Not Cut Out for College? The Changing Social Meaning of Secondary Vocational Education Programs in the United States

How has the social meaning of secondary vocational education in the United States changed over time? I propose that vocational education policies provide a snapshot of national attitudes toward vocational students at a given moment in time. These national attitudes can be examined to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the stigma currently attached to being a vocational student. I analyze the wording and tone of seven United States Federal policy documents
published between 1963-2006. General optimism in the official definitions and purpose statements for vocational education is often undermined by an overwhelming concentration ondisadvantaged students in these policies. This stigma by association creates a disconnect between popular and official social meanings that thwarts official attempts to compensate for
credentialism and raise the relative social and economic status of vocational education students.