Project Activities
The research team will carry out two studies using mixed methods: an exploration and an impact study. In the exploratory portion of the project, they will carry out at least three studies. One study will be an examination of career and technical education (CTE) concentration across different programs of study to understand both participation and student outcomes. The second study will be an examination of how student engagement differs when students are enrolled in CTE classes. The third study will describe participation in dual enrollment at the local technical college and other postsecondary institutions. The research team will then 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 for the impact study.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The project examines career development opportunities in Leon County Schools (LCS) secondary schools. Leon County is a midsize urban county in Florida, with a population of approximately 300,000 and a public school district enrollment of approximately 33,000 students.
Sample
The full sample includes all public secondary school students in LCS for cohorts with expected high school graduation in spring 2018 through spring 2024 (with additional cohorts potentially added during impact study). Approximately 56 percent of the district's students are White, 31 percent are Black, and 7 percent are Latino/a. The median household income of students' families is $57,359, with approximately 22 percent of students eligible for SNAP benefits. For qualitative analyses, additional stakeholders involved with career development opportunities (school and district leaders, teachers, guidance counselors, technical college staff, and parents/guardians) are also included in the study population.
The researchers will examine CDOs such as CTE courses, industry-recognized credentials, and dual enrollment.
Research design and methods
In the exploration study, the researchers will use student-level administrative data from LCS to examine student participation and outcomes of various CDOs, paying close attention to differences in access and outcomes for students of different populations across schools, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability status, and level of academic achievement. The researchers will also collect qualitative data via focus groups and interviews from a variety of stakeholders (students, teachers, school and district leaders) to understand their goals and needs and perceptions about program quality and access. The research team will then conduct an impact study of an additional specific CDO to be determined in collaboration with LCS, IES, the CTE Research Network.
Key measures
The research team will measure participation in various CDOs, enrollment in CTE classes, CTE concentration (by program of study), taking and passing industry-recognized credential exams, and dual enrollment. Key outcomes will include high school graduation, absence and discipline records, receipt of an industry recognized credential, postsecondary enrollment (at 2- and 4-year institutions), postsecondary second year retention, credit accumulation, and postsecondary completion.
Data analytic strategy
The researchers will use a mixed-methods approach to the exploration study, deliberately working to ensure qualitative findings inform quantitative research processes and questions and vice versa. They will use deductive coding to identify common themes and key findings from data gathered in interviews and focus groups. They will use a variety of methodological approaches for the quantitative analyses, including descriptive analysis, regression, and individual student fixed effects. Although the specific CDO to be studied in the impact evaluation will be selected during the first exploratory year of the project, the research team anticipates using either a regression discontinuity or randomized controlled trial approach, depending on the chosen CDO.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
This project will produce both preliminary evidence of how students in Leon County, Florida 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. The research team will produce reports for LCS as well as present to practitioner-focused audiences through local conferences for educators in the state of Florida and national conferences that focus on student success, career development, and CTE.
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Additional project information
This project serves as a network research team for the Extending the Reach of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network, which conducts research, training, and dissemination to support CTE.
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Harbatkin, Erica; Mokher, Christine; Rutledge, Stacey
Partner District: Leon County Schools
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
