This ED Tabs report uses data from the high school transcript studies of 1982, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1998 to examine trends in the vocational coursetaking of various groups of public high school students, specifically those defined as special populations within the 1998 Perkins Act or as protected populations in other federal legislation. The report finds that students from more disadvantaged groups, including low academic achievers, were generally more likely than those from advantaged groups to participate in vocational education, although these disadvantaged groups represented a minority of vocational/technical education participants. In addition, low academic achievers were generally not over-represented among occupational concentrators (those earning at least 3 credits in one occupational program area); instead, high academic achievers were under-represented among occupational concentrators. The report also found that while students in general decreased their vocational coursetaking between 1982 and 1998, no declines were detected in the vocational coursetaking of Asian/Pacific Islanders and high academic achievers, while the vocational coursetaking of disabled students increased over this time period.
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