CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

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.

Summit Gathers in D.C. to Discuss Workforce Development for Young Adults

The U.S. Department of Labor recently hosted workforce development advocates and professionals from around the United States at the Youth Employment Works Summit to discuss its new youth and young adult employment initiative that prioritizes these workers in developing the workforce of the nation. The initiative is called the Youth Employment Works Strategy and its goals are the following:

• Deliver accessible supportive services and workforce development opportunities for youth and young workers.
• Improve partnerships between the private and public sectors to increase investment in high-quality pathways for young people and develop a strong basis for the future workforce.
• Offer guaranteed paid work-based learning opportunities to ALL young people.

The summit featured guests from organizations like the United Federation of Teachers, New America, Jobs for America’s Graduates and professionals from the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation. The summit was intentionally diverse in the types of guests featured to demonstrate that better developing the nation’s workforce around young people is a collective effort that will require individuals from all walks of life.

The summit held multiple panels on topics such as worker and educational diversity, public-private sector partnerships, cross-agency collaboration and reimagining the secondary-level school experience for students throughout the nation. Panelists like Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, emphasized the importance of making CTE more accessible to all students in the country and putting less emphasis on building curricula around the traditional four-year degree path. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only about one-third of 18-24-year-olds enrolled in a four-year institution in 2020, with more than 60% of young people choosing a different pathway after high school. Weingarten also called for increasing career pathways access to all students around the nation.

The event was closed with remarks from U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, who reiterated the importance of the new initiative, the calls to action of all the panelists, as well as the importance of ensuring all learners around the country have access to CTE and work-based learning opportunities across state lines.

Research Roundup: Recent Postsecondary CTE Trends and Developments

The following research roundup will look at five reports by four different publishers that recently sought to analyze some of the most important issues surrounding community colleges and other institutions offering postsecondary CTE. The reports come from New America, the RAND Corporation, Columbia University’s Community College Research Center and Work Shift.

Getting Non-Degree Workforce Programs Right at Community Colleges: New America has released a multiple-part series that focuses on how to plan, deliver and use data to improve non-degree workforce programs at the community college level. The series was produced by the think tank’s Center on Education & Labor as part of the New Models for Career Preparation project, which aims to create stories and research for building a better understanding of non-degree workforce education with the ultimate goal of unlocking the full potential of non-degree workforce training. Researchers looked at literature to “synthesize, develop and pressure-test” a framework for non-degree programs at colleges. This work is based on five criteria for quality non-degree workforce programs:

• The program leads to quality jobs with strong labor market outcomes.
• The program advances equity and diversity in occupationally segregated jobs.
• The program opens doors to advanced credentials or degrees.
• The program is affordable.
• The program has strong completion rates.

Community Colleges Can Increase Credential Stacking by Introducing New Programs Within Established Technical Pathways: In a recent study conducted by the RAND Corporation, researchers analyzed stackable credentials in community colleges, their cost, their return on investment, as well as their value for students, government and local economies. The report analyzed the effects of the introduction of new certificate or associate degree programs in the Ohio community college system from 2004-05 to 2016-17. Researchers found that students who had just completed a credential program were more likely to re-enroll and earn more credentials within two years if their college had an additional program within their field of study. Additionally, researchers were able to confirm that further short-term enrollment did not significantly decrease student participation in employment or transfer to four-year university programs, showing that stackable credentials fit naturally within these students’ career and education pathways.

High-demand Jobs, High-cost Education: A recent Work Shift article by education reporter Lilah Burke looked at how community colleges around the country are innovating in the face of a major nationwide struggle to afford the necessary facilities and instructors for high-demand fields like microelectronics and biotech. Postsecondary institutions like community colleges are struggling to compete with the resources available to research universities in the field of experiential learning, which is needed to train the ever-rising number of operators or technicians needed in growth areas like semiconductor manufacturing. However, these institutions are finding creative ways around these challenges. The report looks at how four community colleges in Ohio, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina are succeeding in providing experiential learning to their students through incubators, partnerships with industry and government, and creative funding mechanisms from philanthropies and grants.

How Can Community Colleges Afford to Offer Dual-enrollment College Courses to High School Students at a Discount?: A recent report released by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center looked at the issue of high-cost dual-enrollment programs for community colleges. Researchers determined that in most parts of the country, colleges receive less funding per dual-enrollment student than they do for regular, non-dual-enrollment students, meaning that these programs are a financial burden for these institutions. The main purpose of the study was to explore how community colleges could continue to provide broad access to high-quality, sustainable dual-enrollment programs. Researchers analyzed the economics of dual enrollment from the perspective of three different community colleges to demonstrate the conditions under which dual enrollment can be made affordable and efficient.

