CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Research Round-up: Competency Model Resources, Veterans Without Degrees, Credit Versus Non-Credit Programs

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:

1. Veterans disproportionately hold certificates or certifications compared to non-veterans.
2. Certificates and certifications boost employability and earnings premiums for veterans without degrees.
3. 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.

Research Round-up: Equity Edition

Over the past few months, there have been a number of new resources and research papers released on equity in CTE or related education and workforce development programs. See below for more details:

• Making Good on the Promise: Ensuring Equitable Success Through CTE
  The fifth brief in Advance CTE’s “Making Good on the Promise” series, this report examines ways that states can help more students complete their chosen career pathway. It explores three state strategies, including using data-driven support systems to meet learners’ needs; providing integrated support services to secure wellness, academic preparation and financial stability; and creating the enabling conditions for successful transitions. 
  
  
• Practitioner Perspectives on Equity in Career and Technical Education
  MDRC’s Center for Effective Career and Technical Education released this brief over the summer to share insights from practitioners in innovative CTE programs around the topic of equity. The brief shares the results of practitioner discussions on barriers to equity within CTE and ways to address those challenges in order to achieve more equitable access and outcomes.
  
  
• Ensuring Equity in Evolving High school Career and Technical Education Policies
  This research/policy brief from the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) presents key takeaways from a research workshop hosted by the IRP at the University of Wisconsin–Madison involving researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Suggestions include making equitable access a policy goal, addressing rural challenges and investing in data collection.
  
  
• Unlocking Potential: A State Policy Roadmap for Equity and Quality in College in High School Programs
  This report, from the College in High School Alliance and Level Up coalition, provides policy recommendations and state examples around increasing equity within six key components of college in high school programs: (1) equity goal and public reporting, (2) program integrity and credit transfer, (3) finance, (4) course access and availability, (5) instructor capacity, and (6) navigational supports.
  
  
• Funding for Equity: Designing State Dual Enrollment Funding Models to Close Equity Gaps
  This report, also from the College in High School Alliance, presents a breakdown of funding models for dual enrollment programs, which states are using those models, policy questions to consider and best practices. A goal of the paper is “to help states identify a dual enrollment funding model that maintains a focus on equity while taking leaders’ programmatic aspirations and a state’s funding predispositions into account.”

• Passively-sensed Behavioral Correlates of Discrimination Events in College Students
  A new study from researchers at the University of Washington and University of Michigan examines the short-term physical and psychological impacts of discrimination on college students (with engineering students a particular focus of the study) that have the potential to impact educational outcomes. The study found that incidents of discrimination led to acute changes in students’ sleep and social patterns.

• CTE in the Juvenile Justice System (recording will be available soon at https://careertech.org/webinars)
  Advance CTE, the Council of State Government (CSG) Justice Center, and Oklahoma’s CareerTech program hosted a webinar to discuss how state leaders can leverage Perkins V funding to improve CTE programs in juvenile justice systems. CSG discussed findings from their most recent publication “On Track: How Well Are States Preparing Youth in the Juvenile Justice System for Employment,” which included: states lack necessary workforce development for successful programs, many programs lacked partnerships with workforce development agencies, and most states do not have enough workforce data on incarcerated youth. Oklahoma also showcased best practices from their CTE program involving incarcerated youth.
  
  
• The Roadmap for Racial Equity: An Imperative for Workforce Development Advocates
  This report, from the National Skills Coalition, addresses “issues of racism and exclusion in the workforce and education systems, as well as potential solutions for remedying these persistent problems.” The report presents nine recommendations to advance racial equity through workforce and education policy.
  
  
• The Equity Equation
  McGraw Hill has released a paper outlining strategies to address the college completion gap that persists for first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color. The paper focuses on adaptive learning solutions and provides examples from various colleges.

Strengthening Relationships Between CTE Coursetaking and Labor Markets

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) found a positive relationship between recent CTE coursetaking and labor market characteristics in their latest report, “An Examination of Career and Technical Education Course Taking and Labor Markets Across Two High School Cohorts.” The researchers used national data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to complete the study, including longitudinal studies following high school graduates from 2004 and 2012.

The researchers looked at several different questions to determine the relationship between high school CTE coursetaking and the needs of the labor market, as well as whether students with baccalaureate-degree aspirations engage in CTE coursetaking differently than those without baccalaureate-degree aspirations.

