Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is the oldest component of agricultural education, as most of the first agricultural learning experiences were apprenticeships on home farms (Croom, 2008). Rufus Stimson refined this idea into what he labeled as the home project method, which consisted of students learning by working in agricultural endeavors on their family farms (Stimson, 1912). The National Vocational Education Act of 1917, commonly called the Smith-Hughes Act, formalized secondary agricultural education, and legislated that schools must provide students with the opportunity to participate in supervised agricultural experiences either on a school farm or at the students’ home (Roberts & Harlin, 2007). These early home projects evolved into supervised occupational experience and then to what are currently known as supervised agricultural experiences (Retallick, 2010; Roberts & Harlin, 2007).
Historical Perspectives
Agriculture has been taught in American classrooms for more than 100 years, with the initial intent of preparing boys to enter the vocation of farming (True, 1929). However, over time the focus of vocational agriculture changed to include not only jobs in production agriculture but also employment in the larger agricultural industry (Phipps, Osborne, Dyer, & Ball, 2008). In 1988 the National Research Council (NRC, 1988) suggested that secondary school vocational agriculture revamp the agricultural curriculum to include more than vocational training. To shift the focus from vocational education to agricultural literacy, the NRC argued for differing instruction “in” agriculture and “about” agriculture. The suggestions of the NRC ushered in new curricula, which included specialized agricultural programs and a greater focus on agriscience (Phipps, Dyer, Osborne & Ball, 2008). Phipps et al. reported these changes altered the landscape of agricultural education, including how instruction is conducted in secondary school classrooms and how secondary school agriculture teachers are trained.
Traditionally, SAE has been hailed as a vital element in agricultural education (Camp, Clarke, & Fallon, 2000; Croom, 2008; Newcomb, McCracken, Warmbrod, & Whittington, 2004; Roberts & Harlin, 2007; Talbert, Vaughn, & Croom, 2005). However, despite the long history of SAE, the obligatory wording of the Smith-Hughes Act, and the understanding of the importance of SAE, not all classroom teachers utilize supervised agricultural experiences (Dyer & Osborne, 1995; Dyer & Williams, 1997b; Steele, 1997; Wilson & Moore, 2007). Wilson and Moore (2007) argued that the decline in the use of SAE was a result of the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. They posited that the rewording of the law, which stated “...such education [agricultural education] may be provided without directed or supervised practice on a farm” (p. 83), was vague and led to different interpretations by agriculture teachers. They also stated, “some educators interpreted this to mean supervised practice was no longer restricted to just farm work while others interpreted this to mean that supervised practice was no longer required” (p.83). Despite the initial reasons for the decline in SAE participation, a plethora of other variables contribute to the lack of teacher and student participation in SAE programs.