Differences of opinion among major stakeholders of the North Montco Technical Career Center toward the center's current educational delivery systems, operational facilities, and program offerings

by Lacey, Kevin Robert.

This dissertation represents a live assessment study of the North Montco Technical Career Center’s (NMTCC) instructional delivery systems, operational facilities, and program offerings. NMTCC’s administration and Joint Operating Committee contracted the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) to conduct an in-depth analysis of the facility’s infrastructure. North Montco TCC is a career and technical center located in Northern Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This study focused on several issues: (a) The delivery system options available to North Montco TCC; (b) the cost effectiveness of NMTCC programs; (c) the possible expansion of technical program offerings to reflect the changing employment needs of the community; and (d) the viability of the current physical plant and options for expansion to accommodate the increasing student enrollment. The purpose of the study was to determine the most efficient and effective delivery system for North Montco TCC and its participating school districts (e.g., half day sessions, comprehensive technical school). The goals of the study included: (a) A complete review of existing data; (b) an analysis of the current delivery system; (c) researching options based on cost and impact to the sending school districts, business and industry, parents and students, instructional staff, and other partners of NMTCC. The literature review in this dissertation focused on educational delivery systems, including Tech Pep, career academies, distance education, and state vocational education delivery models. Partnerships between schools and business and apprenticeships were also discussed. Although possible solutions gleaned from this study may be unique to North Montco TCC’s situation, the research methodology employed in this study will most likely be the iv component that can be utilized by the administration of other career and technical centers, should they choose to determine the feasibility of their delivery systems and facilities. A mixed methods research design was used to conduct this study. Data collection was accomplished through a survey instrument distributed to a larger group of participants and through personal in-depth interviews with a smaller sampling of key stakeholders. v