Specifically, the study showed that for the high school students that graduated in 2004, CTE course taking in specific Career Clusters was for the most part not correlated with the number of people employed in industries within those Clusters in the state economy. However, for the high school students who graduated in 2012, the relationship between employment rates in state industry sectors and CTE course enrollment in those Career Clusters was stronger overall, with significant correlation particularly in Business, Health, Finance, IT, STEM and Human Services. This could suggest that the changes made in CTE programs over the last two decades have created better alignment between courses available and labor market needs.

Researchers also found that there was no significant difference in the amount of CTE courses taken, or for the most part the type of CTE courses taken, between students with baccalaureate aspirations and students without those aspirations. The only two exceptions were students planning on attending a four-year university earned more credits in IT, and those students in the 2004 cohort earned fewer CTE credits in Agriculture (although this finding was not replicated in the 2012 cohort), and those in the 2012 cohort earned more credits in STEM.

Because Perkins V emphasizes the use of labor market information through Comprehensive Local Needs Assessments (CLNAs) and in the creation of recognized postsecondary credentials, we expect that the positive trend between CTE course taking and local labor market needs will continue to grow. For more information about how to better align CTE course taking and local economic needs through the CLNA, read more here.

New Study on Effects of CTE

Male students who attend a Connecticut technical high school have shown to have higher graduation rates, improved wage-earning potential, higher attendance rates in 9th grade and higher 10th grade test scores, a new study from the CTE Research Network reports. These findings are based on data collected from the admission system of the sixteen technical high schools within the Connecticut Technical High School System, combined with other state data systems. Data was collected and analyzed on approximately 57,000 8th graders who applied to the oversubscribed system of high schools for school years 2006-07 through 2013-14. Using a quasi-experimental design, student outcomes were compared for those students just above the admission threshold and those just below the admission threshold.

The research shows that male students attending these technical high schools are about 10 percent more likely to graduate from high school. While these students are also 8 percentage points less likely to attend college; the researchers’ findings, as well as the findings from other studies, suggest that the negative effects on college attendance fade over time.

Other findings for male students who attend technical high schools include an increase in earnings by approximately 31 percent quarterly, and more quarters spent working (likely in part due to lower postsecondary attendance). Shorter term outcomes were also impacted, with improved attendance and test scores. Increases in both can improve high school graduation rates and potential future earnings, so may be predictive of those outcomes. Outcome gains were larger when the schools students would have attended offered fewer CTE courses.

While data was analyzed on female students as well, results were not statistically significant.

This study was funded by the Institute for Education Sciences.

Credentials: Defining Quality, Evaluating Outcomes

New resources from researchers and national organizations are adding to our knowledge about quality credentials, particularly non-degree credentials.

Defining quality for non-degree credentials: The National Skills Coalition (NSC) recently defined a quality non-degree credential and, in consultation with 12 leading states, developed a set of criteria that states can adopt for their own quality assurance systems. ACTE was among the national education and workforce organizations who were also consulted during the development process.

According to NSC, a quality non-degree credential—a postsecondary certificate, industry certification, occupational license or apprenticeship certificate—is “one that provides individuals with the means to equitably achieve their informed employment and educational goals. There must be valid, reliable and transparent evidence that the credential satisfies the criteria that quality:”

1. Substantial job opportunities (required)
2. Transparent evidence of the competencies mastered by credential holders (required)
3. Evidence of the employment and earnings outcomes of individuals after obtaining the credential (required)
4. Stackability to additional education or training (strongly preferred)

State policies can support equitable access to quality credentials through financial aid; supportive services (such as transportation, child care and housing assistance); career counseling, industry partnerships and work-based learning; stackable credentials; integrated education and training (IET) programs for low-skilled adults; and comprehensive data systems.

Counting credentials: A new report from Credential Engine estimates that the United States has at least 738,000 unique credentials across different providers. This number includes degrees as well as about 475,000 non-degree credentials such as postsecondary certificates, apprenticeship certificates, licenses, industry certifications, badges and more.

Knowing how many credentials are available is a necessary first step in learning more about credential value. To further this work, Credential Engine has been building the Credential Registry, a real-time source for credential information based on a common language and common definitions.

