The underrepresentation of Black male educators in Central Texas, comprising only 1.8% of teachers despite Black male students constituting about 7%, perpetuates challenges for future Black male leadership in education and the professional world. Research gaps exist in understanding Black males' leadership self-efficacy and how traditional…

This study aims to develop an instrument that has not been developed before: a career awareness instrument aimed at students, especially students at the junior high school level. The development of this instrument is to obtain data on the condition of student career awareness during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research uses a type of design and…

There is a workforce shortage in middle-skill occupations requiring some educational training but not a 4-year college degree, such as skilled trades (e.g., construction), transportation (e.g., drivers), and manufacturing. Identifying factors that promote adolescent interest in middle-skill occupations is crucial in combating this shortage. This…

The relationship between time preference and high school students' career choices was analyzed using the cross-lagged effects model. A significant relationship was found between time preference in the first year of high school and educational expectations in April of the third year. Furthermore, time preference in the first year of high school was…

The National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) seeks to increase opportunity for rural students through the power of actionable data and evidence. NCRERN partners with networks of rural school districts to generate and evaluate strategies for improving student outcomes. For more information about NCRERN's work, see the…

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 13 former career and technical graduates who participated in an internship while in high school. With each participant, the researcher conducted interviews that focused on their perceptions of their internship experience and the influence it had on their career or college pathway. The…

Leveraging the state's dual enrollment program, Georgia policymakers introduced a novel postsecondary pathway called "Option B" that allows students to bypass many traditional high school graduation requirements by completing sub-baccalaureate credentials for career and technical education instead. Given the distinctiveness of this…

This qualitative case study explored stakeholders' perceptions in Baxter County, Arkansas, regarding workforce development initiatives at Mountain Home High School Career Academies and Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. The purpose was to understand if these initiatives met local employers' needs and contributed to creating a skilled and…

New Jersey's Vineland Public Schools formed a partnership with Rowan University's College of Education, in Glassboro, New Jersey, to create a dual-enrollment program in teacher education specifically designed for students in the bilingual program. This program provides Spanish-speaking students with coursework in their native language that leads…

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. However, during policy discussions, rural schools' unique challenges are often eclipsed by those of their urban and suburban counterparts. This report is a case study of an innovative, replicable public education experiment at three rural Texas high schools called the Rural Schools Innovation Zone2…

This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and non-CTE high school graduates regarding CTE programs. Utilizing an anonymous online survey, data from 51 respondents were analyzed to explore viewpoints on valuable CTE programs, their influence on career trajectories and education, acquired skills,…

Career and Technical Student Organizations and Career and Technical Education programs in secondary education claim to prepare its students and members for post-secondary success. However, these claims are inherently difficult to study and quantify. By using a synthesis of the literature on emerging adulthood, self-directed learning, and…

Postsecondary education (PSE) has increasingly become a requirement in today's global economy and has subsequently been an important topic of discussion at all levels of education across the United States. Policymakers and education practitioners continue to search for ways to help students prepare for next steps after high school. One potential…

This article reports on an intervention based on a new approach to career counselling in the Anthropocene era. The research aimed to examine the determinants of the changes that occurred in the research participant rather than just the changes themselves. A gifted 17-year-old male (clarifying his career choice) was conveniently and purposively…

Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are an increasingly popular strategy for strengthening and diversifying the teacher workforce. By focusing on recruiting and preparing teachers from the community for the community, GYO programs are highly localized and designed to meet the needs of teacher candidates and the school systems where they will work. This…