like to spendtheir leisure time more constructively_

27. Disadvantaged youth spend their leisure timejust like other youngsters

TRUEDON'TKNOW FALSE

28. Disadvantaged youth do nothing exceptlisten to records and eat

29. Disadvantaged students Just don't seem tocare

30. Disadvantaged students do not bring materialsto class and they never have assignments ontime

In order to motivate disadvantaged students,instructional materials must be relevant andmeaningful to students -- in terms of theirmmediate needs

32. When working with disadvantaged students, itis a constant battle of wits between teacherand student

33. Disadvantaged students have poor attitudes

34. Disadvantaged students like school if theycan be kept interested

35. No matter how hard the teacher of disadvan-taged students tries, teaching the disadvantagedis still "a drag or really stale"___

6. Disadvantaged.students respond well to.specialprograms especially designed to fit their needs_

37. Disadvantaged students are the rejects(inferior people) of society

38. Special programs for disadvantaged stud ntsare effective in many cases

ACTION FOR TOMORROW

Teach by new methods; train for jobs; tolerate variations in life style, culture, dress; : ansform

attitudes; tutor to overcome reading and arithmetic deficiencies

0 Open doors ;c) opportunities; obtain assistance from others; offset kn organize for

improvement

Motivate by new methods and materials, manage learn ng systems; match students with jobopportunities; mediate learning between vocational and general education; moderate learning

materials; modify attitudes and aspirations; move in new directions

0 Orient to the world of ork; oversee learning systems

Reach more youth and adults; re ssure and reinforce all improvements, receive new ideas: record

progress; recount progress; recruit into programs; refrain from aversive procedures; rectify injustice;

refine learning; regain cooperation.

Respect differing points of view; remedy deficiencies; renew expectations; replenish helpfulness;

request assistance; respond positively and with support; retain in program; revere the individual;

right wrongs

0 Outfit students for emerging opportunities; overlook small setbacks

Wish for success and welcome s all steps of success