Little motivation for them, slow progress for us. This could have been facilitated at the state level, and saved much time and effort, i.e. California Department of Education could have attached some secondary funding to cooperation or at least have given high schools strong encouragement to participate. Coordinators also want to see business and industry take a more active role in Tech Prep development. Business and industry organizations are recognized as important stakeholders in Tech Prep, and recommendations for increasing their involvement are made by several consortia. Bringing the guidance counselors into a more active role in Tech Prep is one way to increase the impact of Tech Prep as an educational reform, according to respondents.
Most counselors are the slowest individuals to change old habits of doing business.
More training for these people would help. Developing some kind of nationally-based support system for Tech Prep coordinators is also an important part of expanding Tech Prep reforms to include a broader group. Other respondents emphasized that improving the Tech Prep coordinator position requires training, funding, and government leadership. It has taken me three years of involvement in Tech Prep and one year of coordinating a Tech Prep project to learn what could have been taught in a workshop dedicated to training Tech Prep participants. Educators need to sell best practices and especially bring parents and counselors on board.