North BrunswickTownshipHigh School Business Technology Curriculum
A Brief Evaluation
This will be a brief examination of the business technology curriculum of North BrunswickTownshipHigh School, North Brunswick, NJ.  The approach to be used is loosely based on the format introduced by Dr. Anthony Evangelisto, Professor of Education, The College of New Jersey.  This systematic approach is Dr. Evangelisto?s adaptation of the approach described by Deborah Bonnet.1
A Systematic approach to Evaluation
nLearn more about the program and the setting
nIdentify decision makers and their perspectives
nList purposes, audiences, and questions the study might reasonably address
nOutline various methods for answering the proposed questions
nDecide which questions to pursue
nComplete the evaluation plan
nCollect and analyze data
nReport the findings
Program and Setting
This writer spent 3 years developing a familiarity with the business technology curriculum at North   BrunswickTownshipHigh School. The historical development of the program is probably not remarkable. Business departments traditionally developed out of the business and secretarial departments of the 1960s. Following the trend in the world of business, the development of what was initially considered ?the office of the future? into the office of today, much of computing moved from the data processing (DP) to the MIS (management information systems) to the personal computer with support from the IT (Information Technology) department.
While the move toward user independence from the centralized data centers appeared liberating at first, some of the side effects included the need for data users to manage more and more of their own information. The secretarial posts that were supported at a variety of levels in organizations moved first to typing pools and then eventually secretarial support became last perk of the top management tier. Everyone else had to learn to type and keep their own notes. Stenography and became a rarely taught skill. Now everyone needs to use the keyboard and everyone needs to know how to operate a variety of software programs. This is true in all endeavors, in all fields.
One unfortunate aspect of the business department?s role has not changed very much. The stigma or perception of the low skill requirement and perhaps the lack of many other options available to the students so identified has resulted in the business department continuing to be one of the locations that students with lower academic records and/or lower academic aspirations have been assigned.
Historically, the business departments had to fight this identification. At the same time these departments had to continue to find ways to create courses that interested students as well as convincing guidance counselors and parents of the value of the business studies in the secondary
school.  While this writer was not in secondary education during these developments, there is little doubt as to the fact that the developments described in industry were having the effect described in the secondary environment.
An even greater risk is the educational establishment?s consistent and repeated overlooking and underestimating of the value of the business subject offerings. Core Standards and Department of Education requirements are repeated published with no mention of these useful skills. The business skills programs belatedly appear, as if an afterthought, the designs published. Teacher training programs for business teachers have been dropped at all but one college in the State of New   Jersey.
Despite annual anxiety over the effect of the above on the enrollments, the number of sections filled have nearly doubled in the three years of this writer?s observations. It would seem that the changing population of the school in two areas may possibly partially explain this development. Rapid increases in South Asian population in the community has meant substantial enrollment by high achieving and motivated students in the school population whose parents apparently value practical business skills as well as outstanding academic performance. The second possible explanation for the business enrollment increases may be some shifts in the township population as the more densely populated and often Mt.Laurel qualified condominiums and apartments were developed.
Certainly, tracking effect is not as much voluntary on the part of the apparently non-college bound as it is the result of the guidance department?s notion of the place of business courses in the scheme of things. Faculty members in business department everywhere decry this tracking, but are thankful for the continued growth of the courses.  This writer has a similar inclination, with the addition of being grateful for the influx of bright and extremely competitive South Asian students.
Decision makers and their perspectives
Each year the business department faculty are encouraged to propose new courses to expand the offerings and continue to meet potential areas of student interest. The proposals are usually conveyed directly to the next step but on occasion the proposal is returned at this first step by the department supervisor. The explanation for this has ranged from ?this was proposed and rejected 2 years ago?  to ?social studies will assert that this course belongs to their department? or ?that would threaten English department enrollment in a similar course.? This first line of decision making is assumed to have a clearer view of the bigger picture as the supervisor is in the principal?s cabinet and definitely has insight regarding the direction and inclination of building management.
The next level is obviously the building principal. Depending upon the incumbent, this person might take a participatory management approach, including the assistant principals and supervisors or might simply react to the proposals with little or no discussion. While the writer has not been privy to these processes, there is ample evidence that the decision style has differed substantially across  the 5 different principals during the three years observed.
The next is the labyrinth of directors and assistant superintendents. This could be viewed as an inscrutable stage of the process but the likelihood is that in this district each course is part of the superintendent?s plan or not likely to see daylight.  Of course, the professionals in these various roles have influence, but the generally accepted wisdom is that the real decision maker in all such matters is the superintendent. This may be similar to most other similar sized districts but it would seem that the district is growing to the point where such centralized management will be forced to become more delegated or suffer the consequences. These consequences include stifled idea generation, slow to react to necessary changes, limited vision, and inability to meet the challenges faced by the growing community and the subsequent changes in the growing organization.
Purposes, audiences, and questions
Business Education is an integral part of the total education program. Its mission is to develop and apply the use of technology, business and economic concepts, and legal principles essential for all persons. Business Education teaches the necessary skills for entry-level employment and post-secondary education. The Business Education curriculum must be designed, delivered, evaluated and updated to provide flexibility necessitated by our changing world?specifically by our changing business world.
This borrowed mission statement is a good place to start. The audience for the course have been discussed in the description of the setting above. As suggested in this mission statement the audience should be the broader school population. The high performing students not currently electing business courses should be recruited vigorously. 
Questions that might be asked include:
§   Why do high performing students generally not elect business courses?
§   What steps might be taken to change whatever perceptions there are that serve to limit these students?
§   What steps might be taken to change the perception of parents and counselors to increase the number of high performing students taking these courses?
§   What courses should be added to improve these perceptions? What obstacles must be overcome to create these courses?
