Linkage between Fields of Concentration in High School Career-Technical Education and College Majors. Working Paper No. 269-0722
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| Title: | Linkage between Fields of Concentration in High School Career-Technical Education and College Majors. Working Paper No. 269-0722 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Xu, Zeyu, Backes, Ben, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research |
| Source: | National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 2022. |
| Availability: | National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 48 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R305A160188 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Postsecondary Education Higher Education Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: | High School Graduates, Academic Persistence, Postsecondary Education, Vocational Education, High School Students, Correlation, Occupations, Vocational Interests, College Students, Two Year Colleges, College Attendance, Career Choice, Student Characteristics, Majors (Students) |
| Geographic Terms: | Kentucky |
| Abstract: | In this descriptive study, we use longitudinal student-level administrative records from 4 cohorts of high school graduates in Kentucky to examine the extent to which students persist and attain post-secondary credentials in the CTE fields of concentration they choose in high school. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to use student-level administrative data to examine how different fields of concentration in high school CTE are related to future postsecondary outcomes. We find that concentrating in a particular CTE field in high school is associated with both continuing on with that same field in college and obtaining a postsecondary credential in that field; this relationship is especially strong in health fields and especially for women in health. The secondary-postsecondary connection is the weakest among students concentrating in occupational fields in high school, who are also the most disadvantaged socioeconomically and academically before high school. Despite the existence of secondary-postsecondary pipelines of career interests, most students enroll and obtain credentials in fields that are "different" from the field of concentration in high school. In addition, relative to students with similar pre-high-school achievement as measured by grades and test scores, we find that CTE concentration in high school is strongly associated with being more likely to enroll in a two-year college and less likely to enroll in a four-year college. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | ED622143 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In this descriptive study, we use longitudinal student-level administrative records from 4 cohorts of high school graduates in Kentucky to examine the extent to which students persist and attain post-secondary credentials in the CTE fields of concentration they choose in high school. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to use student-level administrative data to examine how different fields of concentration in high school CTE are related to future postsecondary outcomes. We find that concentrating in a particular CTE field in high school is associated with both continuing on with that same field in college and obtaining a postsecondary credential in that field; this relationship is especially strong in health fields and especially for women in health. The secondary-postsecondary connection is the weakest among students concentrating in occupational fields in high school, who are also the most disadvantaged socioeconomically and academically before high school. Despite the existence of secondary-postsecondary pipelines of career interests, most students enroll and obtain credentials in fields that are "different" from the field of concentration in high school. In addition, relative to students with similar pre-high-school achievement as measured by grades and test scores, we find that CTE concentration in high school is strongly associated with being more likely to enroll in a two-year college and less likely to enroll in a four-year college. |
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