Setting
The study includes students who applied for admission to one of seven P-TECH 9-14 schools in New York City.
Study sample
The full analytic sample included 3,161 students who attended one of seven New York City’s P-TECH 9-14 schools from 2013–2017. In this group – labeled the Year 1 sample – 46 percent of students were Hispanic, 40 percent were Black, four percent were White, and eight percent were Asian. Ten percent of students were English language learners and 40 percent were female. In the subsample for which three years of data are available – labeled the Year 3 sample – and which provides the impacts for the study’s main contrasts, out of 1,203 students, 47 percent of students were Hispanic, 42 percent were Black, three percent were White, and seven percent were Asian. Eleven percent were English language learners and 47 percent were female.
Intervention Group
The P-TECH 9-14 model involves a partnership between a high school, a local community college, and one or more employer partners that focus on preparing students for both college and careers within six years. P-TECH 9-14 schools partner with local community colleges to provide students with an opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, free of cost. During the six-year program, the employers who are partners support P-TECH 9-14 schools by providing students with internships, mentoring, job shadowing, and other work-based learning experiences.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group applied to one of the P-TECH 9-14 schools, but were not admitted and, instead, enrolled in one of 399 other high schools across New York City. One hundred of these schools were either dedicated career and technical education (CTE) high schools or academic high schools with some CTE programming available. Thirty-eight percent of comparison group students were enrolled in dedicated CTE high schools or schools that offered some CTE programming; the rest of the comparison group students attended other academic high schools.
Support for implementation
Each P-TECH 9-14 school relies on a partnership between the high school, college partner, and employer partners. In New York City, the P-TECH 9-14 school development process is co-led by CUNY’s Early College Initiative (ECI) and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness (OPSR). Through collaboration, these organizations identify employer partners and provide support for and oversight of the P-TECH 9-14 model implementation. More specifically, during the startup of a school, ECI and OPSR provide analysis of labor market trends to identify potential career pathways, map out necessary skills, and contact and convene partners. After startup, P-TECH 9-14 schools meet regularly with ECI and OPSR staff, who conduct professional development activities for school staff members, participate in steering committees made up of representatives from each partner organization, and convene P-TECH 9-14 school principals at least twice a year.