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As career and technical education (CTE) programming continues to expand to provide college and career preparation to a large number of secondary school students, concerns about equity arise as well. For example, current evidence suggests differences may exist regarding historically disenfranchised students and their participation in CTE. One explanation may be that some students lack access to the variety of programming CTE has to offer. This paper explores two CTE implementation contexts for differences in access between potential high school students of differing racial backgrounds by examining distance from home census tract to programs, organized by career cluster. The author finds significant differences in access for students from areas with proportionally more Black/Latinx students in some career clusters.

Published abstract. Show less

Across the US in 2013, more than half of all high school graduates (58 per cent) earned two or more credits in a career and technical education (CTE) subject area. Among college students, more than two thirds of all undergraduate credentials (68 per cent) were awarded in an occupational area. Yet although CTE is well subscribed, little is known about the efficacy of this programming. Most studies of CTE have not used research designs that support causal inference, relying instead on information from nationally representative or statewide datasets to estimate relationships between students' CTE course taking and subsequent education and employment outcomes. These studies tend to associate students' in-school experiences and postprogram results with levels of credit accumulation, but they do not account for other measures of experience that educators and policymakers argue are likely to contribute to any potential impact. As a result, the literature has failed to fully capture the effect that CTE programming has on individuals who concentrate their studies in a comprehensive, high-quality CTE program of study.

Reauthorization of federal CTE legislation and increasing attention to the career preparation of youth will continue to draw attention to the field; for this reason, there is a need to strengthen the rigor of CTE research to estimate the impact of CTE exposure on students. This paper catalogs the measures of CTE exposure used in prior studies, document measures and outcomes in more recent causal studies, and offer a framework for how to measure CTE exposure and outcomes in the future to contribute to this work.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

During the last decade, Career and Technical Education (CTE) has re-taken a prominent place in federal, state, and local education policies. The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) oversees one of the largest and most diverse CTE systems in the country. In collaboration with researchers from MDRC, Boston College, and the University of Connecticut, the Research Alliance has undertaken a multi-year study of CTE that is informing policy decisions in New York City and nationally. Findings from the study are particularly relevant to the work of the NYCDOE's Office of Student Pathways, which is overseeing a large expansion of 'career-connected learning opportunities' across New York City's high schools.

This report is one of several that will emerge from the ongoing study. It focuses on 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools, which are structured to ensure that all enrolled students participate in a CTE Program of Study from 9th through 12th grade. These programs are organized around an industry-aligned theme (e.g., construction, IT, health services, etc.) and offer a sequence of career-focused courses, work-based learning opportunities, and access to aligned college-level coursework. Our study uses an especially rigorous approach to compare the experiences and outcomes of nearly 19,000 NYC students who were assigned to a CTE-Dedicated high school between 2013 and 2016 with those of similar students who also applied to CTE programs but were assigned to another high school during the same period.

Among the key findings: (1) A majority of students assigned to CTE-Dedicated high schools completed the required number of CTE credits, and about one quarter participated in a work-based internship; (2) The CTE-Dedicated schools produced modest, but positive impacts on student engagement, including staying on track for a New York State Regents diploma. One concern about CTE generally has been the idea that requiring students to complete career-specific courses and internships might distract them from other academic requirements and impede their progress through high school. We found no evidence of this. While students in CTE-Dedicated high schools earned somewhat fewer credits in academic subjects, they earned substantially more CTE course credits - and more credits overall - than their non-CTE counterparts. Students in CTE-Dedicated high schools had higher attendance and were consistently more likely to be on track for a Regents diploma; (3) CTE students graduated from high school and enrolled in college at rates that were similar, on average, to their non-CTE counterparts; and (4) There was a great deal of variation in both programming conditions and impacts across the 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools. In general, we found that smaller, nonselective schools with a single or coherent set of career themes appear to have produced meaningful improvements in high school graduation and college enrollment rates - particularly in programs focused on occupations requiring a Bachelor's degree for entry-level jobs. In contrast, larger, more selective schools with a range of programs focused on occupations that often require limited post-secondary education had null or negative effects on graduation and college enrollment.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less