Journal of Agricultural Education - Vol. 37, No. 1, 1996

Numerous changes have occurred in agricultural education in an attempt to revitalize and revolutionize the way we teach agriculture. In this regard, the strategic planning process directed educators to move programs toward a more holistic view of the teaching of agriculture. The findings in this study indicate that teachers in Pennsylvania want to develop a strategic plan for the state. Moreover, the teachers indicated there should be a greater alliance of academics and agricultural education. The findings provide numerous opportunities and challenges for agricultural educators in Pennsylvania. In 1993, a watershed document entitled A the plan. Every state was encouraged to develop Nation at Risk confronted educators across the their own “strategic plan” following guidelines, United States. This document has had an immense goals, and resolutions of the national plan. The impact on education in public schools. It lashed out Strategic Plan document states that, “the challenge at the inadequacies of the present school system and to the agricultural education profession ... is to emphasized the need to strengthen academic develop a vision of agricultural education for the education in order that citizens of the United States next decade that addresses technology, innovation, be competitive in a global economy. Shortly entrepreneurship, creativity, flexibility, and thereafter, a committee was formulated to individual needs in agriculture” (1989, p. 3). investigate the situation with regard to the teaching of agriculture in public schools. The document New There has been little assessment of program Directions in Education (1988), analyzed and initiatives and directions proposed in 1989 by the reported the impact that such requirements in National Council for Agricultural Education. academic education would have on agricultural Zurbrick (1993) completed a six month assessment education. It stressed the need to “revolutionize” of the status of agricultural education in several agricultural education. This document pointed out western states. He sought to identify innovative and many problems in the structure and format of creative programs in agricultural education. He agricultural education and then made reported a “mixed bag” of findings. One state recommendations for change. indicated doubling enrollment as a measure of The Strategic Plan for Agricultural Education supplement academic education. (1989), a follow-up document to the 1988 report, responded by outlining the necessary changes that Nesbit (1992) conducted a descriptive study to must be made if agricultural education was to examine the changes that have occurred in Idaho's remain in public schools. In this report, goals and secondary agricultural education programming. He resolutions were identified that the profession reported that three years after the program change believed would make agricultural education occurred, “most programs changed and enrollments competitive and relevant in the economy world. A increased” (Nesbit, 1992, p. 5). challenge was issued by the committee that drafted progress. In another state, he found a school offering agriculture as a practical component to