The five-year initiative New Skills for Youth (NSFY) aimed to transform career readiness education and bridge the skills gap by supporting innovative strategies in 10 states across the United States. NSFY was one of the earliest and most impactful philanthropic investments in career pathways and career readiness in recent history and helped spark…

This qualitative study, utilizing Expectancy Value Theory (EVT) as a guiding framework, delves into the motivations and preferences of alternatively certified School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers in Ohio regarding their engagement with Teacher Professional Development (TPD). Through individual interviews with 10 alternatively…

Ohio African American millennials represent a relatively small percentage of the population, overall employment, and the student population in career technical education. Therefore, understanding how a postsecondary career technical education institution can better meet the needs of underserved students, is an integral part of recruiting,…

This study surveyed 225 school counselors to investigate the college and career readiness (CCR) supports they provide, with a focus on whether these supports vary based on students' disability status. The results reveal that school counselors deliver CCR supports related to resource coordination, life-readiness instruction, and career assessment…

We evaluate two interventions designed to improve students' postsecondary readiness, as measured by their GPA, self-reported career readiness, and self-reported social emotional constructs, in rural districts. Student Success Planning (SSP) was implemented by 17 rural districts in New York and Ohio and included quarterly meetings between students…

This study examines insights from Career and Technical Education (CTE) leaders that help to better inform the preparation of all school leaders. CTE leaders find themselves in the interesting position of being inside the PK-12 system but at the outside edge. This outsider within perspective not only gives CTE leaders a unique understanding of…

Whether through transfer and articulation, through grants that bring disconnected learners back to higher education or through short-term credentialing and applied bachelor's degrees, four-year institutions remain integral to career pathways systems beyond the traditional degree pathway. They also have a clear role in supporting all learners,…

This study examines implementation of college-and-career-ready (CCR) education standards across five school districts in Ohio, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Drawing on the policy attributes theory, we found that the specificity of districts' approaches to two long-recognized policy levers, curriculum and professional…

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) explores the experiences of Black male faculty at Kent State University, a predominantly White institution, employing counter-narrative, a tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Using qualitative narrative inquiry and autoethnography, the study investigates how race, gender, access to resources, and preparedness…

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 background on NCRERN's work, see the Introduction…

The secondary-to-postsecondary transition is a critically important step on a student's path toward economic success. The majority of jobs in the United States continue to require some sort of postsecondary attainment, whether that be a bachelor's degree, associate's degree, or other college coursework. However, the nation loses students as they…

For two decades, Ohio's district and school report cards have been the linchpin to a transparent and accountable public school system and have highlighted student outcomes in the state's 3,000 plus public schools and 600 plus districts. Report cards offer key academic information about how students perform on the year's state assessments and how…

This case study outlines how the Montgomery County Education Service Center (MCESC), in partnership with JFF's Pathways to Prosperity Network team, has worked to address the mismatch between education and labor market from 2018-2022. It outlines the importance of leadership through the regional Business Advisory Council, highlights the process of…

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…

The last several years have been unpredictable for students, families, teachers and schools. During this time, Ohio's education community has responded by working diligently to identify and address the unique needs of their communities while ensuring their students continue to receive a quality education. Data on the 2021-2022 Ohio School Report…