Policy makers have taken more interest in career and technical education (CTE) in recent years, but evidence regarding what kinds of programs produce the most important outcomes is still emerging. Shaun M. Dougherty summarizes what recent research tells us about the impact of these programs. Evidence has shown that CTE-dedicated schools, career…

Career academies provide high school students with an opportunity to complete high school coursework while deeply exploring a potential career field concentration. Such academy models aim to improve high graduation rates and college and career readiness of students. However, the implementation of a career academy program can be challenging and may…

Career academies are specialized educational programs that offer graduates a pathway to acquire the skills, knowledge, and credentials needed to enter the workforce or pursue further education in a specific career field. These programs are designed to improve student engagement, reduce dropout rates, and enhance post-graduation outcomes. The…

Purpose: This study analyzed leadership structures, processes, and practices that have enabled and constrained an ambitious career and college readiness reform within an urban school district. It was designed to discern how leaders worked across cross-sector boundaries to support district-wide high school career academy implementation. Research…

Inclusive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) high schools (ISHSs), which combine nonselective admission policies with a STEM-emphasized curriculum and college-going culture, represent an emerging STEM-focused school model that has been rapidly expanding across the country. In 2006, Texas launched the Texas STEM (T-STEM)…

In late 2017, MDRC was invited by Bloomberg Philanthropies to write a paper detailing the level and rigor of the available evidence supporting career and technical education (CTE). Interest in the field of CTE has experienced a resurgence over the last decade, as the global economy has grown increasingly competitive while students have continued…

Inequality in academic, financial, and social outcomes for children in the United States has grown over the past decade. Interest by policymakers in strengthening social and economic mobility has focused on points of transition in students' life trajectories. A key transition point is the shift from secondary school to postsecondary pursuits,…

Career Academies integrate career-themed classes and rigorous academic course work to create stronger pathways from high school to postsecondary education and the workplace. This fact sheet examines the impact of Career Academies on students' academic and labor market outcomes and includes questions state and district leaders should answer as they…

For more than 30 years, NAF has been working to transform the American high school experience by joining the corporate and education worlds to help ensure that students graduate high school and are prepared for college and careers. NAF's education design incorporates an academy-development framework, alongside rigorous career-themed curricula and…

Modern career academies aim to prepare students for college and the labor market. This paper examines the profile of students entering such academies in one school district and estimates causal effects of participation in one of the district's well-regarded academies on a range of high school and college outcomes. Using rich administrative data…

Nationwide, National Academy Foundation (NAF) schools that offer specialty courses in finance, engineering, health sciences, hospitality and tourism, information technology, and law enforcement are designed as school-within-a-school models. The mission of NAF campuses is to provide students from low socioeconomic and at-risk backgrounds equitable…

Academies are now a part of the English school landscape. Future policy should focus on learning the lessons from the growth of academy schools. In this "NFER Thinks," the author presents the case that any future expansion in the number of academies should be motivated by a clear vision of the long-term outcomes for learners that…

"Best of Both Worlds: How Massachusetts Vocational Schools are Preparing Students for College and Careers," highlights the state's policies that promote strong programming. Massachusetts encourages the completion of MassCore, the state's college- and career-ready course of study, incentivizes rigorous academic standards through school…

The Futures Academy program provides students with the opportunity to fulfill high school graduation requirements while simultaneously earning industry certifications, college credits, and/or an Associate of Applied Science degree by August following their senior year. In addition to taking college courses, Futures Academy students must earn…

Background: Results from MDRC's longitudinal, random-assignment evaluation of career-academy high schools reveal that several years after high-school completion, those randomized to receive the academy opportunity realized a $175 (11%) increase in monthly earnings, on average. Objectives: In this paper, I investigate the impact of duration of…