AUSTIN— Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the policy perspective Improving Outcomes for Texas Career and Technical Education Students.
“As a society, we are taught that college is the only path to success,” said Erin Davis Valdez, policy analyst with the Center for Innovation in Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “However, career and technical education (CTE) has the potential to offer students pathways into a range of professions that are high-growth and high-wage.”
Key Points:
- Modern CTE now encompasses up to 16 career clusters, with research indicating that outcomes in different clusters vary.
- It may be tempting for policymakers to respond by over-academicizing subjects where this is not appropriate, such as for manufacturing.
- Policymakers and educators should take seriously the role that student preferences play regarding which career path they choose and emphasize equity in supporting training that is effective for those pathways.
- The Legislature could allow districts to use part or all of their CTE allotment for students enrolled in approved courses of study to offset businesses’ costs for employing paid interns—enabling students to gain hands-on experience.
- Texas Education Code can be amended to require a portion of the college, career, or military readiness outcomes bonus to be contingent on postsecondary enrollment or employment.
To read the perspective in full, please visit: https://www.texaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Valdez-Improving-Outcomes-for-CIE.pdf