The Impact of Career and Technical Education on Postsecondary Outcomes in Nebraska and South Dakota

The study team used a quasi-experimental design (that is, a study design that does not assign students to groups randomly) to compare the education outcomes of CTE concentrators and non-CTE concentrators. The team conducted additional descriptive analyses to examine how education outcomes varied by the career clusters that CTE concentrators concentrated in. The study team used existing data collected by the Nebraska Department of Education and the South Dakota Department of Education.

The study found that CTE concentrators (students who complete a sequence of CTE courses aligned to a specific career field such as manufacturing or education and training) were seven percentage points more likely than non-CTE concentrators to graduate from high school on time and ten percentage points more likely to enroll in any type of postsecondary education within two years of their expected high school graduation year. The study also found that CTE concentrators were three percentage points more likely than non-CTE concentrators to earn a postsecondary award, such as a professional certificate, diploma, or associate’s or bachelor’s degree, within five years of their expected high school graduation year. CTE concentrators were four percentage points more likely than non-CTE concentrators to obtain up to an associate’s degree as their highest postsecondary award within five years of their expected high school graduation year but one percentage point less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher.

(This report is 13 pages long.)

The researchers identified the following findings:

• The likelihood of achieving short-term and longer-term education outcomes tended to be greater for CTE concentrators than for non–career and technical education concentrators.
• High school graduation rates among CTE concentrators were consistently high across career clusters.
• The two-year postsecondary enrollment rate among CTE concentrators was highest for those who concentrated in finance.
• The five-year postsecondary enrollment rate among CTE concentrators was highest for those who concentrated in marketing.
• The two-year postsecondary award rate among CTE concentrators was highest for those who concentrated in transportation, distribution, and logistics.
• The five-year postsecondary award rate among CTE concentrators was highest for those who concentrated in government and public administration.
• Among CTE concentrators, those who concentrated in government and public administration were least likely to attain up to an associate’s degree as their highest postsecondary award and most likely to attain a bachelor’s degree or higher within five years of their expected high school graduation year.

The researchers provided the following recommendations:

• Given that students who become CTE concentrators have better short-term postsecondary education success and are on a par with non-CTE concentrators in the longer term, future research might examine how these trends translate to workforce outcomes such as subsequent employment rates and wages.
• Given the variability in postsecondary enrollment and attainment rates across career clusters, education leaders might consider how their CTE programs align with local, regional, and state workforce needs. They might also examine the extent to which postsecondary award attainment rates align with their understanding of the education requirements for entry into specific career fields.
• Further research on CTE participation is needed to inform potential impacts that were not examined in this study. For instance, examining workforce trends could illustrate whether the short-term impacts of becoming a CTE concentrator on education outcomes are also accompanied by impacts on wages. Additionally, examining outcomes of student subgroups might inform strategic supports for historically disadvantaged students in order to address postsecondary education outcome gaps.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2021
• Author(s): R. M. Brodersen, D. Gagnon, J Liu, S. Tedeschi
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies