Snapshots of What’s Working | Career and Technical Education
Since 2015, California policymakers have invested more than a billion dollars to support the expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) across the state.
Lane ESD Credit Equivalency Pilot Project: Summary Report
The Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) conducted an implementation study for a credit equivalency pilot project during the 2016–17 school year. Teacher teams from five Oregon high schools participated in the project, developing the frameworks for and providing Career Technical Education (CTE) classes within their schools that offer students the opportunity to earn content area credit. The purpose of the study was to begin to identify the policies and practices that need to exist to ensure integrity when enacting a course equivalency process, leading to positive college and career readiness outcomes for students.
Santa Ana Unified Creating Incredible Pathways for Students
A recent article in Getting Smart, Santa Ana Unified Creating Incredible Pathways for Students K-12, features Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) and includes EPIC’s work with Valley High School over the past three years. The district is providing incredible learning environments for K–12 students, and EPIC has been instrumental in creating change in one school, Valley High School. We have been strategic in supporting Valley in three areas: (1) developing a shared positive language and culture; (2) transitioning Valley to a wall-to-wall academy; and (3) implementing an adolescent literacy development plan focused on universal (schoolwide) strategies that support all students every period, every day.
The State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of State CTE Standards (NASDCTEc)
In its 2013 report, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) presented findings from its analysis of secondary and postsecondary CTE standards across 50 states and three U.S. territories.
Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript Outcomes of High School Graduates (Education Trust)
Earlier this month, the Education Trust published a new report, Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript Outcomes of High School Graduates (available at https://edtrust.org/resource/meandering-toward-graduation/ or below). Wow, I love that descriptive verb…
Key Stakeholders Come Together to Support Student Success in CTE
Analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in Central Valley, California “A professional teacher is one who learns from teaching rather than one who has finished learning how to teach.” This…
MDRC Research on Career Pathways
From the March 2016 issue brief by Richard Kazis: “As postsecondary credentials have become increasingly important to accessing higher-quality employment, a growing number of education and workforce programs are implementing “career pathways” approaches to help both youth and adults prepare for further education and better jobs. In recent years, MDRC has conducted research on a range of career pathways programs and program components. This Issue Brief describes the career pathways approach, highlighting core design elements, and profiles MDRC projects that shed light on the effectiveness of this approach and its potential to improve education and career outcomes.”
More Than One C: Educating Students to Be Ready for Careers and College
This policy brief from EPIC discusses the United State’s bias toward college-going as the gold standard and how to counteract that singular mode of thinking. EPIC outlines why definitions of K–12 success should balance an emphasis on each C (college and career). EPIC also shows the related pitfalls of districts failing to attend to the issues that are most salient for their communities. To avoid those dangers, EPIC recommends democratizing postsecondary pathway access to ensure equity, localizing districts’ definitions of success to suit community needs, and personalizing educational experiences so students can become ready on their own terms.
Washington State BOE Approves CTE Course Equivalent Frameworks
In 2014, Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction contracted EPIC to facilitate the creation of course equivalent frameworks in mathematics and/or science for 20 of the state’s career…
Measures for a College and Career Indicator: Career Preparedness Assessments
This white paper considers the career preparedness assessments used most widely by state educational systems—specifically ACT’s WorkKeys, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI), and industry certification assessments—as measures to be considered for California’s college and career indicator.