FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The changes in administrative responsibility resulting from the Vocational Education Act of 1963 were of two kinds. The first was continuation, expansion, and improvement of ongoing programs as authorized under prior legislation. The second was program development. The act called for programs for population groups not being served and programs to meet emerging employment needs in new Occupational fields.

The Vocational Education Act of 1963 is comprehensive; it excludes no group or occupation except those occupations generally considered professional or requiring a baccalaureate degree. The act provides for Federal, State, and local recognition of the needs and authority to provide occupational training for the labor force at all levels, for all fields, for workers of all ages, for persons in rural and urban areas, for youth and adults with special needs, and for the unemployed and underemployed.

The 1963 act provides specific responsibilities and services that were not included in previous acts. These responsibilities, as perceived and accepted by the Division staff for operating purposes, increased the scope and variety of the Division's activity. In particular it was evident that new services, and other forms of assistance from the Division, would be needed to maintain a high degree of functional relationships with the States.

FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICES

In a comprehensive review, a significant factor which must be studied is the administrative organization of the agency or agencies responsible for vocational education. The organization of the administrative unit will determine, to some extent, how efficiently and effectively the responsibilities are being carried out, and how well the purpose and objectives are being achieved.

The functional responsibility for administration of federally funded Vocational education is both multilevel and multiagency. At the Federal level there are 10 cabinet departments and more than 15 agencies which support or conduct education, training, and related programs, with an estimated expenditure of $11 billion in 1968.3

In the total context of the many Federal agencies involved in programs related to vocational education, it is apparent that overlaps and duplication will develop. Therefore, it is essential that effective administrative procedures be established for interagency cooperation at all levels.

Establishing an effective administrative organizational structure necessitates the identification of (1) functions and responsibilities at all administrative levels, (2) an adequate and competent staff to direct and offer leadership to maintain and develop instructional programs, and (3) specific channels for delegation of authority for decisionmaking.

The net effect of recent legislation has been to redefine the role of the U.S. Office of Education; that is, a role which supports the Office

Bureau of the Budget. Federal Education, Training, and Related Programs, Special Analysis G, January 1967.

of Education as a planning and developmental agency in contrast to a regulating one. The response to this change in role organization and structure is not an easy one. Such a change takes time, and the new organization must go through a "shakedown" to evaluate its effectiveness.

A significant increase in the administrative staffs at the State and local levels has been made possible through the 1963 act. During 1965 there was a total of 1,474 State personnel assigned to administrative and supervisory positions; this number increased to 1,771 during 1966, representing an increase of approximately 20 percent. At the local level the number of personnel assigned to administrative positions increased from 4,108 during 1965 to 5,136 during 1966, or an increase of about 25 percent. The number of administrative personnel employed in the Division of Vocational and Technical Education has not increased since 1961.

The personnel responsible for the administration of vocational education at the Federal level has not increased in proportion to the growth and complexity of the program. The number of professional staff assigned to the Division of Vocational and Technical Education has not increased since 1961; however, as shown in the organizational charts a number of administrative responsibilities have been reassigned from the Division to other segments of the Office of Education, and the professional staffs are now recorded in those offices.

In the following section, a description of the operational administrative functions of the branches under the Division of Vocational and Technical Education, as they currently operate, is presented.

Program Services Branch.-This branch, which consists of two sections, assists regional, State, and local agencies and institutions in the areas of curriculum and instructional materials, teacher education, vocational guidance, basic education, occupational information, and work-study programs.

The Curriculum and Instructional Materials Section surveys the curriculum and instructional material needs for programs under the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962, as amended, and the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The surveys seek to find national trends and needs in occupational areas. The section develops curriculum and related instructional materials to implement and improve occupational training programs, utilizing the competencies of institutions of higher education. State departments of education, business, industry, labor, and related organizations and associations. It works with regional and State staffs in developing and utilizing eurriculum materials and instructional media.

The Ancillary Services Section provides support to regions and State departments of education and institutions of higher education in developing and implementing inservice and preservice training programs for instructors and for administrative, occupational, supervisory, and management training programs. It provides occupational information and assistance to States in developing guidance functions relating to all aspects of prevocational and vocational training, and

• Refer to table an

* A reported by the Administrative Services Office. Division of Vocational and Technical Johnation.

coordinates and provides substantive help in the development and operation of work-study programs.

