ii TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION: A CLIMATE FOR REFORM by

The purpose of this study was to assess the climate for the adoption of a proposed reform model for secondary t ade and industrial (T&I) education in Virginia. Vocational administrators and T&I instructors beliefs about the extent to which the adoption of the proposed model would precipitate selected outcomes were measured by using an instrument developed specifically for this study. The population of this study included two sub-groups: secondary vocational administrators and secondary T&I instructors. Equal representation from the groups could not be guaranteed as a result of the sampling procedures employed for this study. Questionnaires were mailed to 145 vocational administrators identified from the list provided by the Virginia Department of Education. Responses were received from 120 administrators (83%). Two-hundred-ninety-five questionnaires were distributed to T&I instructors. Responses were received from 129 instructors (43.7%). The study examined the climate for change in secondary T&I education programs in Virginia. It examined whether vocational administrators and T&I instructors believe that implementation of the proposed model wou d be likely to increase access to, the flexibility of