Shaping CTE Pathways: Evidence on Policy Levers from High School to College

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel examines how different policy levers shape participation in Career and Technical Education (CTE) and students’ transitions to postsecondary education. As states increasingly rely on CTE to strengthen connections between secondary schooling and the labor market, policymakers are deploying a range of tools, including credentialing systems, changes to graduation requirements, and targeted financial aid. While each of these approaches is intended to expand access to career pathways and improve student outcomes, there is limited evidence comparing how these distinct levers influence student behavior and educational trajectories.The papers in this panel provide complementary evidence from Ohio, Florida, and Arkansas, each focusing on a different point along the policy spectrum. The first paper (Koh and Plasman) examines the relationship between industry certification attainment and postsecondary enrollment outcomes in Ohio. By documenting patterns in how certificate earning is associated with college-going decisions across sectors, the paper provides a descriptive foundation for understanding how CTE credentials relate to students’ postsecondary pathways.The second paper (Acevedo and Ecton) studies a recent reform in Florida that modified high school graduation requirements to allow CTE coursework to substitute for certain academic credits. Using administrative data and variation in cohort exposure, the paper examines how relaxing curricular constraints affects students’ course-taking decisions and participation in CTE. This setting provides an opportunity to assess how structural changes in requirements may shift the allocation of student effort within high school.The third paper (Sparks) analyzes a targeted financial aid program for CTE students in Arkansas, focusing on its potential effects on postsecondary enrollment and persistence. By studying a policy that directly lowers the cost of postsecondary participation, the paper contributes to understanding how financial incentives may influence educational decisions among students pursuing CTE pathways.Taken together, the panel offers a comparative perspective on three distinct policy approaches: baseline credentialing systems, structural reforms to graduation requirements, and targeted financial incentives. Rather than focusing on a single intervention, the panel highlights how these levers may operate through different mechanisms and at different stages of the education pipeline. By situating the papers within a common framework, the panel aims to clarify what can be learned from each approach and to identify open questions for future research.The panel contributes to ongoing policy discussions about how to design CTE systems that expand opportunity while maintaining coherence across secondary and postsecondary education.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Veronica M. Minaya, Teachers College, Columbia University

Discussant

• Tatiana Velasco, Columbia University

Organizer

• Nicolas Acevedo, University of Michigan

Individual Presentations

• Industry-Recognized Credentials and College-Going: Longitudinal Evidence from Ohio - Presenting Author: Eunji Koh, Johns Hopkins University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Jay Plasman, Johns Hopkins University

• Lowering the Cost of CTE: Evidence from a Graduation Requirement Reform in Florida - Presenting Author: Nicolas Acevedo, University of Michigan

• Grant Aid Effects on High School to College Transitions: Evidence from Arkansas’ ARFuture Grant - Presenting Author: Daniel Sparks, University of Arkansas

• The Value of Articulated College Credit for Secondary CTE Students: Evidence from Nevada - Presenting Author: LeeAnn Stevens, RAND School of Public Policy