By pairing up core-subject teachers with traditional vocational education instructors, a Michigan district tries to show that rigor can be built into vocational programs. One teacher own contracting business, and still makes cabinets and renovates houses in his spare time. The other teacher's passion is math and science. He is certified in both of those subject and has a master's degree in physics. But when he was building the roof on his house years ago, he realized he didn't know how to do a crucial calculation with a framing square. So he relied on trigonometry instead. Despite their divergent talents, Joe Stegman and Ken Mroczek can be found every Friday afternoon teaching the same high school construction-trades class here at Van Buren Technology Center. They're just one of many two-person instructional teams this Michigan vocational school uses to weave more rigorous academic study into its courses. Its a strategy that some observers predict other vocational programs will embrace to bolster their academics and attempt to silence their critics.