The director of the department of education shall:
1. Co-operate with the federal board for vocational education in the administration of the Act of Congress.
2. Provide for making studies and investigations relating to prevocational and vocational training in agricultural, industrial, and commercial subjects, and home economics.
3. Promote and aid in the establishment in local communities and public schools of departments and classes giving instruction in subjects listed in subsection 2.
4. Co-operate with local communities in the maintenance of schools, departments, and classes.
5. Make recommendations to the board of educational examiners relating to the enforcement of rules prescribing standards for teachers of subjects listed in subsection 2 in accredited schools, departments, and classes.
6. Co-operate in the maintenance of practitioner preparation schools, departments, and classes, supported and controlled by the public, for the training of teachers and supervisors of subjects listed in subsection 2.
7. Annually review at least twenty percent of the approved vocational programs as a basis for continuing approval to ensure that the programs are compatible with educational reform efforts, are capable of responding to technological change and innovation, and meet the educational needs of students and the employment community. The review shall include an assessment of the extent to which the competencies in the program are being mastered by the students enrolled, the costs are proportionate to educational benefits received, the vocational curriculum is articulated and integrated with other curricular offerings required of all students, the programs would permit students with vocational education backgrounds to pursue other educational interests in a postsecondary institutional setting, and the programs remove barriers for both traditional and nontraditional students to access educational and employment opportunities.
8. Establish a minimum set of compe- tencies and core curriculum for approval of a vocational program sequence that addresses the following: new and emerging technologies; job-seeking, job-keeping, and other employment skills, including self-employment and entrepreneurial skills, that reflect current industry standards, leadership skills, entrepreneurial, and labor- market needs; and the strengthening of basic academic skills.
9. Establish a regional planning process to be implemented by regional planning boards, which utilizes the services of local school districts, community colleges, and other resources to assist local school districts in meeting vocational education standards while avoiding unnecessary duplication of services.
10. Enforce rules prescribing standards for approval of vocational education programs in schools, departments, and classes.
11. Notwithstanding the accreditation process contained in section 256.11, permit school districts, which provide a program which does not meet the standards for accreditation for vocational education, to cooperate with the regional planning boards and contract for an approved program under this chapter without losing accreditation. A school district which fails to cooperate with the regional planning boards and contract for an approved program shall, however, be subject to section 256.11.
12. Notwithstanding the accreditation standard and process contained in section 256.11 for vocational education for students in grades nine through twelve, provide a process that permits school districts to establish community-based workplace learning programs, called "workstart" programs, that provide students with competency- based learning experiences that reinforce basic academic skills and include, but are not limited to, new and emerging technologies; job-seeking, job-adaptability, and other employment; and self-employment and entrepreneurial skills that reflect current industry standards and labor-market needs. An approved workstart program may consist of two of the required sequential units in one of the six occupational service areas in grades nine through twelve, and shall be a priority for receipt of vocational education secondary funds.
[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 3840; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 258.4]
86 Acts, ch 1245, § 1427; 89 Acts, ch 265, § 31; 89 Acts, ch 278, §3, 4; 90 Acts, ch 1253, § 9; 92 Acts, ch 1198, §2
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