Book Description

Federal legislation requires every student, upon completion of their secondary education, be considered college and career ready. Many states have developed and implemented career and technical education (CTE) programs of study (POS) to answer these mandates. Some stakeholders, familiar with historical vocational education programs, see current CTE coursework as a pipeline to the workforce, rather than a pathway leading to career as well as post-secondary opportunities. This non-experimental quantitative research study used data from a 5A public high school in Texas to determine the extent of the association between identified subpopulations of marginalized students (i.e., racial/ethnic minorities, at-risk, economically disadvantaged, and/or special populations) and whether or not students in Grades 9–12 had concentrated in or completed a program of study. This allowed the cooperating school to examine if observed counts were higher or lower than expected counts for each group, which helped determine if marginalized groups were over or under-represented in CTE coursework. The study also examined the extent to which 2022 graduates identified as CTE completers differed from non-completers when compared on the following dependent variables: aggregate grade point average, 4-year average attendance rate, and the level of performance attained on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) total score, math section score, and evidence-based reading and writing section score. The association between students having earned concentrator or completer status and the following student subgroups were statistically significant: racial/ethnic minorities, at-risk, economically disadvantaged, and emergent bilingual. The association between students having earned concentrator or completer status and the following student subgroups were not statistically significant: Section 504 and special education. CTE completers had higher, but not statistically significantly higher four-year grade point averages and four-year average attendance rates than non-completers. CTE completers had lower, but not statistically significantly lower scores on the PSAT total score, math section score, and evidence-based reading and writing section score than non-completers. CTE programs have evolved over time yet are still often misunderstood and have a negative perception from stakeholders regarding the academic preparedness they provide students. Advocating for CTE on local, state, and national levels is critical to program existence. This study provided data for administrators to champion CTE and offset the misunderstandings and negative perceptions that exist.