Reviews of Three Secondary Career and Technical Education Interventions

New WWC Reviews of Three Secondary Career and Technical Education Interventions that Help Prepare High School Students for College and Careers Not all education research is equal—the WWC identifies well-designed studies, trustworthy research, and meaningful findings to inform decisions and improve student outcomes. This month, we are highlighting three new reviews of studies on secondary career and technical education, adding to over 11,000 existing citations about what works in education. The three studies examined the effects of secondary career and technical education (CTE) interventions designed to help prepare high school students for college and careers. Secondary CTE programs are intended to improve student engagement in high school and to prepare students for further education and the world of work by aligning academic content with technical skills within a specific occupational field that will be directly relevant to their future employment opportunities. The first and second studies examined a high school CTE course sequence completed by students in (1) Nebraska and South Dakota and (2) Indiana and Minnesota. The third study examined a high school information technology career academy in North Carolina. Study One: High School CTE Course Sequence in Nebraska and South Dakota In recent years, state leaders in Nebraska and South Dakota have strengthened partnerships between state agencies and enacted CTE-related policies and programs to better align the skills of high school graduates to workforce needs. As reported in Brodersen et al. (2021), between the 2012-13 and 2016-17 school years, about half of high school students in Nebraska (46%) and South Dakota (52%) enrolled in a sequence of two or three CTE courses within a single career cluster; these students were identified as CTE concentrators. Featured study. In this IES-funded study for the Regional Educational Laboratory Central, Brodersen et al. (2021) examined the impacts of enrolling in a sequence of two or three CTE courses within a specific career cluster on high school completion, college enrollment, and college degree attainment. Students in Nebraska were considered CTE concentrators if they earned three or more credits in a single career cluster. Students in South Dakota were classified as CTE concentrators if they earned at least two credits in a state-approved sequence within a single career cluster. The study used a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching that resulted in a sample of 56,382 students who were identified as CTE concentrators and an equal number of students who were identified as non-CTE concentrators whose expected date of graduation was between the 2012-13 and 2016-17 school years. Study findings. The study found statistically significant positive effects of the intervention on high school completion, college enrollment, and college degree attainment (up to an associate’s degree). The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the findings. WWC study rating. The study used a quasi-experimental design and meets WWC standards with reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Study Two: High School CTE Course Sequence in Indiana and Minnesota Similar to Nebraska and South Dakota, in recent years, state leaders in Indiana and Minnesota have also enhanced partnerships between their state education agency, higher education agency, and workforce agency to improve the college and career readiness of high school students. Featured study. In this IES-funded study for the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, Lindsay et al. (2021) examined the impacts of being a CTE concentrator in one state-identified career pathway on college enrollment, progressing in college, college degree attainment, employment, and earnings. Students in Indiana were considered CTE concentrators if they completed a minimum of six credit hours in one of the 64 state-identified career pathways. Students in Minnesota were considered CTE concentrators if they completed a minimum of 150 hours of instruction in one of the 79 state-identified career pathways. The study analyzed the findings separately for each state. The study used a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching. The Indiana sample included 67,545 students who were identified as CTE concentrators and an equal number of students who were identified as non-CTE concentrators whose expected date of graduation was between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 school years. The Minnesota sample included 85,889 students who were identified as CTE concentrators and an equal number of students who were identified as non-CTE concentrators whose expected date of graduation was between the 2012-13 and 2017-18 school years. Study findings. The WWC aggregated the study findings for Indiana and Minnesota and found statistically significant positive effects of the intervention on college enrollment in a two-year college, associate’s degree attainment, employment, and earnings. The WWC found statistically significant negative effects of the intervention on college credits earned within one year of high school graduation. The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the study findings. WWC study rating. The study used a quasi-experimental design and meets WWC standards with reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Study Three: High School Information Technology Career Academy in North Carolina Career academies are multi-year programs offered within high schools that combine CTE courses, project-based learning, internships, and other activities such as soft skills training around specific occupational fields. Apex High School’s Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) is one such career academy in Wake County, North Carolina. Students enrolled in AOIT participate as a cohort in a technology-based paid internship, a sequence of IT courses and electives in either programming or multimedia/web design, and soft skills training throughout the four-year program. Students also receive non-academic supports such as job search, resume preparation, and mock interview support. Featured study. In this study, Hemelt, Lenard, and Paeplow (2019) examined whether participation in AOIT had an impact on school attendance, academic achievement, general literacy achievement, general mathematics achievement, college readiness, high school completion, college enrollment, and industry-recognized credential, certificate, or license attainment. Students interested in enrolling in AOIT were required to submit the following: (1) an application, (2) references from two 8th grade teachers—one from a core subject, (3) a statement of interest, and (4) a commitment to meet all the requirements of the four-year program. The study randomly assigned 208 students to AOIT and 261 students to a comparison group that attended regular high school classes between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 school years. Study findings. The study found statistically significant positive effects of the intervention on high school attendance, high school completion, and industry-recognized credential, certificate, or license attainment (Microsoft Office Specialist Certification). The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the findings. The study found indeterminate effects of the intervention on academic achievement (ACT Composite score), general literacy achievement (ACT Reading score), general mathematics achievement (ACT Mathematics score), college readiness (scoring 3 or greater on the AP Math or Science exam), and college enrollment within one year of graduation. WWC study rating. The study used a randomized controlled trial design and meets WWC standards without reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Search the Reviews of Individual Studies Database to find studies reviewed by the WWC. With thousands of citations in this database, you can explore studies that meet WWC design standards to find detailed information about study characteristics and ratings, as well as the WWC publication in which a particular study was cited.