Exploring Pathways: The Impact of Early CTE Exploration on Participation and Postsecondary Outcomes

• In Event: Sustainable Secondary CTE Systems: Evidence on Postsecondary Pathways, Teacher Retention, and Local Labor Markets

Abstract

Massachusetts has long been a leader in providing high-quality career and technical education (CTE), especially through its Chapter 74 approved programs, which add requirements and funding beyond federal Perkins requirements (Yoon & Dougherty, 2026). A distinctive feature of this model is the Exploratory program, which must be made available to students in schools that offer five or more Chapter 74 approved CTE programs. This program provides 9th grade students with structured opportunities to engage with multiple CTE career clusters and programs of study and better understand the pathways available at their high schools. The program is designed to help students make informed choices that align with their interests and post-graduation goals (DESE, 2025). As high-quality CTE programs (i.e., Chapter 74 approved programs) have expanded within Massachusetts comprehensive high schools, access to the Exploratory program has also grown for broader student population.

We use the 2010–2019 on-time graduation cohorts in comprehensive high schools from Massachusetts student-level administrative data to examine the impact of new access to the Exploratory program on students' subsequent CTE participation patterns and postsecondary college and labor market outcomes. To identify causal effects, we leverage exogenous variation at the school-cohort level, focusing on “unexpectedly exposed cohorts”, students who encounter this new program only after they have selected their high school (De Philippis, 2021; Liu et al., 2024; Owen, 2024; Yoon & Dougherty, 2026). We find that program access significantly increases students' Exploratory program take-up and decreases the number of unique career clusters they participated in during high school, suggesting that early structured exploration may help students make more focused and informed choices about their CTE pathways. Our findings inform future policy efforts to design early exploration opportunities that effectively support students' college and career readiness, particularly for diverse student populations who may benefit most from structured guidance in navigating CTE options.

Authors

• Yunee H Yoon, Boston University
  Presenting Author

• Yerin Yoon, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Shaun M Dougherty, Boston College
  Non-Presenting Co-Author