Author : Natasha Lekes
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)
Book Synopsis Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic Performance, and the Transition to College and Career by : Natasha Lekes
Download or read book Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic Performance, and the Transition to College and Career written by Natasha Lekes and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This mixed method study examined secondary student matriculation to two selected community colleges offering career and technical education (CTE) transition programs through partnerships with K-12 and secondary districts having numerous high schools. The study had two distinct components: (1) a secondary study that compared CTE and non-CTE students on academic experiences, achievement, and transition into the first semester of college; and (2) a postsecondary study that examined CTE pathway students' transition experiences and outcomes associated with enrollment at the local community college. Both study components utilized qualitative methods to describe policies and practices and quantitative methods to assess how student participation affected student outcomes. A CTE transition program located in the Northwest which offered Information Technology/Computer Information Sciences (IT/CIS) curricula was one site, and a CTE transition program located in the Southeast which offered the Health Alliance curricula, specifically Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), was the second site. The results of this study describe students' high school performance, their transition from high school to college and careers, and their college performance, persistence, and credential attainment. The secondary study showed that CTE students took significantly more CTE courses and course credits than their matched counterparts. A significant difference was also noted between the groups on dual credit courses, with CTE students taking more than the non-CTE group. Results of the postsecondary study on a sub-sample of IT/CIS students at the Northwest community college confirmed no differences in the grade point average of the IT/CIS dual credit students compared to the non-IT/CIS group and to a Running Start (RS) dual credit group. The postsecondary study also found that the IT/CIS dual credit students were more likely to be college-ready than non-participants in communication but not non-participants in math or non-participants overall, after controlling for other factors. A follow-up survey conducted as part of the secondary study revealed that CTE students in both sites felt more prepared than their matched non-CTE counterparts to transition to college and careers. This study offers implications for policymakers and practitioners: (1) Results suggest that participation in CTE transition programs does not interfere with academic course-taking in that CTE students were equally as academically prepared as matched non-CTE students and other relevant comparison groups; (2) Student participation in CTE transition programs was associated with the students feeling more prepared for the transition to college and careers, with numerous results pointing to feelings of confidence and satisfaction regarding choices about college and careers; (3) Despite rather high incidence of remediation, students who required remedial coursework were often retained in college-credit courses and were not impeded in their persistence in college, raising questions about the presumed detrimental impact of remediation on persistence; and (4) Dual credit played a role in participants' accelerated progress and success at earning college certificates and degrees, and therefore suggests that dual credit, in association with academics and CTE, may be an incentive for college persistence and completion. The following are appended: (1) Discussion of Limitations; (2) Summary of Transition Practices in the Medium and High Engaged Schools; (3) Summary of PCA and EMT Transition Practices; (4) Course Coding; and (5) CTE Postsecondary Follow-Up Survey. (Contains 41 tables and 4 footnotes.).