Unifying the Vocational-Academic Divide? A Study of the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Program in the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 56
  In Roundtable Session: Rethinking Curriculum in Nation-States

Abstract

In 2011 the International Baccalaureate (IB) launched the IB Career-related Programme (CP) designed for upper-level secondary students seeking to combine vocational studies with academic rigor. This multiple case study investigates the expansion of the IB in two high schools in one U.S. state. Within the policy context of college and career readiness in the United States and OECD policy initiatives to bridge the divide between the liberal arts and vocational education and training, the CP has enjoyed easy acceptance for its potential to improve vocational education. The results of the study indicated that rather than an overall improvement of vocational education, the program represented a class advantage for high-achieving students.

Authors

• Richard D. Lakes, Georgia State University

• Martha K. Donovan, Georgia State University