Selection into Technical Education and Postsecondary Outcomes at the Academic Threshold

• In Event: Using Statewide Administrative Data to Examine the Inputs and Outcomes of Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Abstract

Ensuring that lower-achieving students remain engaged in school and connected to the labor market is critical for both individual mobility and broader social equality. With its recent expansion across comprehensive high schools, Career and Technical Education (CTE) has strengthened as a potential pathway to support these students. Leveraging the Massachusetts high school graduation exam threshold, I show that barely receiving a lower performance signal on required state test scores induces students to pursue CTE in later grades, particularly in high-quality programs. Using a Difference-in-Discontinuities design that compares the impact of this signal on postsecondary outcomes between students with and without access to CTE, I also find that access at this academic margin raises on-time graduation by 2 percent and four-year college enrollment by 6 percent, mitigating the negative effects of the low signal in 10th grade. Impacts are especially pronounced among Black or Hispanic students, with those who enter the workforce after graduation experiencing a 12 percent increase in earnings in the first year. These findings highlight how performance signals shape students’ educational pathways and underscore the value of expanding CTE access in comprehensive schools for students at risk of falling behind.

Author

• Yerin Yoon, Boston College
  Presenting Author