Credential outcomes:

• A report from Strada Education Network and Lumina Foundation, based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, finds that individuals with a certificate or certification but no college degree have higher full-time employment rates than their peers without a credential (85 percent to 78 percent) and higher median annual incomes ($45,000 to $30,000). They also perceive themselves as more marketable and report greater happiness. However, wage gains vary greatly based on occupation, and wage premiums are much larger for men than women.
• The findings of seven independent analyses link postsecondary certificates and other college-issued credentials to higher rates of employment. Earning gains are larger and more consistent for credentials that take at least six months to complete. While labor market benefits can be found in both the health care and manufacturing sectors, absolute earnings are typically higher in manufacturing.
• An analysis from ExcelinEd and Burning Glass examines data from three states to assess the relationship between CTE high school students’ attainment of credentials and their education and employment outcomes. Across all three states—Florida, Indiana and Kentucky—earning a credential was associated with an increase in on-time graduation. Florida CTE students who earned credentials were more likely to enroll in and graduate from community college. Similarly, evidence from Kentucky linked high school credential attainment with a greater likelihood of earning an associate degree. Finally, data from Florida and Indiana demonstrated that high school credential attainment was associated with higher wages.
• Recent research from Giani, Attewell and Walling (2019) evaluates the employment and earnings outcomes of one cohort of Texas high school graduates. The researchers found that individuals with some college but no credential were more likely to be employed 15 years later and earned more than their peers who did not attend postsecondary education.

Research Round-up: Workforce Preparation, Pre-Apprenticeships, Career Readiness Framework, Perceptions of Additional Education for Those Without Degrees

Recent publications describe various CTE topics ranging from perceptions of having students participate in workforce preparation to a proposed five-pillar framework to ensure high-quality career development systems.

Views on workforce preparation: PDK Polling found in their survey that few parents, teachers and other adults think that preparing students for work should be K-12 education’s primary goal. However, learning jobs skills is a priority among all groups. The three most broadly supported job skills subjects among parents are computer programming, health and medical studies, and information technology hardware and systems.

Framework for pre-apprenticeships: Pre-apprenticeships are designed to help students enter and complete an apprenticeship successfully. JFF developed a framework of six elements for administrators to use to evaluate if programs offered are both high quality and promoting equity:

1. Transparent entry and success requirements
2. Alignment with skills sought by local employers and high-quality apprenticeship programs
3. Culmination in one or more industry-recognized credentials
4. Development of skills through hands-on activities and work-based learning
5. Offering of academic, career exploration and wraparound supports
6. Transition into a registered apprenticeship or other high-quality apprenticeship program

Career readiness framework: In order for career readiness to become a top priority nationwide, the Coalition for Career Development proposes a five-pillar framework to ensure high-quality career development systems. These pillars show the areas that need reform; strategies that will be imperative for change; and the benefits that will come to students, educators and the economy.

Data on the need for additional education: A Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey reports that almost half of Americans feel they need more education. Adults without degrees are more likely to seek out additional education from employers rather than from traditional educational institutions. 

CTE in a 21st-century workforce system: RAND Corporation has released a report describing the need for an integrated, data-driven, equitable 21st-century workforce development and employment system to enable lifelong learning and career progress. Recommended strategies include secondary and postsecondary CTE and career development that responds to current and evolving needs.

New Department of Education Perkins-related Resources

In recent weeks, the Department of Education has released several new or updated resources related to CTE and Perkins V:

• An updated set of state Perkins profiles is now available at https://cte.ed.gov/profiles/national-summary. These profiles now contain the breakdown of state-level funding for FY 2019, the first year of Perkins V implementation, as well as copies of each state’s transition plan (available under the “Data Downloads” tab).
• A new video and discussion guide around Career Guidance in Perkins V is available at https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v. The video features an introduction from Assistant Secretary Scott Stump and is designed to provide conversation starters for states and local leaders as they work to address this topic within state plans, and an example from the state of Pennsylvania about their work in this area.
• A new “CTE Data Story” has been released by the Department and is available at https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/cte/index.html. This interactive, visual piece integrates data from several sources, including the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 and the 2018 Perkins Consolidated Annual report, among others, to share information about CTE participation and outcomes.

2028 Employment Projections Show Relevance of CTE

WorkforceGPS has released long-term employment projections for 2018 to 2028 that cover more than 800 occupations and 290 industries at the national level. The report presents trends and projections for in-demand industries, and the growth and decline in different sectors.

The first key trend is the slowing population and slowing labor force growth. The analysis projects only half of a percentage point of growth in the labor force between 2018 and 2028, which is significantly slower than in prior decades. Though labor force and population growth are both slowing, labor force growth is declining faster than population growth because of the aging population. Unemployment is still low, even though the boost in employment that occurred between 2010 and 2018 is no longer present.

