Community colleges are the leader in facilitating career and technical education (CTE) and workforce development (WD) programs. However, employers who hire recent graduates of these programs question the quality of the education provided. This qualitative study used a focus group comprised of manufacturing and engineering professionals in Florida…

This summary is the first in a series of research briefs on student skills for the future. It provides highlights from the full research report, "Initial Findings Report: Student Skills for the Future, Spring 2022. A Landscape Analysis from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund" (ED620417). Given the rate of technological advancement,…

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund drew on previous research from various organizations including UNF and STEM2Hub in order to identify community stakeholders who could help us answer the question: What skills do students need to succeed in the 21st century workforce? JPEF conducted interviews and focus groups with educators and a variety of…

Career and technical education (CTE) has been at the forefront of engagement, change, motivation, and high school reform since the early 20th century. However, the focus on tracking students into 4-year universities has significantly reduced the number of quality CTE programs that exist within the high school setting. With the release of the new…

The nation has made an unprecedented investment in community colleges to simultaneously increase college completion and stimulate economic recovery. One of the most substantial investments was the Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program of the United States Department of Labor (U.S.DOL). Beginning October 2011,…

In September 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1458, which calls for California's school accountability system to shift from a near-exclusive reliance on state test scores to a broader range of measures demonstrating student achievement. At the high school level, starting in the 2015-16 school year, the Academic Performance…

This case study examined and described how under-served high school students enrolled in medical sciences academy CTE programs (Certified Nursing Assistant [CNA] and Electrocardiogram Technician [EKG]) at two Florida Title I high schools perceive that their career and technical education experience prepared them with the academic and technical…

Life is a journey filled with many twists and turns. While the journey can be exciting, it is a good idea to know where you are going so you can decide how to get there. Career development is all about getting the knowledge and skills you need to make more informed career decisions. Right now is an excellent time to develop skills that will help…

America and the South seem to have turned a corner on the deep and prolonged recession that started in 2008. The stranglehold it has had on jobs and job prospects caught many by surprise, and it has caused education leaders to refocus state policy on the relationship between career preparation and education. This report provides updates on the…

High school students who complete technical coursework in a given field should be able to demonstrate their skill mastery by passing a technical skill assessment that is recognized in that field. States are using a variety of approaches to assess students' skill attainment, with some adopting industry-recognized assessments linked to national…

A key goal of the "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006" ("Perkins IV") is to ensure career and technical education (CTE) programs are widely available for preparing high school and college students for "high skill, high wage, or high demand occupations in current or emerging professions"…

Career and technical education (CTE) is increasingly seen as a major potential contributor to the recovery of the U.S. economy. However, the effectiveness and impact of the current Carl D. Perkins Act (otherwise known as Perkins IV) that governs CTE are unclear. Is the federal investment in CTE paying off? To answer this, we need to establish the…

This quantitative study was designed to analyze the percentage of students pursuing selected Career and Technical Education (CTE) vocational courses in schools throughout the State of Florida and to determine if there is a relationship to school district size during school year 2008-2009. The study sought to determine if smaller districts are more…

"Taking Stock and Pushing Forward" (2014) reports states' progress toward the Challenge to Lead 2020 Goals for Education. State-specific documents report on student achievement as well as essential state policies to improve it. Among the many metrics: how states are improving achievement on NAEP, high school graduation rates, and access…

The purpose of this investigation was (a) to determine the level of satisfaction that exiting high school students felt regarding the job preparation and training they received in high school, (b) gather data on work experiences during high school, (c) gather data on job training experiences during high school, and (d) gather data on students…