Access, Participation, and Preparation: An Overview of Career Development Opportunities in Baltimore City Public Schools

• In Event: Career and Technical Education and Work-based Learning: a Meta-analysis and Current Research in Three States

Abstract

This paper summarizes an exploratory study of career development opportunities (CDOs), including career and technical education and work-based learning, in Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). BCPS provides a compelling context for evaluating the causal impacts of CDOs on student outcomes. The district’s high school admissions structure creates multiple quasi-experimental conditions: four highly selective high schools admit students based on academic thresholds, enabling regression discontinuity designs, while several non-selective schools are oversubscribed and rely on random lotteries for admission. These features, combined with a robust ecosystem of career and technical education (CTE) pathways and work-based learning (WBL) opportunities, position BCPS as an ideal setting for generating rigorous causal evidence on career-connected learning.Year 1 of the project involved assembling administrative data, conducting stakeholder interviews, facilitating student focus groups, and reviewing school choice materials to document the landscape and evolution of CDOs in BCPS. Research questions included understanding what CDOs are available to BCPS high school students and how students learn about and become connected to them; how access to CDOs has changed over time with changes in high school entry requirements; and to what extent participation in CDOs is correlated with student outcomes like technical assessment scores, industry-recognized credentialing, high school completion, postsecondary enrollment, and other postsecondary outcomes like major of choice.Findings indicate substantial variation in the availability and distribution of CDOs across schools and neighborhoods, raising important questions about equitable access. Qualitative data suggest that students often do not select schools or programs based on long-term career benefits; instead, proximity, peer influence, and guidance from counselors play a larger role in shaping participation. Preliminary quantitative analyses show positive correlations between CTE participation, particularly pathway concentration, and key outcomes such as high school completion and postsecondary enrollment. However, these early findings underscore the need for causal analysis to disentangle selection effects from program impacts.A future study will focus on the impact of completing a comprehensive CTE program of study in high-priority, STEMM-aligned fields: Health and Biosciences, Information Technology, and Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology. CTE program completion will be defined as a multi-component intervention requiring (1) at least two course credits within a single pathway, (2) attainment of an industry-recognized credential, and (3) participation in a work-based learning experience. By emphasizing full program completion rather than course-taking alone, this study centers credential attainment and WBL as a potential core mechanism through which CDOs may influence student trajectories.This study contributes to the growing evidence base on work-based learning by examining how integrated CTE pathways—combining coursework, credentials, and WBL—affect student outcomes. Findings will inform BCPS policy and practice while offering broader insights for districts and states seeking to design equitable, high-quality career development systems that effectively prepare students for college and careers.

Author

• Jay Plasman, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author