§   How well are the current courses meeting the needs of the current students enrolling in the courses?
§   Is the content of the current course offerings reflective of the current world of work?
§   Are the texts and other resources used up to date?
§   What steps have been taken to mitigate out of date resource material (if any)?
§   What is the level of preparation of the faculty?
§   Do the credentials held by the department faculty provide confidence and lend credibility to the program offerings?
§   Are students able to use up to date technology?
§   What differences are there between the equipment provided and the technology in use in business?
§   How may students be assured that they have acquired skills that are valued by businesses?
§   When were the courses last rewritten or updated?
§   Are written curriculums on file for each course?
§   Do all written curriculum have the latest New Jersey Curriculum 
Possible Methodologies
§   Why do high performing students generally not elect business courses?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   What steps might be taken to change whatever perceptions there are that serve to limit these students?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   What steps might be taken to change the perception of parents and counselors to increase the number of high performing students taking these courses?
o        Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   What courses should be added to improve these perceptions?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   What obstacles must be overcome to create these courses? 
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   How well are the current courses meeting the needs of the current students enrolling in the courses?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   Is the content of the current course offerings reflective of the current world of work?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey hiring managers
o       Survey business organizations
§   Are the texts and other resources used up to date?
o       Check the texts used
o       Review the publisher?s literature
§   What steps have been taken to mitigate out of date resource material (if any)?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Survey the faculty
§   What is the level of preparation of the faculty?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Survey the faculty
§   Do the credentials held by the department faculty provide confidence and lend credibility to the program offerings?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   Are students able to use up to date technology?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   What differences are there between the equipment provided and the technology in use in business?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   How may students be assured that they have acquired skills that are valued by businesses?
o       Review the literature
o       Survey general population
o       Survey college bound students
o       Survey parents
§   When were the courses last rewritten or updated?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Survey the faculty
§   Are written curriculums on file for each course?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Survey the faculty
§   Do all written curriculum reflect the latest New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Compare the documentation with the published CCS
Questions to pursue
Due to the nature of the assignment and limited resources including time available not all questions will be explored in the current treatment.
§   Why do high performing students generally not elect business courses?
o       Investigation deferred
§   What steps might be taken to change whatever perceptions there are that serve to limit these students?
o       Investigation deferred
§   What steps might be taken to change the perception of parents and counselors to increase the number of high performing students taking these courses?
o       Investigation deferred
§   What courses should be added to improve these perceptions?
o       Investigation deferred
§   What obstacles must be overcome to create these courses? 
o       Investigation deferred
§   How well are the current courses meeting the needs of the current students enrolling in the courses?
o       Investigation deferred
§   Is the content of the current course offerings reflective of the current world of work?
o       Investigation deferred
§   Are the texts and other resources used up to date?
o       All texts in use are reasonably up to date with the exception of the Introduction to Business text use for the course called Dynamics of Business
§   What steps have been taken to mitigate out of date resource material (if any)?
o       Review the files
o       Survey the administration
o       Survey the faculty
§   What is the level of preparation of the faculty?
o       Mr. A, BA Business Education, over 20 years teaching business courses
o       Mr. B ? B.A. Business Administration, MA Personnel Adminstration, EdS Educational Administration, over 30 years of business experience ? 25 of these years were management or consultant level, over 6 years teaching college business courses, over 3 years high school business courses
o       Mrs. C, BA Business Education, over 25 years teaching business courses
o       Mr. M-1, BA Business Education, over 25 years of teaching business courses, over 20 years entrepreneur
o       Mr. M-2, BBA, MBA, over 30 years business experience -25 of these years were management, 10 years as entrepreneur,  3 years teaching college business courses
o       Mrs. M-1, BA Business Education, over 15 years teaching business courses
o       Mrs.M-2, BA Business Education, over 15 years teaching business courses
o       Mrs.M-3, BA Business Education, over 25 years teaching business courses
o       Mrs.M-4, BA Business Education, over 5 years teaching business courses, over 5 years as entrepreneur
§   Do the credentials held by the department faculty provide confidence and lend credibility to the program offerings?
o       Investigation deferred
o       The writer views the above credentials as able to provide confidence in faculty
§   Are students able to use up to date technology?
o       Investigation deferred
o       The writer notes that the hardware and the software is all no more than 3 years old
§   What differences are there between the equipment provided and the technology in use in business?
o       Investigation deferred
o       The writer considers the equipment to be comparable
§   How may students be assured that they have acquired skills that are valued by businesses?
o       Investigation deferred
o       The writer considers the program to be comparable with most business department offerings; however, a number of courses are missing from the mix. Among these are:
§         Higher level Accounting courses
§         Business Law
§         Business Economics
§   When were the courses last rewritten or updated?
o       Investigation deferred
o       None of the course curriculums (except Tech Prep courses)  have been updated in three or more years
o       Tech Prep courses are less than 3 years old
§   Are written curriculums on file for each course?
o       Review the files ? Curriculum required for the course named Entertainment Technology
o       Survey the administration - Investigation deferred
o       Survey the faculty - Investigation deferred
§   Do all written curriculum reflect the latest New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards?
o       Review the files ? MS Applications, Dynamics of Business need updated CCS references
o       Survey the administration - Investigation deferred
o       Compare the documentation with the published CCS
Complete the evaluation/Collect and analyze the data
In this case the more complete investigation is being deferred. The review is based upon the observations of the writer.
Findings
The business department needs to initiate an aggressive campaign to make the students, guidance counselors, and parents aware of the value of its courses. Department members should propose more courses in the areas of their personal interest since these courses are likely to be successful based on teacher enthusiasm. Additional course ideas should be solicited regularly. Course offerings at other schools might be considered.
Most of the steps required to perform this evaluation properly have been deferred. The complete study should be undertaken and proposals presented to the school administrators.