Updating Career and Technical Education For The 21st Century

Executive Summary

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Career and Technical Education (CTE) is undergoing rapid change in many schools across the United States, as educators strive to connect school programs with actual workplace needs. But while a small number of exemplary models are demonstrating powerful progress, as measured by postgraduation outcomes, many of the 17,000 high schools that offer CTE remain mired in outdated instructional models.

This report highlights many of the most effective models underway across the United States, and discusses those program elements best suited for replication. These include:

• Career Path High, a blended learning model in Kaysville, Utah offering personalized instruction with externships and onsite CTE training.

• Providence, Rhode Island’s Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, through partnership with The Big Picture Company, is a national leader at tracking post-graduation outcomes and utilizing comprehensive data.

• Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Brooklyn offers a 9th-14th grade high school/associate’s degree program aiming students toward post-graduation job opportunities with starting salaries at $40,000.

• Nationally, charter school authorizers like the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board are implementing CTE accountability frameworks that measure post-graduation outcomes and progress toward schools’ mission-specific goals.