High-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs represent an effective way to provide young adults with an educational experience that prepares them for both college and career success. But not all CTE programs provide accessible pathways to a bounty of educational options without dead ends. To address the false dichotomy--college…

Texas recently adopted a new performance-based funding (PBF) model for community colleges. Using institutional student unit record data, this study applied the metrics from this PBF model to examine enrollment outcomes among 5,900 students attending a large, racially/ethnically diverse community college system in the state. Our findings revealed…

Student success rates for academic track and workforce track students were examined for thousands of students at a large urban Texas Community College. The study covered fall 2009 through spring 2011, a two year period. Data were collected from the institution's data base regarding students who successfully completed the courses in which they were…

"Career Academies" is a dropout prevention strategy for youth considered most at risk of dropping out of high school. Students in the program take both career-related and academic courses and acquire work experience through partnerships with local employers. "Career Academies" integrate rigorous academic curricula with career…

This case study analyzes how and why student engagement differs across 581 classes in one diverse high school. Factor analyses of surveys with 1,132 students suggest three types of engaging teaching practices--connective instruction, academic rigor, and lively teaching. Multilevel regression analyses reveal that connective instruction predicts…

The teaching of entrepreneurship as an academic subject, as opposed to the apprenticeship route, is the subject of ongoing debate. The authors suggest that there is a middle road and that, by integrating the business world into teaching in a significant way, the best of both approaches can be achieved. In a similar vein, the credibility of some…

To help students meet higher standards, all academic and career/technical teachers need to be willing and prepared to use reading, writing and mathematics as tools for learning across the curriculum. To do so, they must have access to ongoing professional development, literacy and numeracy coaching, shared strategies, and teamwork to make literacy…

Teachers who work together to blend academic and career/technical (CT) instruction have found a key to motivating students to complete high school and prepare for college, advanced training and careers. This newsletter highlights key strategies schools are using to join academic and technical studies to advance student motivation and achievement.…

A University of North Texas project used a team approach to develop a curriculum integrating academic subjects into vocational curricula. Ten teachers cooperated on integrated junior high/middle school lesson plans and classroom support activities. (JOW)

This report contains the profiles of state-sponsored extended learning initiatives in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Texas. They address the need to provide extra time and opportunity for students who have difficulty meeting today's standards, and for students who are meeting standards during the school day, but want…

A total of 4,197 course withdrawal questionnaires completed during the normal course withdrawal process at ten Texas community colleges during fall 1976 provided the data for this study of reasons for course withdrawal. Total withdrawals comprehended in the study included 3,394 university transfer/academic courses (81%), 745 occupational/technical…

Washington is one of several states adopting the Certificate of Initial Mastery, certifying that high school students have attained a high standard of achievement in core academic subjects and applied learning. The New Standards Partnership, comprising 17 member states and 6 school districts, has been developing the certificate system. State…

This research study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Coordinated Vocational Academic Education Program (CVAE) which was introduced in Texas to meet the needs of secondary level students who were unsuccessful in traditional educational programs. The purpose of the study was to gather information from the schools offering CVAE…

This handbook provides strategies for coordination of instruction between vocational education and general education teachers. Coordinated Vocational Academic Education (CVAE) programs were started in Texas to serve the disadvantaged. This handbook includes the following: information on using the handbook; a model overview; a list of print,…

The Brackenridge Interns in Teaching (BIT) program was implemented at Trinity University (Texas) in 1984. The program consists of three components: (1) the academic curriculum of Trinity University; (2) a variety of practicum experiences in selected Bexar County public schools; and (3) a comprehensive community education progam. The academic…