Voc-tech success with special needs students

Whenever I talk to education experts and people interested in education about the impressive improvements in academic performance and the low dropout rates at the state’s regional vocational-technical schools (VTEs), they often react by leaning on easy explanations such as the self-selection because they are schools of choice.

The problem with that argument is that 26 stand-along regional VTEs can boast of providing an education to double the percentage of special needs students found in schools across the state.

What makes the voice of experts from the regional VTE world important is that fact that the graduation rate for special needs students in regional VTEs is almost 20 percent higher than the statewide average for that category of students. Again, that sort of improvement is especially impressive given strong complementary improvement in MCAS performance over the past half dozen years.

This video features David Ferreira, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators; Fred Savoie, retired superintendent of the Blue Hills Regional Vocational-Technical High School; and Alison Fraser, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational-Technical High School.

Success with Special Needs Students from Mike Dean on Vimeo.

You can access videos other videos on vocational-technical schools here, on MCAS and academic gains, Vocational-technical schools as models of choice, Working with the business community.

Crossposted at Boston.com’s Rock the Schoolhouse.