We describe alignment between high school career and technical education (CTE) and local labor markets across five states--Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee, and Washington. We find that CTE is partially aligned with local labor markets. A 10-percentage-point higher share of local jobs related to a CTE career cluster is associated with a…

Research shows that when students have access to advanced coursework opportunities, they work harder and are more engaged in school, have fewer absences and suspensions and higher graduation rates. Unfortunately, many Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds lack equitable access to advanced coursework opportunities, such…

The labor-market payoff to workers with associate degrees in healthcare and STEM occupations is very high in Massachusetts. We examine whether this induced a growing proportion of students in MA community colleges (MACCs) to earn an associate degree (AD) in one of these fields. We do this by using multinomial logit analysis to compare trends…

We use administrative data from three states to document the relationships between geographic mobility and student outcomes during K-12 schooling. We focus specifically on nonstructural mobility events--which we define as school changes that do not occur as the result of normal transitions between schools--and on longitudinal measures that capture…

Human capital theory suggests that lifetime income and socioeconomic status is a function of investments in human capital (Becker, 1962 & 1994; Becker & Tomes, 1986; Tomes, 1981). More recent developments show that human capital accumulation depends on mental health (Fletcher, 2008), in addition to ability, and access to resources to…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has long played a substantial, though controversial, role within America's public schools. While supporters argue that CTE may increase student engagement and prepare students for success in the workforce, detractors caution that CTE may inhibit students' access to the rigorous academic coursework needed for…

Previous research has consistently shown that positive school climate perceptions have been associated with positive behavioral, academic, and social outcomes. However, much less attention has been given to factors that may influence school climate perceptions, particularly among high school students. The present study examined perceptions of…

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to better characterize the medical and social health characteristics of older adults in a long-term group care setting and consider the impact of the dual burden of hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Method: This descriptive analysis of a convenience sample of 160 adults (M[subscript age] = 74…

In the United States, high school career and technical education (CTE) is the primary source of vocational training at the secondary level, and is similar in goal if not form to vocational education and training (VET) worldwide. CTE has evolved in the past decade to place greater emphasis on programmes in Science, Technology, Engineering, and…

Over sixty years following Brown vs. Board of Education, racial and socioeconomic segregation and lack of equal access to educational opportunities persist. Across the country, voluntary desegregation busing programs aim to ameliorate these imbalances and disparities. A longstanding Massachusetts program, METCO, buses K-12 students of color from…

Though Massachusetts is viewed as a leader in K-12 education, our state grapples with significant racial and gender power gaps in education leadership. This report, developed in partnership with the Women's Power Gap Initiative of the Eos Foundation, delves into the inequities among superintendents and other leadership roles in Massachusetts…

This study examined the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument--Second Version (MAYSI-2) among African American (AA) incarcerated youth and used White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Data were analyzed for 314 incarcerated youth (193 AA offenders and 121 White offenders) of ages 13-17 years who were adjudicated…

This report explores Massachusetts' progress toward achieving equity in computer science (CS) education. The authors examine 12 years of Advanced Placement CS data, identifying both successes and ongoing challenges to equitable CS education in the Commonwealth. The authors also raise questions to help inform future decision-making and…

The 2016 U.S. Presidential election led to a rise in mental health concerns among marginalized youth. We consider how LGBTQ+ and ally youth responded in Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). In this secondary analysis, we used survey data to assess for associations between frequency of discussions of the election in GSAs and mental health outcomes.…

Puerto Rican students are a growing population in U.S. mainland schools, yet few recent studies have focused on the school contextual and identity-based experiences of Puerto Rican youth. Using stage-environment fit and LatCrit theories, this qualitative study examined seven Puerto Rican adolescent students' perspectives on domains of school…