So Much Reform, So Much Change? The Returns to Career and Technical Education Over Time

• In Event: 52.083 - Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 52.083-14 - Career and Technical Education SIG Roundtable Session 2

Abstract

The federal legislation on career and technical education (CTE) has drastically changed course within the last 50 years. This project explores if there is evidence that these policy changes are associated with changes in the outcomes of students enrolled in CTE. The data include four nationally-representative longitudinal data sets spread out over four decades including information on course track in high school and income seven to eight years after high school. The analysis is conducted using school-year fixed effects and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. The results indicate the earnings gap between CTE students and college prep track students is lessening over time. The decomposition shows previous differences in income were due to measured characteristics at the student or school level.

Author

• Samantha L Viano, Vanderbilt University - Peabody College