Chapter Four

Questionnaire Results

As part of the study of the v-t school system, program review created, distributed, and analyzed five questionnaires. Surveys were sent to all v-t school instructors and administrators, as well as members of the State Board of Education, one-third of the v-t school graduates from the Class of 1998, and a random sample of Connecticut employers from specific types of business. Appendix L provides a more detailed description of the survey populations and response rates, as well as copies of the individual survey instruments.

All of the surveys contained questions regarding perceptions of the v-t school system. Two surveys included questions about job search activities, and four surveys asked about job-related skills.

Major Observations

An analysis of the questionnaire responses revealed some interesting differences in the perceptions of respondents. For instance:

• more v-t school administrators than instructors (and all state board members) "agree" or "strongly agree" the priorities of the v-t schools are clear;
• more v-t school administrators than instructors rated v-t school graduates as "good" or "excellent" in eight skill areas;
• only one-third of the instructors rated the math and reading skills of recent graduates as "good" or "excellent," but two-thirds of the 1998 v-t school graduates rated the preparation they received in those skills as "good" or "excellent";
• a majority of the businesses that hired v-t school graduates during the past five years rated those employees "good" or "excellent" in seven skill areas, while employees who were not v-t graduates received ratings at those levels in only two skill areas;
• approximately half of the employers and the graduates who responded to the surveys "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools are successful at placing graduates in jobs, while three-quarters of instructors, administrators, and state board members "agree" or "strongly agree"; and
• half to three-quarters of each of the groups directly connected with v-t schools "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools meet the training needs of employers, but only one-quarter of the employers "agree" or "strongly agree."

The amount of interaction employers who responded to the survey have had with vocational-technical schools varies. Specifically:

• 43 percent have hired a v-t school graduate during the past five years;
• 29 percent interact regularly with a v-t school (e.g., providing advice on the curriculum, visiting schools to talk about career opportunities, serving on craft committees, and serving as instructors); and
• 26 percent have sent workers for post-secondary training.

Nearly 90 percent of the employers who responded "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools should work more closely with employers to identify job skill requirements. Nearly 60 percent indicated they would be interested in sending employees to programs at v-t schools in the future, particularly to improve job-related skills.

Perceptions About Skills of V-T School Graduates

A series of questions on the surveys sent to v-t school instructors and administrators and to employers asked respondents to rate recent v-t school graduates in a variety of skill areas. The survey sent to graduates asked them to rate the preparation they had been provided in the same skill areas. Table IV-1 compares the responses from each category of respondent.

Perceptions of the groups differ in some key areas. For example, more graduates rated their preparation in math, reading, and communications skills at a high level (65-76 percent "good" or "excellent") than did instructors (34-40 percent "good" or "excellent"). On the other hand, more instructors than graduates gave "good" or "excellent" ratings in the areas of craft-specific skills and familiarity with equipment.

As Figure IV-I shows, ratings also differed among the types of instructors. In every skill area, academic teachers gave the graduates lower ratings than the trade instructors did. In terms of overall readiness, the trade instructor ratings (72 percent "good" or "excellent") were also higher than those of the graduates themselves (62 percent). Figure IV-1 shows the percentage of each type of instructor who rated the skills of recent graduates as "good" or "excellent" for the eight areas listed in Table IV-1. (The "other" category of instructor includes those who provide pupil services.)

In the areas of math and communications, the ratings of administrators were closer to those of the graduates than to the instructors (in total), but were lower than the graduates. However, the administrators had a much higher perception of computer skills (68 percent "good" or "excellent") and overall readiness (81 percent) than those in the other groups. Less than half of the instructors or the graduates rated computer skills that high, and only about 60 percent of both groups rated overall readiness as "good" or "excellent."

The ratings by employers who had hired v-t school graduates in the past five years most closely paralleled the ratings graduates gave regarding their preparation levels. However, the positive ratings of the employers were always at least a few points lower than the graduates. One of the areas with the greatest difference was familiarity with equipment. While only 64 percent of the employers rated student skills "good" or "excellent," 79 percent of the graduates did, along with 84 percent of the instructors and 89 percent of the administrators.

Non v-t school graduates. Employers were also asked to rate employees who were not v-t school graduates on the same factors on which v-t school graduates were rated. The results for employers who rated both groups of workers showed a majority thought the v-t school graduates were better prepared than the non v-t school graduates in all eight skill areas.¹ Figure IV-2 shows the percentage of employers who rated workers "good" or "excellent" for the two different groups of employees.

The responses from employers who only rated non v-t school graduates are also shown in Figure IV-2. The proportion who rated the skills of non v-t school graduates "good" or "excellent" was similar to the businesses that employ both types of workers.

Post-secondary training. In another section of the survey, employers were asked about their experiences sending employees to v-t schools for post-secondary training. Forty-two respondents had done so in the last five years, and three-quarters rated the quality of the training as "good" or "excellent."

Regarding the possibility of sending employees to v-t schools in the future, 58 percent expressed an interest in one or more programs. Half were interested in job-related skills, 20 percent in math and communication skills, and 8 percent in other areas such as computer skills.

Employment Assistance Provided

On the questionnaires sent to instructors and graduates, respondents were asked to indicate the types of actions taken by v-t school faculty to help students obtain employment. Possible tasks might include posting job notices, inviting employers to visit a class, and making referrals. Figure IV-3 displays the responses of the instructors to the survey, in total as well as broken down by type of instructor.

As would be expected, instructors in the trade areas were more likely to make direct contact with employers and assist students with employment-related efforts. For example, while 56 percent of all instructors invited employers to visit the school and talk about career opportunities, 80 percent of the trade instructors did so.

