The Rapid Expansion of Career-Connected Learning in New York City High Schools

• In Event: Navigating Higher Education Opportunity: From Affirmative Action Reform to Community College Pathways

Abstract

Over the past decade, policymakers and educators have sought to move beyond a binary framing of “college versus career” preparation by promoting integrated models of career-connected learning (CCL) that combine rigorous academics, work-based learning, early college credit, and advising (Kemple et al., 2023, 2024; Rosen et al., 2023). New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has emerged as a national leader in this shift, particularly with the launch of two major initiatives in 2022: Future Ready NYC (FRNYC) and the Career Readiness and Modern Youth Apprenticeship (CRMYA) program. Together, these initiatives represent a large-scale effort to expand and deepen access to career-connected pathways across the nation’s largest school system. 

This paper provides an early descriptive analysis of how the adoption of FRNYC and CRMYA has reshaped the landscape of high school career and technical education (CTE) and career-connected learning in New York City between the 2021–22 and 2024–25 school years. Drawing on administrative data from NYCPS, we document patterns in program growth, school participation, pathway offerings, and occupational alignment across three CCL models: longstanding CTE programs, FRNYC career-connected pathways, and CRMYA apprenticeships. Our analyses also examine student participation in the five core components that comprise the framework for expanding CCL throughout the district: career-connected instruction; early college credits and credentials; work-based learning (WBL); continuous personalized advising; and financial literacy coursework. 

We find that NYCPS added formal career-connected learning offerings in nearly 100 high schools over a three-year period, increasing the share of high schools with CCL from roughly one-quarter to nearly one-half citywide. Growth has been driven primarily by the expansion of FRNYC pathways, particularly in high-wage, high-demand sectors, namely technology, healthcare, business, teaching, and building decarbonization. Notably, a majority of new CCL programs were launched in schools that had not previously offered any formal CTE, including traditional academic high schools. These schools also experienced the strongest growth in student participation in the five core elements of the CCL framework, particularly among students in 9th and 10th  grade.  Expansion was also geographically targeted, with especially large increases in communities with historically fewer career-connected opportunities.

We also document differences across CCL models and school types. On average, FRNYC pathways align to occupations requiring higher levels of postsecondary education than traditional CTE pathways, reflecting a policy emphasis on economic mobility and long-term career prospects. Meanwhile, CRMYA participation remains more limited and is increasingly concentrated within hybrid FRNYC schools, where apprenticeships serve as optional capstone experiences. 

By providing an empirical snapshot of NYC’s rapidly evolving CCL ecosystem, this paper lays the groundwork for future analyses examining implementation, student participation, and outcomes. The findings also offer early lessons for other large districts considering how to expand career-connected learning at scale while attending to issues of access, alignment, and equity.

Authors

• Clare Buckley Flack, Research Alliance for New York City Schools
  Presenting Author

• Emma Grace Alterman, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• John Sludden, New York University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Cassie Wuest, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Michelle Flores, Research Alliance for New York City Schools
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Janey Woo, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Rachel Rosen, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• James Kemple, Research Alliance for New York City Schools
  Non-Presenting Co-Author