Current Studies

Overview

The NRCCTE’s research focuses on issues of urgency to both the field of CTE and the nation’s higher education system, recovering economy, and evolving labor market, addressing such topics as programs of study (POS)/career pathways, curriculum integration of CTE and academic content knowledge and skills, postsecondary student retention and completion, and professional development for educators in the areas of data use for program improvement and support for alternatively certified CTE educators.

The Crosswalk Validation Project

Many of those working in the field of CTE have continuously grappled with the need for a uniformly global set of information--a national-level database or, at minimum, a common, standardized set of definitions and measures--to meet CTE's multiple needs, including...

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Rigorous Tests of Student Outcomes in CTE Programs of Study

This longitudinal, field-based study of programs of study (POS)/career pathways was designed using rigorous research methods to estimate the impact of POS on high school students’ academic and technical achievement outcomes through the completion of high school. Researchers are following...

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Mature Programs of Study: A Postsecondary Perspective

As programs of study (POS)/career pathways are relatively new, in name if not in practice, research evidence on their implementation and effectiveness is still in progress. NRCCTE-affiliated researchers at FHI 360 are conducting this study, which began in 2008, with...

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Alternative Licensure CTE Teacher Induction Model

CTE teachers who are well trained and supported in entering the teaching profession are more likely to remain in the field and build their teaching skills over time, resulting in a better trained teaching force. In partnership with the Southern...

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Programs of Study as State Mandate: A Longitudinal Study of the Personal Pathways to Success Initiative

In 2005, the state of South Carolina initiated an innovative approach to career-focused education through the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA). Developed with the backing of the state’s business community, EEDA aims to improve student achievement and preparedness for...

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