This study aimed to learn about Pennsylvania school counselors' use of career education platforms for post-secondary preparedness. An extensive review of previous literature revealed gaps regarding school counselor self-efficacy using career education platforms, using the Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework in career education, and…

Pennsylvania has a fragmented, underfunded high school career-related education system. This undercuts success in college and careers for hundreds of thousands of students annually, while exacerbating skill shortages for businesses and throttling Pennsylvania's economy. Pennsylvania also has a legislature that supports career-related education on…

The discussion in policy circles and secondary schools focuses on the importance of being college and career readiness for all students (Conley & McGaughy, 2012). As with any type of policy, implementation is the key to success. The federally approved Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) required states to design K-12 career education based on…

In today's evolving economy, state policymakers, education leaders, workforce system leaders and employers are all looking for opportunities to meet rapidly changing workforce needs. Economists project that shortages of workers with postsecondary education -- some college, an associate degree, bachelor's degree or higher -- could lead to nearly…

This study examined the perceptions of community employers as to the skill levels of graduates from Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs. This study also examined the perceptions of former students of CTE programs. The skill level is the skills that the job market deem necessary to be successful in a particular industry. This study also…

Unlike the academic teacher who has years of teacher training at a university, a teaching practicum, and experiences that lead to the acquisition of a teaching credential, a career and technical education (CTE) teacher typically is hired and placed in the classroom with no pre-service experience or training. Career and technical administrators are…

This report describes the Year 5 work of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's (NRCCTE) Technical Assistance (TA) Academy. In 2011-2012, the TA plan carried out by FHI 360 on behalf of the NRCCTE focused on developing a conceptual base for work-based learning (WBL), a strategy that helps students apply academic and…

Career and technical education (CTE) is faced with numerous forces that may impact its future. A variety of forces directly or indirectly affect CTE, ranging from the persisting stigma or negative image of career and technical education, the schools' curricular structure and requirements, along with federal laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB)…

Research has discussed the benefits of cooperative education experiences for secondary career and technical education students. Yet, in this era of high stakes testing and program accountability, the amount of time that students are permitted to participate in cooperative education has diminished, fearing that time spent out of the classroom would…

This paper presents the annual report of Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) for 2009-2010. This annual report documents the journeys of several participants in their programs who have gone on successfully to college and careers, and demonstrates the potential of young Philadelphians to begin to reach their goals. In telling these stories, they build…

This newsletter of best practices in implementing the High Schools That Work (HSTW), Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) and Technology Centers That Work (TCTW) school improvement models is based on presentations at the 27th Annual HSTW Staff Development Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the summer of 2013. The newsletter is divided up into…

The volume of literature for research on work ethics is extensive but most involves workers on the job or looking for employment (Petty & Hill, 2005). A gap in the literature exists for research of work ethics among students and instructors involved in Career and Technical Education. Using the Employability Skills Assessment (ESA) authored by…

On October 25, 2006, the Academic Standards for Career Education and Work (CEW) were introduced to the public as a component of the Pennsylvania School Code. Developed by an expert panel of academic and career and technical educators, guidance counselors, persons from the business community, and several governmental agencies, these standards were…

All public schools are required to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in order to avoid stiff penalties, per the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This presents a unique challenge for comprehensive career and technical (CTE) schools. While there is an emphasis on the CTE path that students are interested in pursuing, academic areas must be…

This article discusses marketing as an important tool in getting out the message that really matters about the value of career and technical education. Across the United States, a number of career tech schools are employing marketing strategies to make their communities aware of the benefits of career and technical education. One of these schools,…