Transcript Slide 1

STRATEGIES FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION
L. Allen Phelps, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Essential and Emerging Insights





Clarity of Outcomes Matters
Expanding Learner Diversity
Renewing Career and Technical Education
Redesigning High Schools for All Youth
Data-driven Decision-making is Imperative
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Expanding Learner
Diversity
Gender
Disability
ELL
Ethnicity
SES
Dropouts
NEET
Policy Influences
• Disaggregation of
data
• Performance gaps
• Dis-proportionality
Policy Influences
• State Systems of
Support
• Highly Qualified
Teachers
• Supplemental
Education Services
•
•
•
•
•
•
Outcomes
• Careers
• College
• Civic engagement
Renewing CTE
• Secondary-postsecondary programs
of study
• Career clusters
• SLCs w/career
themes
• Academic and
technical skills
Redesigning High Schools
Academic engagement
Personalized learning environ.
Engaged youth & communities
Aligned standards and systems
Empowered educators
Accountable leaders
Policy Influences
• Performance
Accountability
• Access to
postsecondary
education
• Equitable Access
for Special
Populations
A FRAMEWORK FOR ALIGNING
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
IN HIGH SCHOOLS
Post School Outcomes:
Status 2 Years Beyond High School
Career Outcomes
 Employment
 Wages
 Satisfying Work
College Outcomes
 Enrolled: 2 year
 Enrolled: 4 year
 Enrolled: Technical
Civic Engagement
 Volunteering
 Registered to Vote
Not Employed or in Education and Training
Source:
NELS88 NLTS2 (1-2 yr)
65%
50%
70% >Fed min.
65
82
63
37
22
21
36
10
5
6
30
25
64
7.3
1994
SRI (2005)
Changing Student Populations
Extent of CTE Participation
According to the NCES, the 1998 high school grads:
 96.5% completed at least one course,
 61.5% completed three courses in any of ten program
areas
 25.0% completed three or more credits in one program
area, e.g., health care, marketing, child care education
 Completed 25 credits with 4.0 in career-technical
courses in 1998.
 Completed 21.6 credits with 4.6 in career-technical
courses in 1982.
Expanding Learner Diversity:
Percent of 1998 Seniors in CTE
Course- Investtakers ors




All seniors
Students with a disability
Limited English proficient
GPA >2.0
96.5
99.1
95.8
98.8
61.5
83.0
52.2
75.2
Concentrators
25.0
37.5
8.7
35.2
College and Career Preparation
Curriculum Specialization
Total
College preparation only
Career concentration only
Both college preparation and
career concentration
Other/general
Source: NCES: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/1999072/
1982 1990 1994
100% 100% 100%
8.1 25.9 32.2
33.1 25.0 20.9
0.6 2.8 4.6
58.2 46.3 42.4
Optimal Mix of Academic and CTE



A combination of 3 CTE courses and 4 academic
courses reduces the probability of dropping out for
at-risk courses. (Plank)
Recent research evidence indicates that
participation in CTE does not increase academic test
performance (NAVE)
CTE courses neither hurt nor help students’ chances
of going to college, but they are associated with a
shift away from bachelor’s degrees toward earning
associate’s degrees or certificates (NAVE)
CTE/Academic Courses:
Optimal Student Engagement
0.6
Tests & GPA 1 s.d. below grand means
Tests & GPA at grand means
Tests & GPA 1 s.d. above grand means
Probability of dropping out
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
CTE/Academic course-taking ratio
0.8
1
1.2
Career Academies: Data



No studies examining access to or effects for students with
disabilities.
Male graduates of career academies had significant long term
earnings benefits (≈18% greater over 4 years, $10K
differential) over female graduates. (Kemple)
Higher student satisfaction, attendance, grade point averages,
and course credits earned (3 studies)
Career Academies, additional data


Lower absenteeism and dropout rates (3 studies)
Postsecondary education outcomes that are at or
above the national averages for preparation,
enrollment (particularly in 4-year colleges), and
success (3 studies). However, most longitudinal studies
do not reveal significant effects/advantages for
career academy and non-academy participants from
similar communities and backgrounds.
Curriculum Integration


In a review of qualitative studies reviewed by Eisenmann
(2000), the integration of academic and vocational
curricula promoted meaningful engagement and inclusion of
students with disabilities by increasing persistence, academic
achievement, and postsecondary engagement.
Project Lead the Way – a 6-course pre-engineering
curriculum aligned with science, math, and technology
education standards.


