The Tale of Two Type of Schools: The Comparison of Teacher Competencies and Graduation Rate between Vocational High Schools and High Schools in Buffalo Metropolitan Area, New York

Abstract

This paper aims at describing the current status of Technical and Vocational Education Trainings (TVET) in the Buffalo Metropolitan Region by highlighting the stark contrast between teacher competencies and school performance in vocational high schools and high schools. The case study area is the Buffalo Metropolitan Region, Erie County, New York. There are 16 vocational and 41 high schools, making the proportion of vocational high schools is 30% of the total high schools available in the study area. All vocational high schools are located in the inner city of Buffalo, which is infamous for its concentrated poverty, segregated city, and declining urban quality. Efforts have been made to leverage the quality of vocational schools and their graduates in the city of Buffalo by improving teacher competencies (technical and didactical competencies). This study utilizes independent T-test, comparing the means of several variables of interest between vocational and regular high schools. The result of the comparison of means using independent sample t-test highlights the stark contrast of teacher competencies between the two types of high schools. There are statistically significant differences between them in the variable of the percentage of teachers with no valid certificates, out of certification, and no appropriate certificates. In addition, there is also a significant difference in the school performance measured by graduation rate, more specifically the percentage of graduates attaining Regent diploma with advanced design (New York State standards) and local diploma. These results are related to the fact that there is a significant difference in student enrolment between vocational and regular high schools. Vocational high schools’ students are disproportionately poor (economically disadvantaged) indicated by receiving free lunch (FRL), a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic, with more students with limited English proficiency (LEP). In conclusion, despite the current efforts to improve vocational high schools, concerted efforts needed to leverage TVET teacher competencies to improve vocational high school graduates’ quality, and remedy the inequity between the two types of high schools in Buffalo. Keywords—vocational high schools; teacher technical competencies; teacher certification; high school graduates quality; independent sample T-test