College and Career Readiness for all: The Role of Career and Technical Education in the US

Vocational Education and Training in the Age of Digitization

“…However, over the past decade, it became evident that academic preparation alone is not enough to boost participation in STEM-related pathways and thus there is a call to increase work-based learning through school-business partnerships (National Science & Technology Council, 2018). At issue, is the fact that, in the US the education system is primarily classroom-based with an emphasis on academic preparation leading to college enrollment (Hernandez-Gantes, 2016). In this context, career and technical education is best positioned to promote technological preparation with the support of business partners (Rosen, Visher, & Beal, 2018).…”

“…Under these conditions, the challenges for boosting technological preparation in the US may be in addressing three longstanding limitations in the education system. First, while technological preparation may provide for a rewarding transition into the workforce, it is often associated with the stigma carried by participating in technical education (Hanushek, Woessmann, & Zhang, 2011;Hernandez-Gantes, 2016). Although in the US, the promotion of college and career readiness has become a top priority, this push has been often interpreted to mean college preparation (Achieve, 2016;Stone, 2017).…”

“…To that end, the model relies on the use of occupational themes (e.g., Engineering, IT, health sciences) drawing from 16 career clusters in the US (Advance CTE, 2019). Another requirement is the provision of work-based learning opportunities for students, which are typically accomplished in partnership with local employers In addition, in collaboration with postsecondary institutions, academies also afford students participation in dual enrollment to earn college-level credit (Hernandez-Gantes, 2016;Lanford & Maruco, 2018).…”

Vocational Education and Training in the Age of Digitization

“…Due to the positive outcomes, the implementation of the career academy model has grown dramatically over the past decade, with some states requiring all high schools to have at least one career academy (Castellano et al, 2007;Hernandez-Gantes, 2016). However, as schools and districts have rushed to adopt the model, the quality of implementation has varied greatly.…”

Sharing New Knowledge: A Review of Dissemination Rates and Journal Emphasis in Career and Technical Education

“…In career and technical education (CTE), the role of scholarly journals has been critical in the dissemination of information over the past three decades, as the field evolved from the prior nametag of "vocational education" (Hernandez-Gantes, 2016;Gordon, 2014). To keep up with changes in the field, some journals have been renamed to reflect the new emphasis, other journals have retained their historical branding, and new journals have emerged.…”