New Resource: High Quality Framework Infographic

Today, ACTE published a new infographic that highlights ways to use the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework^TM and its companion self-evaluation instrument. The Framework helps CTE educators to assess quality in their CTE programs of study through more than 90 criteria organized under 12 elements, capturing the full range of activities across a CTE program.

As described by the infographic, the Framework and self-evaluation tool can be used by educators, administrators and leaders to support educator preparation programs, help new CTE instructors, identify professional development needs, conduct the Perkins V comprehensive local needs assessment and recognize CTE program quality. Since its launch in 2018, the online Framework self-evaluation has been used over 4,000 times to support CTE program of study quality across secondary and postsecondary programs and spanning all 16 Career Clusters®.

We encourage ACTE members and CTE supporters to read and share this infographic with colleagues and other CTE stakeholders to learn about how the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework ^TM can support CTE program improvement.

Click here to access more tools related to the Framework including publications, webinars, courses and more.

New Resource: High-Quality CTE Element Fact Sheets

Recently, ACTE published a new series of High-Quality CTE Element Fact Sheets. Each fact sheet describes one of the 12 elements and their criteria from the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework^TM, which is an evidence-based framework that defines high-quality CTE through more than 90 criteria organized under 12 elements.

Since Framework criteria are designed to be mutually exclusive across all elements to ensure that programs are not doubly rewarded or punished for criteria that they have not implemented, each fact sheet in this series also outlines how criteria from one element can add relevance to an assessment of progress on other elements.

You can find the High-Quality CTE Element Fact Sheets under the “Publications” tab here and other helpful tools and publications related to the Framework here.

Using ACTE’s Quality Framework to Support CLNA

Perkins V requires that school districts and institutions receiving federal funds conduct a comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) at least every two years to gauge how well aligned their CTE programs are to the needs of students, employers and communities. The first CLNA was conducted in fall 2019 and winter 2020 and many CTE educators are now gearing up for the second CLNA process. One tool that can support this effort is ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework and its companion self-evaluation instrument.

CLNA Requirements

Each state has created its own templates and resources to help local recipients conduct the CLNA and its own timeline for when CLNAs must be completed, but all state templates should include the following components identified in the legislation:

1. Student performance on federal accountability indicators, disaggregated
2. How programs are aligned to labor market needs
3. Whether programs are of sufficient size, scope and quality to meet all students’ needs
4. Progress toward implementing programs and programs of study
5. Efforts to improve recruitment, retention and training of faculty and staff
6. Progress toward improving access and equity

Using ACTE’s Framework for CLNA

ACTE’s evidence-based Quality CTE Program of Study Framework and self-evaluation tool can serve as the foundation of an assessment of program implementation, quality, access and equity as part of the CLNA. With more than 90 criteria organized under 12 elements, the Framework captures the full range of activities across a CTE program of study:

Standards-aligned and Integrated Curriculum	Facilities, Equipment, Technology and Materials
Sequencing and Articulation	Business and Community Partnerships
Student Assessment	Student Career Development
Prepared and Effective Program Staff	Career and Technical Student Organizations
Engaging Instruction	Work-based Learning
Access and Equity	Data and Program Improvement

Results from the self-evaluation may be particularly useful when responding to questions in a state’s CLNA template about program size, scope and quality and about implementation of programs and programs of study. Scores on specific elements of the Framework can apply to additional sections of the CLNA; for instance, responses to criteria in the Prepared and Effective Program Staff element can inform the section on recruitment, retention and training of faculty and staff while responses to criteria in the Access and Equity element can apply to questions on improving progress in those areas.

For more tips on how to use the ACTE Framework when conducting the CLNA, read our latest brief, ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework Self-evaluation: A Tool for the Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment.

ACTE Releases Report on CTE During and After COVID-19

While COVID-19 has led to many challenges for CTE over the past year, the pandemic has also created opportunities for experimentation and innovation in delivery of CTE programs and programs of study. ACTE’s latest publication, High-quality CTE During COVID-19: Challenges and Innovations, generously sponsored by MajorClarity, describes these challenges, shares examples of innovative practices, and provides recommendations for how CTE leaders can better prepare the post-COVID-19 workforce and embrace lessons learned during the pandemic.

In response to surveys fielded to ACTE members in January and February 2021, CTE professionals report that the biggest challenges they are facing during the 2020-21 school year are motivating and engaging learners and providing hands-on learning and lab hours. Providing work-based learning experiences and preparing students for industry certifications and other performance assessments are also significant challenges. And about one-fifth of CTE professionals identified internet/technology access and supporting special and underserved populations as major issues.

In addition to these delivery challenges, CTE administrators report significant enrollment declines in many CTE programs this year as well as possible funding declines and CTE instructor shortages in the years to come.

In the face of these challenges, CTE educators have risen to the moment with flexibility, creativity and perseverance. This report describes many innovative practices in CTE from the past year, including but not limited to:

• The outdoor CTE classroom at Rockbridge County High School in Lexington, Virginia, enabled students to complete performance assessments and check off competencies in an open-air, socially distanced setup.
• YouthForce Internship, a project of New Orleans-based YouthForce NOLA, developed virtual "consultancies" in which students worked together to solve a business problem identified by an employer.
• Adult nursing students at Assabet Valley Regional Technical School in Marlborough, Massachusetts, are gaining experience and earning clinical hours by administering COVID-19 vaccines.
• Kansas DECA is organizing virtual challenges to continue to develop students' technical, employability and leadership skills.
• High school students at the Teacher Academy of Renton School District 403 in Renton, Washington, have been working remotely one-on-one with elementary students who need extra emotional or academic support.

As COVID-19 moves into a new phase, CTE educators are considering how lessons learned from this past year can support teaching and learning that is more equitable, more flexible, more diverse in its delivery and more focused on competencies in order to meet an anticipated surge in demand for CTE programs that prepare youth and adults with the skills and credentials needed in the post-pandemic workforce.

To make the most of this moment, ACTE recommends that CTE leaders pursue the following recommendations, which are further elaborated in the report:

• Reassess labor market alignment
• Skill and reskill the workforce
• Commit to equity
• Embrace innovative tools and delivery models
• Develop and support CTE professionals
• Advocate for CTE

Share Your COVID-19 Innovations!

CTE educators have a long history of creativity in delivering high-quality CTE programs and career development experiences to learners, and the 2020-21 school year is no exception. Whether your school, institution or district is open fully with social distancing methods, using a blended approach or continuing with remote learning, ACTE wants to hear about the innovative ways you are coping with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CTE and career development.

Please fill out this short form to help ACTE learn more about how you are innovating during this challenging time. Examples are welcome from secondary, postsecondary and adult CTE programs as well as from career counseling and development activities. ACTE may publish your innovative practices on our website, in our blogs and/or in print.

Is your CTE program planning to transition between delivery models this school year, based on COVID-19 case counts in your area? If so, check out High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year, ACTE’s guide for helping CTE stakeholders identify the key considerations, guiding questions and emerging best practices that can shape planning across a variety of different scenarios.   

High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year

As the country continues to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CTE stakeholders around the nation are thinking ahead to what education might look like in the future. Whether schools and postsecondary institutions will be able to open fully for the 2020-21 school year using social distancing methods, utilize a blended approach or continue with remote learning, there are significant implications for CTE programs, students and educators.

High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-impacted School Year is a guide for helping CTE stakeholders identify the key considerations, guiding questions and emerging best practices that should shape future planning. The guide is organized around the 13 elements of ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework to capture the breadth of issues important to maintaining CTE program quality within any of the possible educational environments being considered for the new school year. It is accompanied by a webinar series that is exploring issues and sharing ideas from the field about CTE planning for the 2020-21 school year.

Read the full guide, or excerpts of particular sections, at https://www.acteonline.org/professional-development/high-quality-cte-covid-19-planning-guide.

High-quality CTE Series Continues with Brief on Student Career Development

ACTE is continuing its series exploring in detail each of ACTE's 12 elements of high-quality CTE with Defining Quality: Student Career Development.

Student Career Development is one of 12 elements in the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework, a comprehensive, evidence-based set of quality standards for CTE programs. Criteria within this element address strategies that help students gain career knowledge and engage in education and career planning and decision-making, including comprehensive and coordinated career development across learner levels; individual academic and career plans; information about educational opportunities and workforce trends that students (and families, when appropriate) need to make informed decisions; job search information and placement services as students near the end of the program of study; and professional development for career guidance and advising professionals.

Defining Quality: Student Career Development describes the criteria within the Student Career Development element, recommends types of evidence that programs can consider when assessing their performance against these quality criteria, and shares case studies of school districts and institutions doing exemplary work to provide students with career exploration, guidance and planning services. This publication was generously supported by Xello.

Eventually, the series will include 12 briefs, one for each of ACTE’s 12 elements of high-quality CTE. In addition, we will be sharing a series of micro-webinars presenting short case studies on success within each element.

You can access all our High-quality CTE Initiative tools and resources at www.acteonline.org/high-quality-CTE.