Evidence on Participation in High School Career and Technical Education Programs and Student Outcomes

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

There has been a strong emphasis on strengthening career and technical education (CTE) programs in high schools across the country over the past decade, and substantial federal and state investments in these programs (Kim et al., 2021; Gray and Lewis, 2018). Many schools offer robust programs in areas like health care, manufacturing and engineering technology, information technology, and business. And the majority of high school graduates now participate in at least one CTE course (NCES, 2024). Schools, districts, and state agencies are pursuing a wide range of efforts to improve CTE programs, such as organizing courses into more intentional pathways, embedding more work-based learning opportunities, and aligning programs with industry and college credentials (Rosen & Malbin, 20254; Giani, 2023). 

Several studies have now tied high school CTE participation to positive academic and employment outcomes (Brunner, Dougherty, & Ross, 2023; Dougherty, 2018; Lindsay et al., 2024). However, there is substantial variation across schools and states in how CTE is implemented. For instance, the majority of high schoolers complete just once CTE course, but many of the benefits documented by the literature are from more intensive participation in a CTE program (e.g., Brunner, Dougherty, & Ross, 2023). 

This panel builds on the growing evidence around high school CTE in five places: Nevada, Washington, Chicago, New York City, and Kern County in California. All of the papers leverage descriptive analysis to identify who is participating in CTE, describe their experiences, and assess their graduation and their postsecondary outcomes. One of the papers examines the participation and early impacts for a particular CTE program, while the other three papers examine broad patterns of participation and outcomes across the states and districts.

Collectively these papers demonstrate that students have a range of CTE options that vary by school, district, and state. In addition, students who participate in CTE programs often differ from students who do not participate in CTE on observable characteristics, but the characteristics of CTE participants vary across studies and states. The studies also suggest that educational outcomes tend to be positively associated with CTE participation, but outcomes vary across regions, programs, and student groups. Over time, descriptive analysis suggests that students are moving through CTE in more intentional ways and demonstrating positive graduation and college-going outcomes relative to other students not participating in CTE programs.  

Policy Area

• Education

Secondary Policy Area

• Employment and Training Programs

Chair

• Michelle Hodara, Education Northwest

Discussants

• Florence Xiaotao Ran, University of Delaware

• Steven W. Hemelt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Organizer

• Lindsay Daugherty, RAND Corporation

Individual Presentations

• Participation in Nevada’s Career and Technical Education Pathways - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Christine Mulhern, RAND Corporation; Presenting Author: Kata Mihaly, RAND Corporation

• Career & Technical Education in Washington State: A Longitudinal Study of Student Access, Participation, and Outcomes - Presenting Author: Sam Oliver Riggs, Education Northwest

• Career Development in Chicago: Offerings, Participation, and Outcomes - Presenting Author: Amy E Arneson, The University of Chicago

• Running a Business in High School: Evidence on a Work-Based Learning Program from Two Districts - Presenting Author: Lindsay Daugherty, RAND Corporation; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Umut Ozek, RAND Corporation; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Nazia Wolters, RAND Corporation; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Kelly Reese, American Institutes for Research