For most of the actions presented in Figure IV-3, graduates of the Class of 1998 who responded to the committee's survey reported activity levels comparable to the overall totals shown. Almost half indicated their instructors posted notices, called employers, and invited speakers. Other types of activities the graduates mentioned included field trips to businesses and passing along information from employers who initiated contact with the instructor.

Employers were asked whether anyone in their business had regular interaction with a v-t school; one-third answered yes. The activities most frequently mentioned were visiting schools to talk about careers and receiving calls from instructors seeking information about jobs.

Employment status of graduates. Fifteen months after graduation, only one-third of the Class of 1998 who responded to the committee's survey was working full time in jobs related to the trade they studied. This was the same proportion as at the three-month point. As shown in Figure IV-4, the status of the respondents changed only slightly in the year after graduation.²

Perceptions of Vocational-Technical School System

A nearly identical series of questions on all of the surveys asked respondents to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with statements about the vocational-technical school system. The nine statements addressed the quality of different program resources, the employability of graduates, and potential areas for additional effort in the future. Table IV-2 compares the responses from the five groups of respondents.³

Major differences in perceptions are evident. The proportion of administrators who "agree" or "strongly agree" was greater than the proportion of instructors on all but one question. Although the differences were small for four questions (8 percentage points or less), the differences in two cases were 20 and 24 percent respectively. For those two questions -- priorities of v-t schools clearly defined and equipment in v-t schools technologically current -- the responses of the State Board of Education members were at opposite extremes. Regarding priorities, the proportion of respondents agreeing increased as one went up the organizational structure. On the question of equipment, state board members were more likely to disagree.

The responses of instructors to the series of questions differed by type of instructor in a few areas, with trade teachers more likely to concur than academic teachers. For example, 81 percent of the trade instructors "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools are successful at graduate placements, while only about 60 percent of the academic and the other teachers thought so. In terms of equipment being technologically current, one-third of the trade instructors "agree" or "strongly agree," while less than 20 percent of the academic and other instructors held those views.

Perceptions about equipment in the v-t schools are mixed, as shown in Figures IV-5 and IV-6. Approximately half of the administrators, state board members, and graduates "agree" or "strongly agree" equipment in v-t schools is in good condition, but only one-third of the instructors and employers hold that view. Regarding whether the equipment is technologically current, again similar proportions of instructors and employers concurred, while the other three groups had very different views.

Differences between those connected with the v-t schools, and the employers and graduates, were notable in the areas most directly affecting the outside groups. Less than half of the employers and 55 percent of the graduates agreed v-t schools were successful at placing graduates in jobs; three-quarters of the instructors, administrators, and board members agreed.

On the question of whether v-t schools meet the training needs of employers, only one-quarter of the businesses agreed, yet 55 to 86 percent of those connected with the schools agreed. A high percentage (86 percent or more) of all of the groups "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools should work more closely with local employers to identify the skill requirements of current job opportunities.

Views of the capabilities of instructors were fairly uniform. Approximately three-quarters of the graduates, instructors, and administrators "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools attract capable trade instructors and capable academic instructors. State board members differed slightly on the two types of instructors, with 78 percent in concurrence about trade instructors, but only 63 percent for academic instructors.

Comparison with 1986. The 1986 program review study of v-t schools also used questionnaires to gather information. Although the groups surveyed then and in 2000 differ somewhat,⁴ comparing the two sets of responses for a few identical questions provides some perspective.

Examining the responses of instructors, administrators, and state board members, Figure IV-7 shows that in 2000 a smaller proportion "agree" or "strongly agree" v-t schools are successful at placing graduates. However, during both time periods, nearly three-quarters (or more) of each group of respondents concurred with the statement.

On the question of meeting training needs of employers, Figure IV-8 shows the percentage of administrators in concurrence declined the most, while the agreement rate of state board members rose. Although a majority of all three groups concurred with the statement during both time periods, the rate of agreement in 2000 increased with the organizational level of the respondent.

Performance of V-T School Committee

In 1986 and in 2000, the members of the State Board of Education were asked to rate the effectiveness of the V-T School Committee in performing seven specific functions. Respondents in both time periods were nearly unanimous in rating the committee "effective" or "very effective" in advocating for the v-t school system budget and recommending formal policies for operating the system. On the other hand, a majority of the respondents in both years rated the effectiveness of the committee low on "promoting coordination of secondary vocational education opportunities in state and local schools."

In 1986, respondents were unanimous in rating the committee effective in "proposing methods to ensure v-t school resources are used to serve as many students as possible" and in "evaluating the administrative operation of the v-t schools." In 2000, several members indicated they did not know whether the committee was effective in these areas.

¹ These responses parallel the results of a 1986 survey of employers conducted by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. At that time, three-quarters of the respondents sought out v-t school graduates, and 87 percent preferred v-t school graduates over non v-t school graduates for craft type jobs.

² Although the number of graduates responding to the survey was low, the status they reported three months after graduation was comparable to data the v-t school system collected in the fall of 1998 for the entire graduating class. The department did not collect any additional follow-up information.

³ In order to match the phrasing of these questions to ones asked on surveys from the committee's 1986 study, respondents were given the option of selecting "Need More Info" rather than agreeing or disagreeing with a statement. Employers were the most likely to choose this option, with nearly half selecting it for six of the eight statements.

⁴ In 1986, the range of administrator positions surveyed was smaller, only a random sample of teachers received questionnaires, and graduates were not surveyed. In addition, response rates were lower.

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