Youth with foster care experiences (i.e., foster care alumni) have poor educational attainment outcomes (Texas Education Agency, 2021). These poor outcomes compound earlier disadvantages and have individual and collective consequences. Annually, approximately 20,000 youth are emancipated from foster care in the United States (National Youth in…

In this qualitative case study, using Freire's theory of critical consciousness development, we examined the influence of a 1-credit immigration policy service-learning course on college students' motivations to act against immigration injustices. We found that after witnessing immigration issues at the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas,…

Texas, like many states, considers students to be "college, career, or military ready" if they earn an industry-based certification (IBC) in high school. While the expansion of opportunities for students to earn IBCs has been stimulated through state policy, limited research has systematically examined what factors influence students'…

The good news? Texas is growing. In 2022, Texas joined California to be only the second U.S. state with a population of over 30 million people. The bad news? Texas is growing. More specifically, the Texas labor market is growing. One strategy to improve career readiness is the creation of Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH).…

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has developed an extensive data system that captures the wages earned by graduates of public colleges and universities, by major. The board then makes those data available, providing a highly detailed look at the wages of completers at various points between 1 and 10 years after attaining a…

This study assesses the human capital development and wage performance of low-income students from geographically isolated and substandard housing settlements known as colonias. The research follows Texas high school students from the classroom to employment over a span of two decades and, specifically, tracks the three border regions where most…

Career pathways, comprised of stackable credentials and a coherently aligned sequence of programmes of study, are being hailed as an effective means for promoting postsecondary attainment and upward mobility, particularly for low-income and low-skilled adult workers. However, concerns have been raised regarding whether this strategy accomplishes…

There is wide agreement that the well-paying jobs of the future will require postsecondary credentials. But for many students attending community college, developmental (or remedial) classes in reading, composition, and/or mathematics--the courses that students often must complete before they can enroll in courses that confer credit toward a…

Almost 7 million young Americans (age 16-24) are insufficiently attached to school or work. Based on conservative estimates, we can generate over $1 billion just by helping a mere 0.1 percent earn a high school credential and complete their first year of college through Back on Track Designs. This brief lays out the cost of setting up these GED-…

On September 13, 2006, Texas state educational and policy leaders participated in the Texas Education Forum to discuss ways to improve student transition from high school to postsecondary education and careers. The forum was sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and…