258.4 - DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.
258.4 DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.
The director of the department of education shall:
1. Cooperate with the federal board for vocational education in
the administration of the Act of Congress.
2. Provide for making studies and investigations relating to
prevocational and vocational training in agricultural, industrial,
and commercial subjects, and home economics.
3. Promote and aid in the establishment in local communities and
public schools of departments and classes giving instruction in
subjects listed in subsection 2.
4. Cooperate with local communities in the maintenance of
schools, departments, and classes.
5. Make recommendations to the board of educational examiners
relating to the enforcement of rules prescribing standards for
teachers of subjects listed in subsection 2 in accredited schools,
departments, and classes.
6. Cooperate in the maintenance of practitioner preparation
schools, departments, and classes, supported and controlled by the
public, for the training of teachers and supervisors of subjects
listed in subsection 2.
7. Annually review at least twenty percent of the approved
vocational programs as a basis for continuing approval to ensure that
the programs are compatible with educational reform efforts, are
capable of responding to technological change and innovation, and
meet the educational needs of students and the employment community.
The review shall include an assessment of the extent to which the
competencies in the program are being mastered by the students
enrolled, the costs are proportionate to educational benefits
received, the vocational curriculum is articulated and integrated
with other curricular offerings required of all students, the
programs would permit students with vocational education backgrounds
to pursue other educational interests in a postsecondary
institutional setting, and the programs remove barriers for both
traditional and nontraditional students to access educational and
employment opportunities.
8. Establish a minimum set of competencies and core curriculum
for approval of a vocational program sequence that addresses the
following: new and emerging technologies; job-seeking, job-keeping,
and other employment skills, including self-employment and
entrepreneurial skills, that reflect current industry standards,
leadership skills, entrepreneurial, and labor-market needs; and the
strengthening of basic academic skills.
9. Establish a regional planning process to be implemented by
regional planning boards, which utilizes the services of local school
districts, community colleges, and other resources to assist local
school districts in meeting vocational education standards while
avoiding unnecessary duplication of services.
10. Enforce rules prescribing standards for approval of
vocational education programs in schools, departments, and classes.
11. Notwithstanding the accreditation process contained in
section 256.11, permit school districts, which provide a program
which does not meet the standards for accreditation for vocational
education, to cooperate with the regional planning boards and
contract for an approved program under this chapter without losing
accreditation. A school district which fails to cooperate with the
regional planning boards and contract for an approved program shall,
however, be subject to section 256.11.
12. Notwithstanding the accreditation standard and process
contained in section 256.11 for vocational education for students in
grades nine through twelve, provide a process that permits school
districts to establish community-based workplace learning programs,
called "workstart" programs, that provide students with
competency-based learning experiences that reinforce basic academic
skills and include, but are not limited to, new and emerging
technologies; job-seeking, job-adaptability, and other employment;
and self-employment and entrepreneurial skills that reflect current
industry standards and labor-market needs. An approved workstart
program may consist of two of the required sequential units in one of
the six occupational service areas in grades nine through twelve, and
shall be a priority for receipt of vocational education secondary
funds. Section History: Early Form
[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 3840; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73,
75, 77, 79, 81, § 258.4] Section History: Recent Form
86 Acts, ch 1245, § 1427; 89 Acts, ch 265, § 31; 89 Acts, ch 278,
§3, 4; 90 Acts, ch 1253, § 9; 92 Acts, ch 1198, §2