Programs that work.

Hyslop, Alisha ; Hemmelman, Chris

What makes a practice promising? According to the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, a "promising practice is any technique used that has a positive impact on students and has some data to support the claims made." Sources of this data range from experimental research to district - or state-level data analysis, but they must provide justification for the success of the program or practice. In the current policy environment, having data to show the impact of career and technical education (CTE) programs is critical--particularly outcome data in the key areas that policymakers are concerned about.

At the postsecondary level, there is a great deal of focus on credential completion and employment outcomes. In 2009, President Obama challenged every American to complete one year or more of higher education, and set a goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. At the same time, the current economic environment has put a renewed focus on training and rctraining individuals for the jobs that arc available and addressing the skill gap. Numcrous programs around the country have stepped up to meet these goals and ensure high levels of student postsecondary completion and transition into employment.

FastTRAC in Minnesota

In community colleges around Minnesota. 34 FastTRAC programs work to help educationally underprepared adults achieve success by integrating basic skills and career and technical education: this is done along a pathway beginning with Adult Basic Education and leading to a postsecondary credential. FastTRAC focuses on high-demand, well-paying career areas with room for advancement. It incorporates a number of methods to bridge the gap between basic education and career training, such as integrating basic adult education and workplace skills; contextualizing reading, writing and math instruction; utilizing career-pathway sequences and stackablc credentials for targeted postsecondary instruction; and intensive education and career advising and support services.

This program has yielded remarkable results: 88 percent of FastTRAC participants in the credit-bearing Adult Basic Education/postsecondary courses have successfully completed their course, compared to only 25 percent of working students lacking basic skills who complete their remedial coursework, and only 4 percent who complete a degree or certificate within five years of enrollment. Such success has led to the program being adopted by the state's Workforce Investment Board as a key workforce development strategy, as well as inclusion in the governor's job creation agenda.

Helping Students Graduate, Find Jobs

The Tennessee Technology Centers have also been recognized for their efforts in helping students achieve high completion levels. Tennessee Technology Centers provide technical education and training to students to meet the needs of employers in the community; they take adult learners' needs into consideration and offer instruction in areas ranging from precision machining to health care to IT, leading to one - and two-year postsecondary certificates. Twenty-seven area CTE centers serve both high school students (through special agreements with local districts) and adults throughout the state.

In 2009, the centers boasted a completion rate of 75 percent and a placement rate of 83 percent. Conwtumty College Week noted in a rccent article that this far outpaces other institutions in (he stale, where the comparable completion rate was 13 percent: graduation data show that all 27 centers around die country place in the top 10 percent of public two-year institutions.

Most programs offered through the centers provide individualized, but highlyslrucmred and intensive instruction, allowing workers to develop the technical skills and professional training-necessary for their individual needs and advancement. Students are able to enter a program whenever a vacancy occurs and can progress at their own rate to the level desired. Expectalions are clearly defined and communicated to inert industry standards. Technical skills and cmployability characteristics are emphasized to develop character, good work habits, reliability, honesty and respect lor authority. Students enroll in the entire program and aren't burdened with having to select individual courses. To address one of the biggest barriers to postseconclary completion, any necessary remediation is contexlualized within the program, with no stand-alone developmental courses.

After completion of a certificate or degree, the technology centers provide placement services to students, including individual and group counseling sessions, interviewing skills development, job leads and interview scheduling, resume and application package development, letters of recommendation and referral, and part-time job placement assistance. These services, and tlie intensive support provided during study, have helped the centers achieve their extremely high graduation and placement rates in many programs.

Career Academies' Role in Turning Schools Around

At the secondary level, promising programs tend to be identified based on their impact on students* college and career readiness, including high school graduation, transition to postseconclary. and other career-related outcomes. One practice often highlighted lor its impact on student achievement, and one that has been validated by rigorous research. is the use of career academies. Career academies are in use across the country as a way to increase the quality of GTE programs specifically, and also as a way to improve the overall high school experience for students.

Michael Foran is the 2012 Met Life/National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP) National High School Principal ol'the Year. Koran used CTK and career academics as a key component of his efforts to turn around New Britain High School, located in New Britain. Connecticut, leading the school to improved graduation rates and stronger academic achievement. New Britain High is the largest high school in the slate and is located in a diverse, urban area. Foran became the school's principal in 2006. and reworked its improvement plan to promote higher student achievement through rigorous and personalized learning.

First, Fbran worked with local business leaders to determine the skills students would need to be successful in the 21st century. Based on this, New Britain High School updated its graduation requirements to ensure that all students graduate college - and career-ready. Through this partnership with businesses, areas with signilicant opportunities for employment, were also identified. This led to the realization that the school needed to focus more on career education, which led to several new CTE programs.

One of the school's biggest accomplishments in this area has been the opening of a new Academy for Health Professions, which is a collaborative effort between the school, city and the Hospital of Central Connecticut and the Hospital for Special Care. The academy, launched in 2010, helps students pursue careers in health care by offering opportunities to explore a variciy of professions in die field and to become certified. It currently serves more than 200 students and will be fully implemented next school vear. NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti emphasized this new direction when announcing Foran's Principal of the Year award. "Under Michael Foran's leadership, New Britain has become a model of rigorous, personalized learning and a turnaround success story."

Other promising practices can be gleaned from Aviation High School in New York City, which has partnered with the airline industry to set students on the direct pathway to careers in aviation maintenance technology and air traffic control. Combining college preparatory studies in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies with world-class technical training, graduates from Aviation High can earn FAA airframe and/ or power plant certifications. (Students in the four-year program earn one and those in the five-year program earn both.) Students work on a functioning 727 aircraft donated by FedEx; classes are held in an annex located at J.F.K. International Airport, student accommodations made possible by the airline companies themselves. Students also intern with airline companies such as Delta and JetBlue, as well as J.F.K. Airport.

While the primary goal of Aviation High is to prepare students for college, upon graduation students are immediately ready for employment, and entry-level jobs in these fields typieally pay $50,000-$460,000 annually. Sixty percent of Aviation I ligh's students are from low-income families, vet the school boasts an 88 percent graduation rate compared to 57 percent citywide, and carries the distinction of having trained 12 percent of the country's licensed aviation technicians.

Alisha Hyslop is assistant director of public policy at ACTE. She can be contacted at ahyslop@acteonline.org.

Chris Hemmelman is research manager at ACTE. He can be contacted at chemmelman@acteonline.org.