Across the country, states are investing in high school career and technical education (CTE), college credit in high school, industry credentials and work-based learning (WBL). They are part of a broader body of college and career pathways policies designed to help states build a skilled, educated workforce.
Properly implemented, these high school experiences can give students a head start on a career, save families time and money on a postsecondary credential and connect employers with the skilled talent they need.
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But a simple question often goes unanswered: How do students actually experience these opportunities? Do they combine them into a coherent pathway? And do those pathways lead to the careers that offer the most opportunity for students and for their communities?
New research from ExcelinEd and the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville offers one of the first statewide looks at these questions.
The big takeaway: This is not just about getting more students to participate in more experiences. States need additional data to understand experience quality, student success and which combinations of experiences lead to the most promising careers.
State departments of education, policy experts and in-state partners define key pathways experiences at the K-12 level as including the four key components:
When these components work together—and connect to high-wage, in-demand careers—students leave high school with a clear next step and options that open doors. Until now, however, no one had looked closely at the data to see what was happening on the ground and how it matches up with policy recommendations to maximize student success beyond graduation.
ExcelinEd partnered with researchers Celeste Carruthers, Seth Neller and Walter Ecton at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and University of Michigan to study four recent classes of Tennessee high school seniors (2019–20 through 2022–23). The research asked three questions:
An important note: Tennessee has implemented major changes to its K-12 pathways policies since these students were seniors. This includes Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) which provides weighted funding for CTE programs that lead to high-priority occupations and outcomes-based bonus funding and launching the Future TN initiative. This research provides a baseline of information for Tennessee that has been built upon.
Most students participate in at least one pathways experience, and CTE-focused students are more likely than their peers to participate in—and combine—multiple experiences.
About one in four students left high school without attempting college credit, earning an industry credential or gaining real-world experience through work-based learning. Only 5% of all students combine all four pathways experiences: CTE, EPSO, industry credential and WBL. EPSO and WBL is the most popular combination for both CTE-focused and other students. We’re not saying that every students needs all four experiences, but this data is showing that students aren’t even being given the option to think about which are right for them.
Key takeaways from the research:
It would be easy to read these findings and conclude that the goal is simply to get more students into more experiences. That’s only part of the answer.
Today, Tennessee, like most states, can count how many students enroll in an EPSO course, a WBL capstone or a CTE program. What it can’t yet clearly determine is whether those experiences are high quality, whether students succeed in them and whether certain combinations lead to better results after graduation. For example:
Without that information, policymakers can’t answer the question that matters most to students and families: Which pathways, and which combinations of experiences, best support students and lead to Tennessee’s most promising careers?
Tennessee’s research offers a model for any state looking to move from counting participation to measuring pathway quality. Policymakers should start by asking:
States that can answer these questions will be ready to invest in what works, improve or retire what doesn’t and give every student a clear, purposeful path from high school to a promising career.
Pathways experiences are opportunities that help students prepare for college and careers while still in high school. The four most common are career and technical education (CTE) programs of study, early postsecondary opportunities (college credit in high school), industry credentials and work-based learning.
The research found that most Tennessee students participate in at least one pathways experience, and CTE-focused students are more likely to combine experiences. However, only 5% of students combine all four experiences, and about one in four students leave high school without attempting college credit, earning an industry credential or participating in work-based learning.
Early postsecondary opportunities and work-based learning (EPSO and WBL) is the most common combination for both CTE-focused students and other students in Tennessee.
Participation numbers show how many students enroll in an experience, but not whether the experience was high quality, whether the student succeeded or whether it led to a good job or further education. States need data on quality, student success and outcomes to know which pathways and combinations lead to promising careers.
States need student-level data on college credits earned (not just attempted), work-based learning quality and alignment, industry credential attempts and pass rates, progression through CTE programs, and outcomes after high school such as postsecondary completion, employment and wages.
A credential of value is an industry certification or postsecondary credential that aligns with high-wage, in-demand jobs, holds value with employers and can stack toward further education. A Credentials of Value policy creates a single, tiered statewide list that K–12, postsecondary and workforce systems use for funding, accountability and advising.
An ROI analysis evaluates whether CTE and postsecondary programs pay off for students and the state by connecting program participation to outcomes such as postsecondary enrollment, employment and wages. States can use the results to guide program offerings, funding and student advising.
Other states can use Tennessee’s research as a model to examine how students combine pathways experiences, identify gaps in their own data and adopt policies—such as ROI analysis, credentials of value and statewide articulation—that focus on quality and outcomes, not just participation.
