The State Board of Vocational Education is required to:

1. establish effective procedures by which

• parents,
• students,
• teachers, and
• area residents

will be able to directly participate in state and local decisions that influence the character of programs;

2. include an effective, expedited process for these individuals to appeal those decisions, as part of the participation procedures; and

3. provide technical assistance and design the procedures to ensure that these individuals are given access to the information they need to use the procedures. (Section 118(d))

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the author of this provision, pointed out that the language was intentionally adapted from the Head Start Act, "because of that program's success in both its outcomes and its involvement of parents." He noted that Congress chose this language "with the expectation that the effective procedures to be developed by the states for this purpose will provide for parents and students the same high levels of actual involvement" as parents have in Head Start. Head Start regulations spell out very extensive parent involvement, including a parent committee that has sign off authority on all major decisions.

Key features of effective participatory planning procedures at the state and local level include:

• comprehensive, real participation in decisions;
• extensive and timely participation in all phases leading to decisions (e.g., initial generation of ideas, drafting, reacting to drafts);
• participation in the full range of State and local decisions;
• provision of high quality information, training, and assistance enabling parents, students, teachers, and area residents to play an informed and active role;
• involvement of parents, students, teachers, and area residents themselves in designing the training and assistance;

Key features of effective participatory planning procedures, continued:

• accessibility to all parents, students, teachers, and residents;
• involvement of a significant proportion of parents, students, teachers, and area residents;
• a democratic selection process for choosing any representatives that ensures that the least adequately served students and their parents are involved; and
• real, ongoing, effective communication between any representatives and their full constituencies.

Expedited appeals procedures should guarantee that:

• decision-makers are independent and impartial;
• decisions and resolution is timely;
• parents, students, teachers, and area residents receive assistance and representation in the process;
• all features and rules of the procedures (concerning evidence, witnesses, oral presentation and questioning, documentation of the proceedings, decisions, etc.) are designed to ensure a full and fair process without unduly burdening parents, students, teachers, and area residents.

In order to design procedures and assistance that are effective, states -- as well as school districts, schools, and programs -- must work with:

• students, including members of special populations,
• parents, including parents of special population students,
• teachers,
• local school administrators,
• community-based organizations,
• organized labor,
• members of local businesses, and
• the State administrators of related programs.

Prepared by the Center for Law and Education's Vocational Opportunity for Community and Educational Development (VOCED) Project. The VOCED Project works on local, state, and national levels to redirect vocational education and school-to-work programs to better meet the long-term educational, social and economic needs of students and communities. Funding for the VOCED Project has been provided by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.