Project Activities
In the exploratory phase of the project, the researchers will systematically document available CDOs, their implementation, and their association with student outcomes in three districts within New Castle County, Delaware. They will collect original data through a student survey, site-based focus groups, and interviews, as well as administrative data from the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and other sources to comprehensively catalogue a set of five types of CDOs: CTE pathway participation, career advising, work-based learning, CTE credentials, and dual enrollment. The team will then design and conduct an impact study to assess the causal effects of a specific CDO on student outcomes; the study will also include implementation and cost components. The research team will collaborate with IES and the lead for the Extending the Reach of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network to identify the most suitable CDO as the focus of the impact study.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study takes place in the Wilmington, Delaware, metro area. As a state, Delaware has a well-established, highly regarded statewide CTE pathway system, dedicated vocational-technical (vo-tech) high school districts, a robust network of public and private partners, and numerous opportunities for early college credit, work-based learning, and CTE credentials. The study focuses on three school districts in New Castle County (NCC): New Castle County Vocational- Technical (NCCVT) school district, the countywide vo-tech district; Red Clay Consolidated, Delaware's largest district; and Colonial, the fourth largest district in NCC.
Sample
The study's population is middle and high school students in the selected districts. The study's sample will include approximately 2,200 students in grade 12 in the 2024-25 school year, who will be surveyed as part of the exploratory study, and approximately 20,200 high school graduates from the 2017-18 through 2023-24 school years, whose records will be analyzed as part of the exploratory study. Additional cohorts and additional grades may be included as part of the impact study.
Malleable factors in this study include CDOs (such as career advising, work-based learning, industry credentials, and dual enrollment) and related programs and courses, availability of CDOs across different schools and districts, CDO teacher training and qualifications, supports for access such as to reduce cost or provide transportation, program prerequisites, and data and systems for tracking participation and outcomes for students.
Research design and methods
This project includes two sequential studies: one exploratory and one impact. In both studies, the researchers will use integrated mixed methods approaches. For the exploratory study, they will use a convergent parallel mixed-methods design in which they will use quantitative and qualitative data in tandem to generate documentary case studies and hypotheses about CDO impacts. The researchers will design the impact study to use a sequential mixed-methods design in which earlier stages of data collection and analysis shape subsequent data collection and interpretation. They will collect data for both studies from state and school administrative records, document collection, interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
Key measures
Key measures for the exploratory and impact studies include student CDO participation, background characteristics, high school academic and CTE course taking, grade point average, scores on state assessments, high school graduation, postsecondary education enrollment and degree completion, employment status, and wages.
Data analytic strategy
For the exploratory study, the researchers will use qualitative thematic content analysis to examine perceptions of CDOs related to quality, equity, and impact. They will use descriptive data analysis to explore CDO participation overall and by student subgroups and settings. They will use multilevel, multivariate regression to examine associations between CDOs and student outcomes. The impact study, which will use a rigorous experimental design (such as a randomized controlled trial or regression discontinuity design) or quasi-experimental design (such as matching or instrumental variable methods), will use appropriate quantitative data analysis, and the study will also include qualitative analysis of implementation data and cost and cost effectiveness analyses.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
This project will produce both preliminary evidence of how middle and high school student in New Castle County, Delaware engage in and benefit from CDOs and evidence of the impact of one or more to-be-determined CDOs on student outcomes. The project will also produce information about the cost of the evaluated CDO(s), a final dataset to be shared, peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and additional dissemination products that reach stakeholders such as practitioners and policymakers.
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Additional project information
This project will serve as a network research team for the Extending the Reach of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network, which will conduct research, training, and dissemination to support CTE.
Related projects
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Staklis, Sandra; Shores, Ken
Partner Districts: New Castle County Vocational-Technical (NCCVT), Red Clay Consolidated, Colonial
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
