CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Research Roundup: Condition of Education Report, Non-Degree Credentialing Research

Condition of Education 2023: The Institute of Education Sciences recently released its Condition of Education 2023 report with an overarching theme that educational institutions are still recovering from the pandemic. Enrollment at the K-12 level remains below pre-pandemic levels. In addition, the report notes that 70% of public schools have seen an increase in students seeking mental health services. To support these needs and address pandemic learning losses, more than 70% of public schools are engaging in student assessment, summer enrichment programs, remedial instruction, and mental health and trauma support. On a positive note, the average high school graduation rate increased from 79% in 2010-11 to 87% in 2019-20.

Teacher vacancies are another challenge facing K-12 education. In 2020-21, 31% of public schools reported having difficulty filling CTE teaching positions in comparison to 20% in 2011-12. Additionally, the number of individuals completing traditional teacher preparation programs decreased by 28% between 2012-13 and 2019-20.

On the postsecondary level, between fall 2010 and fall 2021, undergraduate enrollment at two-year colleges decreased from 7.7 million to 4.7 million students (a 39% drop). The decline was relatively steady across the decade, with a slightly larger decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition:

• Slightly fewer postsecondary certificates were conferred in 2020–21 than in 2010-11.
• In 2020-21, associate degrees were awarded predominantly in liberal arts, humanities and general studies; health professions; and business fields.
• Since 2010-11, the number of associate degrees awarded has decreased the most in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting fields and engineering technologies.

Recent Developments and New Opportunities for Non-degree Credentialing Research: The George Washington University Non-degree Credentials Research Network recently released a report on developments and opportunities for non-degree credentialing research such as new sources of data, increasing federal interest in credentialing and the skilled technical workforce, and the rise in state-level tools for career navigation. The document highlights initiatives and research that are driving change in the non-degree ecosystem:

• The U.S. Census Bureau’s National Training, Education and Workforce Survey, which launched in the field in 2022. This survey will be longitudinal, enabling researchers to study non-degree credential attainment over the next decade.
• Research from the RAND Corporation found that returns from non-degree credential attainment are concentrated in a higher probability of employment for women and in higher earnings for men.
• Research by the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative and others that is supporting interactive mapping of credential demand by geographical region.
• Data analysis and solutions from Opportunity @ Work and others focused on workers who are STARs: “skilled through alternate routes” other than a bachelor’s degree.

The publication also highlights the Learn & Work Ecosystem Library, a crowd-sourced online library that collects, curates and coordinates resources to support the learn-and-work ecosystem. 

Findings from Virginia’s FastForward Programs: This Brookings Institute article examines the rising popularity of noncredit workforce training programs as a solution to the growing skills gap that is preventing employers from filling over 10 million job vacancies, according to May 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The authors report that noncredit CTE programs account for more than 2.5 million students enrolled in the community college system. However, a barrier to wider implementation of these programs is that researchers know very little about the characteristics of participating students, the rates at which they graduate and earn workforce-relevant credentials, and whether their respective CTE programs truly lead to improved workforce outcomes.

One exception is Virginia’s FastForward initiative, which helps students pay for short-term, non-credit programs that can lead to high-paying jobs in high-demand industries while tracking student data and could serve as a model for a similar nationwide system. Research findings include the following about FastForward programs:

• They attract a higher share of Black students, male students and older students than short-term, for-credit programs at community colleges.
• Most enrollees do not have prior enrollment in credit-bearing programs, and less than 14% have pursued subsequent credit-bearing education.
• Credential attainment rates are high, with 70.1% of students earning an industry credential within six months.

Research Roundup: Community College Financing, Early Postsecondary Credit and Informational Inequity

The Community College Research Center (CCRC) recently released multiple publications covering the effects of community college finance systems, college-credit-in-high-school programs and the role of information inequality in postsecondary outcomes.

Budgets as Value Statements: Mapping How Finance Systems Drive or Reduce Inequities in Community Colleges: This publication underlines the importance of community colleges for postsecondary education and workforce training but notes that these institutions’ potential for improving economic outcomes and equity of opportunity remains unrealized due to inadequate funding and ineffective finance systems. To remedy this and find potential solutions, the CCRC researchers analyzed the funding mechanisms of community colleges in California, Ohio and Texas. Researchers found the following:

• The finance systems of all three states are tied to enrollment incentives, particularly in California where 80% of the financing relates to enrollment.
• The percentage of revenue tied to student outcomes is lowest in Texas (3%) and highest in Ohio (42%).
• Incentives for equitable student outcomes were strongest in Ohio.

