Participation in Nevada’s Career and Technical Education Pathways

• In Event: Evidence on Participation in High School Career and Technical Education Programs and Student Outcomes

Abstract

Career Technical Education (CTE) has been expanding across the country, with approximately 85 percent of high school students participating in CTE courses (NCES, 2024). However, relatively little is known about what participation in CTE looks like and how intensity of participation varies across schools and program areas.

We partnered with the Nevada Department of Education to examine participation in their CTE programs. We use administrative education records on over 200,000 students in the state between 2016 and 2023 to examine who participates in CTE, the courses and program areas in which they enroll, and how CTE completion rates vary across program areas and school characteristics.

CTE participation has been increasing over time, from 79 percent of Nevada high school graduates in 2019 to 87 percent in the class of 2023. On average, students who participate in CTE take about 3.6 courses but the modal student only takes one CTE course. Approximately two thirds of students who concentrate in a CTE pathway (by taking at least two courses) go on to complete all courses in the pathway. And slightly less than half of students who complete all courses in their CTE pathway meet the requirements to earn college credits for their participation. Thus, while the number of students participating in CTE has been growing over time there remains substantial room to improve retention of students in CTE pathways and to encourage enrollment in programs more aligned with workforce needs. We have been working with Nevada to understand some of the barriers to students completing CTE pathways and the reasons why only half of those who complete a pathway earn college credits. 

The pathways in which students are participating has also changed notably over time. In the earlier cohorts, Culinary Arts, Photography, and Video Production were the most popular program areas. However, the state phased out photography and some other pathways because they were not aligned with high wage high demand jobs in the state. Several new pathways more aligned with workforce needs were also added, including cybersecurity and community health science. Nevertheless, fields with historically lower wages, such as culinary arts and graphic design, remain among the most popular. These pathways appear popular in part because of student interests, but also because it is easier to find teachers in these program areas than in more technical fields such as welding and mechanical engineering. We are also exploring how employment outcomes vary across CTE pathways.

Finally, there is some variation in CTE pathway participation rates across school characteristics. Schools in rural areas struggle to offer a wide breadth of CTE courses and the pathways offered vary with school poverty rates.

Authors

• Christine Mulhern, RAND Corporation
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Kata Mihaly, RAND Corporation
  Presenting Author