Search Results

In this paper, the author argues that the federal government’s role in vocational and technical education needs to include greater emphasis on systematically testing promising strategies and interventions and subjecting them to rigorous evaluations of their effects, implementation, costs, and benefits. The paper is presented in three sections: the first section provides a rationale for focusing the federal role on systematic innovation and rigorous evaluation; the second section outlines a general framework for systematic innovation and rigorous evaluation; and the third section outlines strategies for shifting the federal role to focus more on these principles.

Preparing America's Future: the High School Symposium, held in Washington, D.C. in April 2002, provided a forum for a panel of experts to make recommendations for federal involvement in three topics: challenges facing today’s American high school; preparing students for high achievement and postsecondary transition; and the role of career and technical education in high schools. A set of eight papers was commissioned by OVAE to be presented at the Symposium. Following the Symposium, a further 10 papers were commissioned. This paper is one of the 10 papers commissioned after the Symposium. Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 72.438 to TD/TNC 72.448. Show less

For nearly 40 years, Career Academies have offered high schools - particularly those in urban communities - a systematic approach to addressing the challenges young people face as they confront the demands of high school and prepare for postsecondary education and the world of work. Typically serving between 150 and 200 students from grades 9 or 10 through grade 12, Career Academies are defined by three distinguishing features: (1) they are organized as small learning communities to create a more supportive, personalized learning environment; (2) they combine academic and career and technical curricula around a career theme to enrich teaching and learning; and (3) they establish partnerships with local employers to provide career awareness and work-based learning opportunities for students. There are estimated to be more than 2,500 Career Academies across the country, operating either as a single program or as multiple programs within a larger high school. This report presents findings on the long-term effects of Career Academies on outcomes associated with the transition from adolescence to adulthood - particularly on labor market participation, educational attainment, and family formation - over the eight years following scheduled graduation from high school. In summary, the Career Academies produced sustained employment and earnings gains, particularly among young men. While Career Academies had no impact (positive or negative) on educational attainment, half of the young people in both the Academy and non-Academy groups earned a postsecondary credential. The Career Academies also showed positive effects on increasing family stability.

Excerpt from published introduction reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Students' engagement and performance in their first year of high school offer strong signals about their prospects for earning a diploma four years later. These performance measures can be used to construct on-track indicators to measure a school's performance and to identify needs of specific students who are at risk of dropping out. This article undertakes a systematic re-analysis of several on-track indicators that predicted the likelihood of graduating with a New York State Regents diploma in New York City. The analytic dataset contains comprehensive longitudinal information for first-time 9th graders who are enrolled in high school between 2001-2002 and 2010-2011. The results show that the current New York City Department of Education indicator (earning 10 or more course credits in the 9th grade) offers a reliable prediction of graduation with a Regents diploma. However, an indicator based on earning 10 or more credits and passing at least one Regents exam represents a substantial improvement on the current indicator and was used as the primary indicator for additional analyses. These analyses showed that this on-track indicator has been reliable and stable across seven cohorts of entering 9th graders. The analysis also shows that the substantial increase in 9th-grade on-track rates offers a reliable foreshadowing of increases in Regents diploma graduation rates in New York City. Additionally, the on-track indicator was highly predictive for a wide range of student subgroups and helps to highlight the prominent gaps in performance along racial, gender, and economic lines. Finally, the article highlights significant variation in on-track rates across schools, that should be investigated in future research.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. 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