Arguments for a common core curriculum in secondary agriculture are that a more clearly defined curriculum will help teacher educators develop a curriculum that will prepare instructors for the job they are expected to do, may lessen frustration of young instructors, and improve the ability to attract and hold them in the field. (LRA)

Five articles in this theme issue look at the rationale supporting the "about agriculture" portion of the agricultural education spectrum. They explore the philosophical base for a nonvocational program in agricultural education and offer definitions of agricultural literacy and subject matter content. (JOW)

In Virginia, continuous and extended efforts are being made to identify and provide the inservice training needed by teachers in agriculture through a series of State, speical interest, and area workshops. The article relates the procedures used to plan and provide inservice programs, and some related problems. (Author/AJ)

Curriculum developers in agricultural education are designing and recommending that teachers teach a one- or two-year competency-based core curriculum to all students in agriculture/agribusiness. Specialized vocational agriculture programs are built on the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences developed by the core curriculum. (LRA)

The article lists the topics of 45 inservice workshops offered by the nine Texas teacher education institutions and by cooperating agricultural companies. Their variety is considered sufficient to keep Texas vocational agriculture teachers adequately supplied with the competencies necessary to keep abreast of curricular changes. (Author/AJ)

The New York Agricultural Teachers' Association Vice-President for Agricultural Mechanization relates his involvement in curriculum development, teacher improvement, program coordination, and service school activities. Vice-presidents for special areas increase the relevance of professional improvement conferences and improve relations with…

It is hoped that a new program in Agriculture and Natural Resources Education now in the planning stage in Michigan will be broader in scope and also more closely tied to local circumstances than agricultural education programs have been up to now. (SA)

Steps of the Joint Staff in Agricultural Education in meeting inservice needs of agriculture teachers in New York State are described. The Joint Staff is comprised of officers of agriculture teachers, professional associations, two-year colleges' division chairpersons, and agricultural education staffs of the State Education Department and Cornell…

To accomplish desired changes in the behavior of practicing vocational educators, Illinois has worked toward a system of statewide and continuous inservice staff development. Articulation maximizes resources by eliminating duplication of services. The State provides technical assistance; special contracts have produced curriculum guides. Workshops…

The author describes Wisconsin's successful strategies for providing relevant inservice education to vocational agriculture teachers, including intensive workshops offered during annual State conferences, workshops throughout the State meeting needs identified in a Statewide survey, and a graduate-level University course for beginning instructors.…