The researchers recommend that states begin by mapping their existing revenue streams and related policies as part of efforts to help community colleges better meet goals for postsecondary attainment and career preparation.

Assessing College-Credit-in-High-School Programs as On-Ramps to Postsecondary Career Pathways for Underrepresented Students: In this report, CCRC researchers analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of earning postsecondary credit in high school through the five most common models – AP, IB, dual enrollment, early college high schools and P-TECH schools, and high school CTE programs – to assess how well they serve their intended purposes. The point of this brief is not to select the best model but rather to analyze these models’ strengths and weaknesses to allow practitioners in the field to identify areas for improvement.

Researchers reviewed relevant research and concluded the following about high school CTE:

• There is evidence that CTE programs impact college-going, with concentrators being 7% more likely than non-concentrators to graduate high school and 10% more likely to enroll in a postsecondary program within two years.
• CTE produces strong labor market outcomes, with career academy participants being likely to earn sustainable salaries post-graduation.
• College credit in high school earned through CTE does not always transfer to postsecondary institutions, which speaks to the need for regional CTE networks to improve articulation across secondary and postsecondary programs.

Researchers also encouraged practitioners to consider other factors such as outreach, advising, quality teaching and academic support as part of a multifaceted solution for improving postsecondary outcomes for students, especially those from an underrepresented background.

Choice Is Not Always Good: Reducing the Role of Informational Inequality in Producing and Legitimating Higher Education Inequality: This CCRC report analyzes the societal inequalities that are perpetuated when students make uninformed choices about postsecondary pathways. The researchers emphasize that students from underrepresented backgrounds are more likely to fall victim to the problem of informational inequity when making their postsecondary pathway choices. In this report, they seek to help educators and administrators better understand this inequity gap and ultimately lessen it, to help more students find the right paths for them. The researchers make the following recommendations as potential solutions:

• Expanding college and career advising is crucial: According to a 2011 survey by the College Board, in schools where 75% or more of students were receiving free or reduced-price school lunch, the average student-to-counselor ratio was 427-to-1 while schools with wealthier students have a 352-to-1 ratio.
• Implementing “choice architecture” such as guided pathways could simplify the choices students have to make and nudge them toward pathways that are a better fit.
• Tracking student progress could enable practitioners and counselors to intervene when needed.

CTE Among the Pathway Changes for Better Workforce Outcomes

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) recently released a report on youth and young adult pathway changes. More specifically, the report sought to identify 10 pathway changes with “the greatest potential to improve employment outcomes” for this population, considering the impact that pathway changes could have on a person’s future during critical junctures of their lives.

The 10 pathway changes involve a variety of initiatives such as increasing educational attainment toward a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree; specializing in CTE at the high school level; working in the skilled trades; and working in STEM fields. For this analysis, CEW researchers created the Pathways-to-Career policy simulation model that uses longitudinal data to identify the pathway changes that would best increase a student’s chances of working a “good job.” The report defines a “good job” as one that pays at least $38,000 for younger workers and at least $49,000 for workers 45 and older in 2020 dollars, with 30-year-old workers with good jobs earning a median salary of $57,000.

The overarching takeaway from the analysis is that layered pathway changes are almost twice as effective as any individual pathway change, therefore it is important to invest across all three domains: educational attainment, career training and work experience.

When it comes to specializing in CTE in high school, this pathway change was the most likely to lead to good jobs for youth who are expected to graduate from high school but do not plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree by age 22. CTE was also a particularly effective pathway change for white learners, male students and low socioeconomic status (SES) learners; somewhat effective for Black/African American learners; and not effective for Hispanic/Latino learners.

In addition, the analysis shows that pathway changes produce different effects based on students’ race/ethnicity, gender and SES:

• The single most effective pathway change leading to “good jobs” is earning a bachelor’s degree by age 22.
• Most pathway changes are more effective for men than for women, particularly for men without a high school diploma in low-wage jobs who transition to skilled trades occupations.
• For Black students, earning a bachelor’s degree and working in a STEM or other high-paying occupation are the most effective pathway changes.
• For Hispanic/Latino learners, the most effective pathway changes are earning a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree.

Researchers noted the importance of prioritizing pathway changes considering both effectiveness and the total number of individuals who could be affected by a particular change as well as differential impacts across race/ethnicity, gender and class. The best approach is to make strategically targeted interventions for underserved groups over a one-size-fits-all solution. For instance, the findings above suggest value in promoting CTE pathways that incorporate postsecondary credentials and lead to high-paying jobs for all learners and particularly for Black/African American students and Hispanic/Latino students.

