[National Average=25.4]

POSTSECONDARY SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

A substantial number of students were either beginning or continuing their vocational preparation in post-secondary institutions. These institutions were identified under such names as area schools, technical institutes, and junior or community colleges.

Beginning in 1965, data were gathered for the first time to show enrollment in post-secondary schools. For data collection purposes, the post-secondary school was defined as one whose program included students who had completed or left high school and who were "available for full-time study in preparation for entering the labor market.” Simply stated, the admission criteria for determining programs eligi

ble were:

1. The individual must be available for full-time study.

2. The individual must have completed or left high school.

8. The individual is not in the labor force on a full-time basis.1 In 1965, 207.201 students were identified as post-secondary and in 1966, 442,097. The States varied considerably in enrollment in postsecondary programs. Some States had previously developed vocational education programs in post-secondary institutions. Area schools that were developed in some States after 1958 were devoted largely to vocational programs in the post-secondary area. California, whose junior college law was passed in 1907, had defined this institution as a part of the public secondary school program and, as a result, substantial development of vocational education already had taken place by 1963. That the States vary in the extreme in enrollment in post-secondary programs of vocational education is not as significant, therefore, as the fact that these programs are showing extraordinary growth. In order to show the status relationships among the States, enrollment in voca tional education programs for 1966 is compared with the population in the 20 94 age group, using the Bureau of the Census estimate of July 1, 1963. Those data are shown in table 15 and figure 4.

* Tharati, vettwein (Jan. 13, 1987), Division of Vocational and Technical Education, PS. Office of Monorizon,

TABLE 15.-POSTSECONDARY ENROLLMENT IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COMPARED WITH POPULATION IN THE 20 TO 24 YEAR AGE GROUP, BY STATES, FISCAL YEAR 1966

IU.S. Department of Commerce. "Population Estimates," series P-23, No. 350, Oct. 5, 1966, table 1. 2 Data supplied by the Division of Vocational and Technical Education.

[National Percentage3.26]

It must be pointed out that both table 15 and figure 4 can be misleading in attempting to show the influence of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Identifying post-secondary enrollment was largely a new concept; these data had not been reported previously. Funds were made available late in 1964 so that such data as were reported for 1965 marked merely an improvement in data collection. This also is true to some extent for 1966 data, and it may still be true for 1967 data. In other words, the full impact of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 on enrollment in the post-secondary area consists of a number of influences, including the improved data collection methods, which must be taken into account if the data are to be used to reflect influence of the 1963 act.

Other aspects influencing interpretation of the data include the sudden addition of office occupations (21 percent of the post-secondary enrollment for 1965, and 37.4 percent for 1966), which measures more a recognition of a long-established program of vocational significance as a part of the official vocational education family, than actual growth of new programs in vocational education. Furthermore, comparable data prior to fiscal year 1963 for post-secondary school enrollment in public education are not available as a base to show differences among the States in post-secondary enrollment in vocational education.

The population age range of 20-24 years was chosen for the sake of convenience as a base to show State variation. It is known that the age range of 20-24 does not reflect accurately the ages of students enrolled in post-secondary vocational education. Within broad limits, therefore, the percentages shown for table 20 and figure 4 are only approximations toward showing State effort in post-secondary education.

Change in enrollment for each of the States from 1965 to 1966 is shown in table 16. Extreme variation in percentage change, from -82.3 to +580, suggests data recording problems in the States and the presence of unusual conditions.

The total change in enrollment in post-secondary education was 234, 896, or 113 percent. But this change was influenced by the addition of a significant volume of enrollment in office occupations. The enrollment in office occupations accounted for 21 percent of the enrollment in post-secondary education for 1965 and 37.4 percent of the enrollment in 1966. This produced a differential effect upon the enrollment in post-secondary education because 25 States show no enrollment in office occupations for 1965 (in post-secondary education) and 12 States show no such enrollment for 1966.