History of public secondary business education with case studies of the Niagara Falls City School District and the Lockport City School District (New York)

Public secondary school Business Education is a unique subject classification in that it is difficult to classify (neither purely academic or purely technical), it encompasses gender issues such as male-oriented subjects and female-oriented subjects, and that it has failed to keep up with changes that have occurred in society. This dissertation examines how public secondary school Business Education developed, particularly during the twentieth century, and why it has declined.; Information was gathered for this dissertation by using document analysis of reports from the New York State Board of Regents and records from the Niagara Falls (NY) City School District and the Lockport (NY) City School District. In addition, interviews were conducted with past and present educators in both these districts. Statistical data was obtained from sources such as the New York State School Report Cards, the United States Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics, and the comprehensive plans for the previously mentioned cities.; Conclusions obtained through the research include that both administrators and teachers believe that Business Education is a worthwhile subject matter, but the current lack of Regents examinations in New York State does not allow Business Education to be a high-priority curriculum; that female teachers see a narrowing the gender gap that once existed between male teachers and female teachers; and that school district perceptions of Business Education depend on the ability of teachers to adapt to changes that are occurring in society.; The dissertation recommends to re-define the classification of Business Education, dividing it into two separate but equal categories; namely, Higher Education Preparation and Technical/Consumer Preparation . In the Higher Education Preparation category, Regents examinations can be recreated in Accounting II and Business Law resulting in a re-establishment of academic credibility for these courses. In the Technical/Consumer Preparation category, existing Regents proficiency examinations can be maintained while creating other proficiency examinations in technical Business Education courses such as Applied Communications, resulting in technical creditability for these courses.