Vocational education in America is a large and diverse enterprise. Spanning both secondary and post-secondary education, the curriculum offers programs in a wide range of subjects including agricultural science, accounting, word processing, retailing, fashion, respiratory therapy, child care, carpentry, welding, electronics and computer programming. Although vocational education is intended to help prepare students for work, both inside and outside the home, many educators and policymakers believe it has a broader mission: to provide a concrete, understandable context for learning and...