The document discusses trade school programs as an alternative to traditional four-year colleges. It notes that trade schools provide career-focused education in specific skills and trades, helping students find well-paying jobs. While some oppose trade schools as discouraging higher education, the document argues for improving existing programs to give students more options. It provides a brief history of trade schools in the U.S. and discusses Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory as it applies to the adoption of trade school programs in high schools.

1. Innovation-Development Process
Lynn P. White
Lynn.white@waldenu.edu
EDUC 8841-1: Diffusion and Integration of
Educational Technology
August 17, 2014
Dr. Tim Green

2.  College too expensive?
 No majors that interest you?
 Don’t want to sit through
lectures?
 Want to take up a trade?
Try Trade School

3. Trade School Programs in the Traditional
Educational Setting
 Smaller classes
 Less expensive
 Higher chances
at job placement

4. The Need
 Students graduating who do not plan to attend college
 Students lacking any type of skills
 Students end up working for minimum wage, receiving public
assistance, i.e. food stamps or becoming a part of the penal system.

5. Research: Trade School Programs
 The American system of vocational education was established
in 1642 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony's School Law.
 The vocational training system that arose to address this need has
kept the United States economy competitive in the years since. As
vocational schools became larger and better organized, efforts to
include more women and minorities in their ranks found some
success.
("The Storied History of Trade Schools," n.d., para. 3)

6. General Samuel Chapman Armstrong
Organized one of the first private trade schools was Hampton Institute in Virginia.
Colonel Richard Tylden Auchtmuty
Founded first school to offer specific trade training with supplementary studies related to
each trade was the New York Trade School
(Vocational Education, Industrial Education, and Trade Schools )

7. Development Concerns
 Many people, however, oppose CTE because they fear it
discourages young people from going on to postsecondary
education and thus threatens to hold them back from achieving
their full potential.
 Opponents also cite the history of poor and obsolete CTE
programs that became a dumping ground for less able students.
 We believe that these concerns are valid, but that, instead of
abandoning CTE programs, we should be trying to improve,
upgrade, and modernize.
 (Cohen & Besharov, 2002, p. 1)

8. Intended Audience
 Students
 Teachers

9. Innovation-Decision Process
Knowledge
• What is Trade School?
• How does it work?
• Will students benefit from it?

10. What is Trade School?
 A trade school, also known as a technical school or a vocational school, is an educational
institution that exists to teach skills related to a specific job.
 This is different from a community college or a traditional four year college, as those
institutions provide educations in areas such as liberal arts and sciences.
 While traditional schools provide degrees in subjects like English, Mathematics, Engineering,
History, and Chemistry, an education at a vocational school focuses on preparation for a
variety of careers.
(What is Trade School? - New Castle Trade Schools).

11. Innovation-Decision Process
Persuasion
 Provides students with a skill.
 Ease of not having loans
 Ease of not have to endure lectures with no hands on
gives better chances of getting a job

12. Innovation-Decision Process
Decision
 Most students can’t afford to go to college
 May not qualify for loans
 Trade school expenses are cheaper
 More hands on experience in trade school
 Smaller classes in trade schools
 Adopt the innovation

13. Innovation-Decision Process
Implementation
 Hands-on and takes place
 Not many general education course requirements
 Jobs in a particular can be applied to as early as six months.
 Shorter academic programs
 Can be taken online like traditional college courses

14. Innovation-Decision Process
Confirmation
“A number of promising approaches are available
to improve transitions from high school.
However, effective implementation of these
approaches will require sustained financial
support along with appropriate investments in
technical assistance and professional
development (Bangser, M., 2008).

15. http://suewaters.wikispaces.com/file/view/Slide12B.JPG/3109
2781/Slide12B.JPG

16. Innovation-Decision Process Timeline
TIMELINE 1868 1881 1883 1891 1905-1906 1917–1926 1926 – Present

17. Perceived Attributes of Trade School
Programs in the Traditional Educational
Setting

18. Who are the innovators?
 Booker T. Washington, educator
 David Snedden, administrator
 Charles Prosser, lawyer
 John Dewey, philosopher
(D. Gordon, 2003)

19. Who were the early adopters?
 College Professors
 Students

20. Why Adopt?
High schools should adopt trade school programs because:
 The opportunity to obtain college credit for courses completed in high school
 A strong core of academics from which to move into a variety of career areas
 Cutting-edge technical expertise
 Exposure to high-paying careers
 Opportunities to visit worksites, participate in internships, and gain an inside look at
the world of work
("Advantages of Career Technical Education (CTE) Career Pathways," n.d.)

21. Who are the Laggards?
 People who don’t want change
 Parents that feel the program will interfere with students pursuing a 4 year college program.
 Administrators who feel the program will not be a success in their school system.
 Teachers not comfortable with teaching the trade school program curriculum.

22. Best Strategies to move Laggards
towards Trade School Programs
Compatibility: Trade school programs are perceived to be
consistent with the existing values, past experiences and needs of
potential adopters’.
Trialability: Give the adopters the opportunity to experiment with
the trade school program innovation so that they can decide
whether or not the program will be beneficial to students.
(Rogers, 2003)

23. Adoption of Innovation
The integration of trade school programs
will diffuse into high schools via teachers
in a unique way.

24. Key Change Agents
 Students
 Teachers
 Parents who are not resistant to trade
school programs

25. References
Advantages of Career Technical Education (CTE) Career Pathways. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.missioncollege.org/depts/techprep/advantages.html
Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/
Association for Educational and Communication Technology (AECT). (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.aect.org/newsite/
Bangser, M. (2008, August). Retrieved from
http://betterhighschools.org/docs/PreparingHSStudentsforTransition_073108.pdf
Cohen, M., & Besharov, D. J. (2002). The Role of Career and Technical Education: Implications for the Federal
Government. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/besharov.doc
Computer Using Educators (CUE). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cue.org/conference/
D. Gordon, H. R. (2003). cteprov. Retrieved from http://www.cteprov.org/#!about-cte/cuyk
International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/welcome.aspx

26. Rich, M. (2011, January 7). Certificate Programs Proliferate - NYTimes.com. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/education/edlife/09certificate-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The History of Trade Schools | McCann School of Business & Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.mccann.edu/blog/the-history-of-trade-schools
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.
What is Trade School? - New Castle Trade Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncstrades.edu/what-is-trade-school
Vocational Education, Industrial Education, and Trade Schools - Schools of Industry, Trade School Movement in
America, Smith-Hughes Act - Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Th-W/Vocational-Education-Industrial-Education-and-Trade-Schools.html