The Effect of Career and Technical Education on Human Capital Accumulation: Causal Evidence from Massachusetts

Abstract

Earlier work demonstrates that career and technical education (CTE) can provide long-term financial benefits to participants, yet few have explored potential academic impacts, with none in the era of high-stakes accountability. This paper investigates the causal impact of participating in a specialized high school-based CTE delivery system on high school persistence, completion, earning professional certifications, and standardized test scores, with a focus on individuals from low-income families, a group that is overrepresented in CTE and high school noncompleters. Using administrative data from Massachusetts, I combine ordinary least squares with a regression discontinuity design that capitalizes on admissions data at three schools that are oversubscribed. All estimates suggest that participation in a high-quality CTE program boosts the probability of on-time graduation from high school by 7 to 10 percentage points for higher income students, and suggestively larger effects for their lower-income peers and students on the margin of being admitted to oversubscribed schools. This work informs an understanding of the potential impact of specific CTE program participation on the accumulation of human capital even in a high-stakes policy environment. This evidence of a productive CTE model in Massachusetts may inform the current policy dialog related to improving career pathways and readiness.

Does Technical Education Improve Academic Outcomes?: Evidence from Brazil

“…Results comparing TIHS to full-time academic high schools indicate that the extra hours devoted to technical courses reduce high school dropout rates without negatively affecting test scores in Math or Portuguese. These results are consistent with the evidence from developed countries showing that technical education has a significant impact reducing dropouts (Kemple and Snipes, 2000) and no differential effect on achievement (Kemple and Snipes, 2000;Dougherty, 2018;Neild et al, 2015). This suggests that most of the estimated effect on academic achievement of having access to TIHS might be caused by the longer school day and/or the better school, teacher and peer characteristics of TIHS compared to regular academic high schools.…”

“…In the case of Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools in the Philadelphia school district, results on GPA and achievement using the randomization of vacancies are inconsistent across cohorts and statistical tests, with Neild et al (2015) not being able to reach a conclusion. Similarly, to Dougherty (2018), Kemple and Snipes (2000) find no effect on 9 standardized math and reading achievement test scores for students who enrolled in Career Academies, a high school program with technical education components. This paper uses the randomization of vacancies in Career Academies to identify the effect of attending this type of high school.…”

“…Experimental and quasi-experimental literature on the impact of technical education during high school on student achievement generally shows no effect on test scores or grades (Kemple and Snipes, 2000;Dougherty, 2018;Neild et al, 2015). In contrast, technical education during high school has been shown to reduce dropouts among students at high risk of dropping out and to increase the likelihood of graduating on time among students least likely to drop out (Kemple and Snipes, 2000).…”

How Does Applied STEM Coursework Relate to Mathematics and Science Self-Efficacy Among High School Students? Evidence from a National Sample.

“…The degree to which the US meets this demand will impact the economic vitality of the nation. Career and technical education (CTE) in high school is a known vehicle for introducing students to STEM and for increasing persistence in the STEM pipeline, from high school to college to career (Dougherty, 2016;Plasman & Gottfried, 2016). Thankfully, a number of United States policymakers have recognized this by continuing to fund the Carl D. Perkins legislation which supports many of the CTE program in the nation, including applied STEM courses in high school.…”

“…Previous research has revealed that applied STEM courses are positively related to increased STEM achievement, odds of choosing a STEM major, and reduced odds of dropping out from high school (Dougherty, 2016;Gottfried, Bozick, Rose, & Moore, 2016;Plasman & Gottfried, 2016). What is not known, however, is the degree to is the degree to which these courses may or may not relate to students' self-efficacy beliefs in math and science.…”