One important caveat to this analysis is that it is based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, an ongoing study that tracks the outcomes of a nationally representative sample of individuals who were aged 12-16 in the late 1990s. Therefore, this data predates many innovations in CTE program offerings and delivery that have occurred in the past 25 years. The researchers acknowledge that their analysis may understate the current impact of CTE on increasing access to good jobs.

OCTAE Equity Webinar Series Discusses Career-connected Education

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) recently held its second webinar series on equity titled Equity in Career-Connected Education: Advancing Economic Mobility.

The first webinar in the series, Work-based Learning Opportunities for Native American Students, featured guests from the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) Employment and Training Services Department such as Megan Mielke, the organization’s Youth Services Manager. This series opener covered how CITC provides work-based learning opportunities to learners through its Youth Services Program, which serves individuals aged 14-24 by assisting them in finding employment, furthering education and identifying leadership development opportunities. More specifically, this program provides students with the opportunity to engage in a 10-to-12-week paid internship in which they are employed by Cook Inlet or with a partner employer. Other services provided by the Youth Services Program include assistance with postsecondary education, GED completion, work-readiness training, career assessment, resume and cover letter writing, and interview coaching, among other activities.

The second webinar of the series titled Second Chance Pell and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) featured Kathie Stromile Golden, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Rochelle McGee-Cobbs, Ph.D., Lead Official of PEPP at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU). In this webinar, speakers discussed MVSU’s Prison Educational Partnership Program (PEPP) with the federal government designed to offer incarcerated students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree. MVSU will be the first HBCU in the state to provide postsecondary education to incarcerated learners. The program aims to advance enrollees’ educational attainment levels to improve employment prospects once released from prison, reduce their odds of recidivating and increase their levels of civic engagement and self-esteem. Students can pick from one of three majors with different concentrations: Business Administration, Computer and Information Science and Engineering Technology.

Lastly, the third webinar in the series was titled Michigan Vocational Village and the Second Chance Pell Grant and featured Heather Gay, the Education Manager for the Michigan Department of Corrections. This webinar focused on Michigan’s unique model for prisoner education, rehabilitation and preparation for release. Michigan uses vocational villages for its skilled trades training program, a first-of-its-kind format that aims to provide learning opportunities through CTE. Currently, three facilities throughout the state have a vocational village on-site. Prisoners who participate in the vocational village are housed together to create a positive learning environment. They have full days of training and classroom instruction to mimic a typical workday and upon completion of their courses, they receive state and nationally recognized certifications in their trade of choice. A total of 1,580 villagers have been paroled since 2016, with a 70% employment rate for graduates and only 193 recidivists.

House Small Business Committee Holds Hearing on Strengthening Small Business

On April 26, the House Committee on Small Business’s Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development held a hearing titled “Help Wanted: Exploring How Alternative Paths to Student Debt Can Help to Strengthen Small Business,” featuring workforce development advocates that discussed a variety of career opportunities for students, , and how CTE can help provide these opportunities.

Subcommittee Chairman Marc Molinaro (R-NY) opened the hearing with a reminder of the value of CTE. “In addition to being shorter and less expensive than a traditional four-year degree, CTE represents a complete range of career fields across the entire economy, and is driven by the needs and demands of employers, said Chairman Molinaro. “Preparing students with the technical skills needed to obtain high-paying, in-demand jobs will prove to be crucial to bridging our nation’s skills and workforce gap.”

Subcommittee Ranking Member Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) called attention to the significant workforce needs created by new federal investments. “It is estimated that in 2023 alone, the construction industry will have to recruit 546,000 workers on top of its regular pace of hiring – just to keep up with demand. As we implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over the next decade, the demand for workers will continue to grow,” said Ranking Member McGarvey. “Whether we are talking about apprenticeships, CTE or any other workforce development initiative, it is imperative that we look for ways to incentivize their use and make them more attractive to new demographics of workers.”

Meloni Raney, President and CEO of TEXO, which aims to unify, advocate and advance the construction industry in North and East Texas said in response to Chairman Molinaro that "There's a perception issue with construction.” TEXO is working to change these perceptions by providing salary ranges for construction trades jobs and offering examples to students that construction is an inclusive career field. Raney also emphasized the importance of industry partnerships and Perkins funding.

“CTE programs are expensive to administer and fund, with cost-intensive classrooms and equipment, and quality CTE instructors in short supply. This is especially true in construction where there is a shortage of quality instructors, as they are often recruited to work in the private sector at higher salary levels than school districts can provide. The modest funding increases for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in recent years is a good start, as it’s the primary source of federal support for CTE programs.”

“If we’re active in the schools and we build relationships with these students for four years, they are coming into our industry,” said Raney. “We have a school that sends us about 25 welders every single year that graduate and they come into our industry. But that is a very specific school that we targeted and that we are in partnership with for four years to get those graduates. So, we are seeing glimmers. What we have to do is get a scalable approach.”

Additionally, other witnesses spoke of the challenges of finding qualified workers to fill positions in vital industries in their states, labor regulations and the immense benefits of apprenticeship in the construction trades.

You can watch the full hearing here.

National Science Foundation Director Emphasizes Workforce Development in Budget Hearing

During testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan emphasized the importance of rapid workforce development investments and scaling training programs to fill jobs created by investments in key industries, such as manufacturing, semiconductor research and development, and infrastructure.

As one portion of the NSF request for FY 2024, the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) will help cultivate new education pathways leading to a diverse and skilled future technical workforce comprising researchers, practitioners, technicians, entrepreneurs and educators that is fully prepared to enter the STEM workforce. Experiential Learning in Emerging Industries (ExLENT), a work-based learning model, and NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) will also support business and economic growth in underserved regions through equitable research, entrepreneurship and workforce development.

In response to questions about proposed budget cuts for fiscal year (FY) 2024 (as part of their debt limit negotiations, Republicans have proposed cutting discretionary spending back to FY 2022 levels), Panchanathan said such cuts could harm NSF workforce development efforts and hamstring implementation of new initiatives.

“A reduction of 22% will preclude NSF from being able to reach the estimated 10,000 individuals [entering engineering programs] in fiscal year 2024 alone, threatening this goal of the long-term competitiveness in semiconductors and other key technologies,” he said. “Our nation needs to train 280,000 new workers in semiconductors and microelectronics over the next five years.”

You can view the full hearing at the link here.

Research Roundup: Dual Enrollment, Credit Transfer and Stackable Pathways

2022 State Policies Promoting Early Postsecondary: The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) recently released its 2022 year-in-review report that summarizes key trends in state law related to college in high school programs such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment and early college high school. Researchers found that 263 bills across 37 states were introduced in 2022, an increase from 222 bills in 2021. Additionally, 2022 saw 54 new laws enacted across 24 states. The biggest areas of activity in enacted laws were finance as well as program integrity and credit transfer. Notably, the report mentions that perhaps due to a more favorable budgetary environment as a result of the American Rescue Plan, states put a major focus on dual-enrollment funding and looking for ways to eliminate student expenses. The past year also saw an increase in laws that impact navigational supports, with five new laws in 2022 in comparison to two new laws in 2021.

Some of the most notable laws include California AB 181, which invests $200 million into establishing a competitive grant program to support the expansion of high-quality dual-enrollment programs in the state. Additionally, Florida passed HB 5001, which appropriated $11 million to reimburse the cost of instructional materials for postsecondary institutions. For more information visit CHSA’s State Legislation Tracker.

Advancing Dual-enrollment Equity Through State Policy: A recent report by the Education Commission of the States tackles the challenges and barriers of making dual enrollment more accessible among underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. The report notes that participation in dual enrollment is critical in creating positive postsecondary outcomes for learners but that participation is currently not representative across student groups. Researchers found that students face three main barriers to dual-enrollment participation starting with accessibility, or the lack of availability of programs in their school districts or areas; affordability, or the lack of predictable financial supports; and quality, or the lack of available high-quality programs with transferable credits and skills.  

Eliminating Dead Ends: Learner-centered Approaches to Stackable Pathways: Education Strategy Group recently sought to analyze and tackle the current issues faced by stackable pathways and credentials. More specifically, researchers claim that most stackable pathways systems focus too much on the stackability of a credential rather than on the stackability of learner knowledge. The toolkit is designed for institutions throughout the nation that are aiming to improve their approach to stackable credits and includes specific strategies, further resources, guiding questions and an action planning template organized around four pillars for “forward-thinking, learner-centered” stackable pathways:

• Data infrastructure and systems
• Mapping and alignment of curriculum
• Credential pathways communication
• Student-centered supports

Do Stranded Academic Credits Lead To Stranded Students?: A recent article released by Forbes looked at the issue of academic credit policies and transfers among postsecondary institutions as well as the challenges faced by learners of all ages in completing a postsecondary degree or credential when credentials earned from one institution are not accepted at another. The article makes note of a study from StraighterLine and UPCEA, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, which looked at how transfer policies are affecting students across the country who look to transfer between institutions. According to the study, 40% of students choose to transfer due to financial reasons and only 61% of those who transfer said their new institution accepted most or all their credits. Forbes author Alison Griffin emphasizes the importance of this issue in helping the almost 40 million Americans that have some college, but no degree and student debt finish their postsecondary education. Speaking with Gerardo de los Santos, Vice President for Community Relations of National University, the author mentioned the consensus among advocates on the need to break down transfer credit barriers that impede student access and completion of postsecondary education.