State Vocational Services Branch.-This branch, which consists of two sections, reviews and administers the functions assigned the division for State plans, agreements, and projected programs of activities. The branch maintains the national leadership and liaison function necessary to provide expert assistance to the regions and States in all occupational areas.

The State Plans and Activities Section works with the regional staffs and State boards for vocational education in the development of State plans and agreements required to implement programs of vocational and technical education that will assure high quality programs meeting the needs of the States' population. The section reviews and recommends to the Commissioner of Education the necessary changes required for conformity with rules and regulations, and advises the regional and State staffs on policy procedures and recommendations to approving authorities. It assists States in the development of projected programs of activities meeting the States' need for occupational training for all people of all ages in all communities.

The Occupations Section maintains a national leadership role in the occupational areas by keeping abreast of existing and emerging changes in the world of work through consultation with national leaders and attendance at national conferences of business, industry, agriculture, and labor. It provides expert advice to State and regional staffs of vocational and technical education in the planning, development, and implementation of training programs in their occupational specialty.

Program Planning and Development Branch.-This branch, which consists of two sections, serves as liaison between the Division of Comprehensive and Vocational Education Research, in the Bureau of Research, and other divisions throughout the Office of Education in providing research, experimental, and related information to the regional and State staffs in the planning of immediate and long-range programs of occupational training. The branch coordinates and develops information and plans for facilities, design, and equipment for residential and vocational schools, and provides leadership and coordinates the division, regional, and State preservice and inservice leadership development training programs.

The Program Planning and Development Section surveys the existing and emerging trends in occupational training at the secondary, postsecondary, and adult levels. It utilizes the survey information, research, experimentation, and demonstration project findings provided by the Division of Comprehensive and Vocational Education Research to provide substantive information and help to regional and State staffs in planning total programs of vocational and technical education and in meeting the changing educational and occupational training needs at all levels of training. The section provides liaison between research groups, agencies, and organizations in identifying and interpreting emerging needs and findings and makes all such information available to headquarters, regional, and State staffs. It also provides leadership training activities for present and new staff members to assure a continuous program of preservice and inservice staff

development training at all levels, and provides information and assistance in program financial needs, budget information, and personnel management to division, regional, and State staffs.

The Facilities Planning and Development Section conducts surveys and cooperates in studies to determine the national requirements for physical facilities and equipment and maintains current information on the national inventory of such facilities presently in use, under construction, or being planned; maintains liaison with consulting architects, school planning groups, manufacturers of building construction materials and equipment; utilizes and interprets all information in providing consultative and advisory services to the regional and State staffs on planning, designing, engineering, constructing, and equipping functional vocational, technical and residential schools authorized under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, and the Appalachian Redevelopment Act of 1965.

During the three fiscal years 1964, 1965, and 1966, the headquarters division staff provided consultative service by visits to the States. (The frequency of the staff visits is shown in table 58.) These professional services are directly related and responsive to State program needs. In fiscal year 1967, budgetary limitations had an immediate effect on the number of consultative visits that the professional staff of the division could make due to travel allowance restrictions. However, when possible, program specialists from regional offices were requested to provide consultative services to the States.

TABLE 58.-A BREAKDOWN OF SERVICES RENDERED BY THE STAFF OF THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION 1

1 Does not include the activities of the research staff, which was transferred from the Division of Vocational and Technical Education on July 1, 1965, the services provided by the field staff of the division located in the 9 regional offices, the staff assigned specifically to the manpower development and training program, nor staff participation in leadership development conferences and seminars held in Washington, D.C.

In addition to the consultative visits shown in table 58, the division staff met on numerous occasions with educators, agency representatives, corporation and company representatives, and foreign visitors in the headquarters office in Washington, D.C.

Numerous reorganizations at the Federal level have posed administrative problems. Increasing levels of authority have correspondingly increased the difficultly of responding to the needs of the States, and the inability to respond directly and rapidly has increased concerns at the State and local levels.

The establishment of the Bureau of Adult, Vocational, and Library Programs placed the direct responsibility for vocational education programs with the Associate Commissioner, who is also responsible for programs other than vocational education. The planning for vocational education is carried out within the Division of Vocational and Tech