Emphasizes real-world problem solving and interaction with
engineers and technicians
Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics, Biomedical Eng.
Project Lead the Way:
Student Engagement in 4 High Schools
Percent of Students Who Said They Had Grown
"Quite-a-Bit" or "Very Much"
56
Non-PLTW
75
74
69
60
61
67
57
64
61
52
59
62
57
Working well
w/others
Treating
people with
respect
49
Acquiring
work related
skills
56
51
42
Using
computers &
the internet
National
PLTW
Reading &
understanding
challenging
material
47
41
Developing
clear career
goals
40
Solving realworld
problems
School Based Enterprises
In a large longitudinal database, some career-focused
high school programs (school-based enterprises) have
positive effects on going to college while others do not
(Tech Prep, job shadowing, mentoring, apprenticeships,
and cooperative education). (Neumark)
Key Features of SBE for students with disabilities:
(Gugerty)
 Learned a myriad of business skills and real world
business practices (e.g., ordering equipment, accounting
and personnel management, customer relations)
 Experienced the critical relationship of math, language,
interpersonal skills, and performance to personal and
organizational success in a “real world” context.

Work Based Learning



Compared to other college students, graduates of high
school youth apprenticeship programs in WI (4 courses
and 1000 hours of work-based learning): enter college
with comparable ACT scores, persist in college at the
same rate with comparable grades, and are
significantly more likely to complete an Associate’s
degree than their peers. (Knox and Phelps, 1999)
Youth with disabilities represented 5% of Youth
Apprenticeship students
Several studies conclude that some work during high
school (15-20 hours) a week is correlated with better
grades. (Kazis)
CTE Practices in Place
% of all Public High
Schools Offering
Career Academies
21.5%
Written Career Plans for all students
57.0
Career Majors (academic and CTE courses)
49.0
Work-based Learning for credit
71.8
Job Shadowing
60.0
Dual Enrollment courses offered
Academic focus
92.0
CTE focus
51.0
Source: ELS 2002 and 2004
Redesigned High Schools: Key Features
School A: SwD: 22%
School B: SwD: 17%
Core Teaching and Learning Practices
Integrated academic
curriculum
Service learning &
internships
Graduation by portfolio
and exhibitions
Service learning requirements
Senior project to graduate
Critical friends group for
professional development
Redesigned High Schools, Results
Graduates of two high schools using individualized, realworld approaches to learning (portfolios and senior
projects for graduation, integrated academic curriculum,
curriculum-linked service learning and internships,
advisories, personal learning plans) reported
substantially higher outcomes than national longitudinal
study participants on the following measures:
 entering a 4-year college,
 employment and job satisfaction, and
 participation in community groups.
Restructured High Schools
Coalition Campus Schools Project (2002), a 7-year
study of a restructured NYC high school, Julia
Richman High School
 Five independent small schools were created to
replace a comprehensive high school operating
with a 37% 4-year graduation rate.
 Small school design features included small school
size, reduced pupil load, advisement structures,
and multiple strategies for active learning.
Restructured High Schools: Results



As a group the five small schools produced substantially better
attendance, lower incident rates, better performance on
reading and writing assessments, higher graduation rates, and
higher college-going rates than the previous school, despite
serving a more educationally disadvantaged population of
students.
Prior to restructuring 7.3% were special education identified
and 4.2% were served in resource rooms.
In 2001, across the five small schools, 2.2% were special
education identified and 10.6% of students were served in
resource rooms.
Recommendations for State Teams
Enhance State data system and planning capacity

Develop longitudinal student record data using ID numbers
to link records across schools and systems

Ensure adequate assessment accommodations and
alternate assessments

Include untested students

Measure academic growth using value added measures

Create college and work readiness standards for all
graduates

Align federal performance requirements with State needs
and priorities: NCLB, IDEA, Perkins, WIA
Recommendations for State Teams
Develop/expand professional development partnerships

Address big questions: What do high school graduates
need if they are to engage effectively in college, career
and civic pursuits? Examine all stakeholders perspectives.

Focus on data-driven instructional and inclusion leadership
strategies (data retreats and equity audits)

Support data analysis applications that are important at
the classroom and school level, e.g., college and career
success rates for academy or SBE graduates with
disabilities.
Create systems and incentives for measuring progress
Contact Information
Allen Phelps
Director and Professor
Center on Education and Work
University of Wisconsin-Madison
608.263.2714
[email protected]