Updated Resource: Sector Sheet on Energy

ACTE is launching a revamp of our popular Sector Sheet series that describes CTE’s role in growing the workforce for vital industry sectors. Today, we’ve published the first of these updates, CTE: Developing the Energy Workforce.

The revised Sector Sheets will include job opportunities in each sector and descriptions of how CTE prepares learners for the workforce in each sector, all in a new format featuring more streamlined text and additional graphics to make these advocacy tools even more effective.

The Energy Sector Sheet shares how CTE supports America’s energy needs by preparing learners to enter this critical workforce, which employs 7.8 million people and is growing faster than the total U.S. workforce. It describes key energy occupations and their related earnings as well as how CTE prepares learners for energy careers through courses, education and industry credentials, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations, and more.

As we move forward with this revision, both the newer and older Sector Sheets will remain available on the ACTE Sector Sheet webpage for download and use. We encourage you to share these tools with students, counselors, policymakers and others to spread the message about CTE and its benefits for students and the workforce.

ED Launches “Your Place in Space” Challenge

On March 21, the U.S. Department of Education launched the “Your Place in Space Challenge,” which urges high school students to imagine and pursue innovative careers across the space industry. This is the first in the Department of Education’s #CTEMomentum challenge series. This annual series will help prepare students for in-demand careers and boost access to innovative CTE programs. 

High schools are invited to submit designs for a product or service that will contribute to space missions and exploration. Student teams may pursue designs of their choice or find inspiration from one of four suggested areas of exploration: space debris, the International Space Station, space travel and the environment.  

Submissions are due by 6:00 p.m. ET on October 30, 2023. Ten winners will be announced in early 2024. 

You can learn more about the Your Place in Space Challenge here.

Research Roundup: Measuring Secondary Program Quality Indicators, Credentials and Microcredentials

Measuring Secondary Program Quality: A December 2022 report by the U.S. Department of Education describes outcomes of the Department’s Quality Indicator Project, an initiative to assist states in refining the validity, reliability and accuracy of their new quality indicators under Perkins V – recognized postsecondary credential attainment, postsecondary credit attainment and work-based learning participation. This toolkit features suggestions, examples and guiding questions to help state leaders develop and refine these measures. It also describes how states have operationalized their secondary concentrator definitions, recommends business rules for CTE data reporting, and provides tips for setting state-determined performance levels for program quality indicators. ACTE’s Senior Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop provided content expertise to the project.

Counting Credentials: In late 2022, Credential Engine released its fourth secondary and postsecondary education credential counting report, which identified a total of 1,076,358 unique credentials in the United States. The report looked at 18 detailed credential categories across postsecondary educational institutions, massive open online course (MOOC) providers, non-academic providers and secondary schools. Researchers concluded that a total of $2.1 trillion is expended annually in the United States for the delivery and attainment of the over one million available credentials, which are offered by over 59,000 providers. The analysts also describe the lack of transparency in the credential landscape and the need for standardization to ensure credentials promote economic development and individual mobility.

Relatedly, a recent report by 1EdTech that sought to find the number of digital badges and badging platforms available in the United States identified a total of 53 platforms and 430,272 available badges; at a worldwide level, the survey reported that over 74 million badges had been issued to date.

The Value of Badges and Microcredentials: Despite their widespread use, badges and microcredentials face a problem of legitimacy since there is no widespread system in place to recognize them across state or national lines or evaluate their quality. In a recently released brief by Higher ED Dive, employers were surveyed by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and Collegis Education on the value of microcredentials. The surveyed employers expressed that even though they value microcredentials and alternative credentials, assessing their quality can be difficult. However, despite their concerns, 23% of respondents said they believe that alternative credentials give workers real-world experience while 16% of respondents said that they help employees develop specialized skills. Finally, 13% of employers said that microcredentials and badges help improve employee performance.

Employability Skill Badges: One type of credential, employability skill credentials, enable students to demonstrate crucial workforce skills like time management, communication, problem solving and more. In Indiana, a growing number of high schools are rethinking the way they prepare students for life after graduation with the launch of a soft skill credentials badge program in certain areas of the state. The statewide program began in 2018 and has since seen more than 3,400 young people earn at least one badge. As reported in The 74, Yorktown High School, an hour northeast of Indianapolis, is launching such a program for its 800-student population.