A study examined some of the ways in which vocational education has sought to ensure students a higher degree of preparation in the basic academic subjects at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Various Ohio programs as well as programs in New York, Virginia, and Michigan were examined. Special attention was paid to Ohio's Program Options model, developed in 1985 as a vehicle for strengthening academics in vocational education by providing vocational educators with more options for increasing the focus on academics in vocational classrooms. The program features three instructional options that differ with respect to level of state reimbursement and relative amounts of instruction provided by vocational and one or more academic subject teachers. The implementation of Program Options in one joint vocational school was examined in detail, and the program's statewide implications were assessed. The following conditions were found to be associated with successful implementation of the Program Options model: selling the program, minimizing job insecurity, emphasizing teamwork, involving both academic and vocational instructors in the program, individualizing instruction, and stressing more applied academics rather than simply stressing more academics. A series of recommendations for implementing Program Options in Ohio schools was developed. (MN)