CAREER PATHWAYS’ IMPACT ON STATE ASSESSMENT, GRADUATION RATES AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
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A myriad of studies have associated effective, high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) programs with college and career readiness, needs of the workplace, and the demands of the labor industry (Brown, 2005; DeWitt, 2008; Horne, 2010; Texas Workforce Commission, 2012). Career pathways are a part of CTE and describe a focus that students undertake by choosing multiple courses in a similar vocational subject. This study extensively evaluated the CTE program in a large Gulf Coast suburban school district, the statistical differences of students on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) state assessment, and analyzed completion and dropout rates between CTE students in a career pathway and their non-CTE peers. A significant difference was found in English Language Arts (ELA), math and science TAKS scores, as well as in both completion and dropout rates. The role of CTE in public education and implication on school leadership are also discussed.