The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in career and technical education (CTE) as a way to engage students, help people build the skills necessary to succeed in a technologically advanced economy, and meet employer demand for workers. MDRC--which has a three-decade history of developing and evaluating CTE programs, including a landmark…

Dual enrollment, which provides opportunities for high school students to take college courses and earn college credit, is an important way to expand educational opportunities, improve economic mobility, and meet California's workforce needs. State leaders have recently increased support for dual enrollment, and the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a…

Dual enrollment provides opportunities for high school students to take college courses and earn college credit. The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a surge in participation across the country, and equity-centered legislation has raised dual enrollment's profile in California. Because California's public K-12 schools serve large shares of students…

The purpose of this research brief is to summarize the literature on the career development needs of college students with disabilities, highlight exemplary models of support, and provide recommendations on best practice and future efforts to support positive employment outcomes for persons with disabilities. Four key career development areas are…

This case study of a California Career Pathways Trust grant, the South Bay Digital Media Arts Consortium, which established key linkages between an urban high school district's pathway academies to local post-secondary institutions and community industry partners, provides learning lessons for other schools/organizations interested in establishing…

A qualitative phenomenological study examining the learning activities that take place at a college radio station. The research objective is to understand the social practices that make possible or hinder the construction of learning experiences at KCSS, the campus radio station at California State University, Stanislaus. Document analysis,…

Targeted teacher recruitment is suggested as a way to alleviate the teacher shortage in specific content areas such as agricultural mechanics. Learning experiences are linked to increased selfefficacy and increased interest in specific career pursuits. The Agricultural Mechanics Power & Design (AMP'D) Experience was developed as a learning…

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes and beliefs of doctorate holders who are working in advanced K-12 administration in order to determine their perception of the possessing of a doctorate as a value-added tool in K-12 administration and/or for career advancement. The purpose of this study was to gain insight from doctorate degree…

The study of elites is enjoying a revival at a time of increasing economic inequality. Sociologists of education have been leaders in this area, researching how affluent families position their children to compete favorably in a highly stratified higher education system. However, scholars have done less research on how students do symbolic work of…

"Career Pathways in Action", a companion to "Learning for Careers" by Nancy Hoffman and Robert B. Schwartz, offers a detailed, on-the-ground exploration of the Pathways to Prosperity Network's efforts at state, regional, and local levels. This new book describes a strikingly wide range of systems and efforts that the Pathways…

Researchers suggest that the economy of the future will consist of jobs that do not currently exist, there will likely be a shortage of individuals with necessary education and credentials to fill those jobs, and if the nation does not produce this workforce, there will likely be a $1.72 trillion loss in productivity by 2030. Considering these…

During the past decade, education leaders and policymakers have made significant investments to better align California's K-12 and postsecondary education systems and to address persistent disparities in educational attainment by race and socioeconomic status. This report distills important lessons emerging from these efforts, integrating the…

Hiring people who have served prison sentences has never been a priority in the United States. For men and women who were once incarcerated, finding any job is difficult; finding a sustainable, family-supporting job is nearly impossible. Today the country is at a critical crossroads on this issue, and it's time for change. As the nation works in…

If we want to attract the best and brightest and those with the biggest hearts into the profession that educates all others, we must show today's college graduates that they have something to look forward to if they choose to be a teacher. We want them to know that teaching is intrinsically gratifying but that there also are tangible rewards and…

College Promise programs--initiatives designed to guarantee tuition and fees for eligible students--have swept across the country, unlocking the opportunity of higher education for students in more than 200 communities across 44 states, including 16 statewide programs that have passed through legislation or executive orders. These forward-thinking…