Recent publications describe various CTE topics ranging from new data on postsecondary student outcomes to research on veterans without degrees.
Competency Model Resources for Career Pathways: To ensure the creation of meaningful career pathways aligning with industry and market demands, the U.S, Department of Labor created three new resources as part of their Competency Model Clearinghouse. These three resources relate to curriculum development, convening and peer learning.
Veterans Without Degrees: As the second part of their series of research on education for veterans, Gallup and the Lumina Foundation focused this report on veterans without degrees. The researchers talked with over 30,000 U.S. veterans and summarized three key findings:
- Veterans disproportionately hold certificates or certifications compared to non-veterans.
- Certificates and certifications boost employability and earnings premiums for veterans without degrees.
- Veterans without degrees perceive less of a need for additional education than non-veterans without degrees.
Comparisons of U.S. 8th Graders’ Computer and Information Literacy: The National Center for Education Statistics compared the U.S. 8th graders’ computer and information literacy to thirteen other educational systems in their report, “U.S. Results from the 2018 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) Web Report.” Compared to the other international education systems, the U.S. ranked fifth out of 14 participating educational systems for computer and information literacy (CIL), and ranked fifth out of 9 participating educational systems for computational thinking (CL). Another finding shows that the average score for CL was higher than in 2018, but the scores for CIL were not significantly different compared to 2018.
Gaps Between Credit and Non-Credit Programs: There is a wage and opportunity problem between students who take for-credit or noncredit postsecondary classes, finds Jobs for the Future (JFF) in their report “Closing the Credit-Noncredit Divide.” The researchers found six main differences in credit and noncredit programs: expected outcomes, financial aid, prerequisite courses, course selection, credit hours versus seat time and accreditation. They also described characteristics of quality noncredit programs, and showcased community colleges who were being innovative and working to overcome the divide to create an easier transition between noncredit and for-credit programs.
New Data on Postsecondary Students: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released new data on different student cohorts in the areas of postsecondary graduation rates, outcome measures, student financial aid and admissions. For example, one new data point was that 19 percent of students enrolled in a 2-year program in 2013 graduated in two years, but when extended to four years, graduation rose to 38 percent. Another relevant finding was that 46 percent of first-time, full-time students attending a 2-year program in 2014 graduated within two years, and 70 percent of first-time, full time students graduated within 4 years.
Florida Industry Certification Study: In 2018, Florida researched the implementation of and results from the Florida Career and Profession Education (CAPE) Act to discover its impact on students passing certification exams and the correlation between receiving a certification and secondary/postsecondary success. Researchers found that after approximately five years of implementation, approximately 46,000 certifications were awarded, 77% of schools were providing certification-specific professional development for certification courses, and 81% of schools found the teacher professional development requirements challenging for certification programs.
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