Connecticut Network (Michael Coyne presents research findings on the reading model)

A new study finds that some career and technical education students are more likely to graduate from high school, actually do better in college, and earn higher wages than their peers. The report’s author, Shaun Dougherty, joins this podcast to talk about his findings.

When students feel engaged and connected to their schoolwork, it’s no surprise that they tend to have better academic outcomes. But a new study of career and technical education programs suggests the benefits can extend well beyond high school graduation.

Over the past 50 years, there have been swings in United States education policy between didactic, basic-skills reading instruction and constructivist, whole language reading instruction. Under pressure to improve reading achievement, districts devote attention to issues of literacy and leadership.

Greenwich Time (Tamika La Salle is quoted)

One of the most striking trends this year: how many young people from all parts of the city and all backgrounds chose what used to be called a “vocational” high school program – now renamed and reimagined as “career and technical education,” or CTE.

Career and technical education (CTE) schools and academies are important and impactful, but they’re also scarce and expensive. To develop the skills of the millions of students who want high-quality CTE, we must be more egalitarian in the ways students access it—and the prospects for economic stability and success that it can create.

Recently, there has been increased interest in career and technical education as a mechanism to create pathways to college and employment. This increased interest has occurred despite the fact that, aside from two studies on career academies, there is relatively little high-quality evidence about whether and how CTE provides educational and work-related benefits to students.

Are we ready to expand career and technical education offerings as the next frontier in education policy?

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute has released a study on the benefits of Career and Technical Education, and it is both terribly wrong and beautifully right.