Another finding is that health care occupations are projected to increase faster than any other sector, with 6 of the 10 fastest-growing occupations related to health care. Following health care, the next two fastest-growing occupations are in personal care and service, followed by computer and mathematical occupations. The jobs that are projected to decline are production, office and administrative support, and sales and related occupational groups. Automation is mostly driving the decline in these areas.

The last key finding is that low-skilled occupations have the most job openings. However, occupations that require some kind of postsecondary education pay more and are projected to grow faster.

Racial Equity in CTE Programs

Addressing equity in middle-skills jobs is essential for the growth of the nation’s businesses, economy and workers. In order to advance racial equity, the National Skills Coalition recommends nine steps that states can take to increase the diversity in the workforce. These recommendations include adopting racial equity goals; investing in local infrastructure, technical assistance and guidance; providing support services; developing stackable credentials; removing barriers to educational entry; and utilizing industry and business partnerships to advance racial equity.

The report presents several recommendations specific to CTE. The first recommendation is to include racial equity goals in the new Perkins V state plans. The publication encourages states to build on federal requirements by adding specific goals for racial equity through access and outcomes measures. Other recommendations include increasing funding for classes that contextualize English language learning within CTE, increasing the diversity and inclusion practices of industry and business partnerships, and helping students find a career path more quickly. To achieve this, secondary CTE programs should combine high school credentials with postsecondary, industry-recognized credentials. Schools and programs need to invest more and increase technical assistance to enhance diversity and inclusion to achieve success.

Perkins V also addresses racial equity through the comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA), for which local recipients must review their data to find and address equity gaps for a number of students groups, including by race and ethnicity. Additionally, local recipients and states must report data disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, and special population status for federal accountability purposes.

To support CLNA, ACTE has developed a local guide to CLNA, which includes guiding questions to ask, materials to review and stakeholders to consult as part of evaluating the root causes of access and performance gaps and developing strategies to increase access and equity in CTE programs. In addition, Access and Equity is one of the 12 elements of high-quality CTE in ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework. Our related High-quality CTE Tools online library includes resources ranging from toolkits to reports, addressing topics such as inclusivity in promotional materials and strategies for equity gap and root cause analysis.

New Report on the Skilled Technical Workforce

The National Science Board (NSB) released a report titled, The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting America’s Science and Engineering Enterprise. Its findings are based on stakeholder engagement meetings with relevant organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as nationwide listening sessions that NSB conducted with workers, students, businesses and educators.

NSB found four main challenges that the Skilled Technical Workforce (STW) is facing:

Meeting students where they are, and designing STW education around those needs. The researchers reported the need to center programs around students that work within the constraints of students’ lives. The researchers stressed that lifelong learning is the new reality, and in order to have a skilled and capable workforce, programs need to meet students where they are.

Building partnerships among STW stakeholders. Partnerships between government, industry and educational institutions should occur in order to avoid a “one-size-fits-all” approach. This allows communities to align curricula to meet local community needs.

Increasing awareness of employment and career opportunities in the STW. The report emphasizes that there are numerous paths to educational and career success. The paths should not be presented as an “either-or” option, instead, the STW should aim to complement rather than compete with other education paths. NSB reports that learners pursuing careers in the STW have opportunities for higher earning potentials, greater job selection and to pursue additional postsecondary STEM education.

Data gaps are creating challenges in establishing a system-wide approach to the STW. Stakeholders are finding it difficult to assess the STW in order to create new programs and partnerships, as well as disseminate information to the public about opportunities within the STW. NSB says that this will be a long-term project that will require the input of multiple organizations for data, however, it is crucial for the continued development of the STW for there to be system-wide data.

Based on the systemic challenges the STW faces, NSB proposes interconnected recommendations, relevant to CTE, for policymakers and STW leaders:

Change the message. The report states that there needs to be an acceptance of various educational paths that are complementary and interdependent. Students should be able to make an educational choice based on their own informed preferences.

Focus on the data. NSB recommends that data should be collected on a wide range of characteristics of the STW, and partnerships between stakeholders should develop to enable collaboration of resources and data.

Build partnerships. NSB recommends that STW stakeholders should work together to fit local community needs. To incentivize this, NSB says policymakers should further develop federal programs to require partnership participation from stakeholders.