CTE's role in urban education.

Hyslop, Alisha ; Imperatore, Catherine

Education in the United States is facing a crisis of completion and performance, both at the secondary and postsecondary levels, with high dropout rates and a significant number of students ill-prepared For further education and careers. These problems are even more acute in America's urban schools. Compared to national averages, students from urban school districts are more likely to perform at below-basic proficiency levels on national assessments and have lower high school graduation rates. (1) Those that are able to move on to college are more likely to need remediation and to eventually drop out. (2)

The Concerns

Urban school districts serve a diverse and disadvantaged student population, and these students have unique challenges that urban schools have struggled to overcome. For instance, urban school districts serve approximately 30 percent of the nation's economically disadvantaged students, with higher concentrations of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch than in non-urban areas. (3) These students are more likely to struggle academically throughout their schooling--with lower achievement test scores, high school graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment and completion rates--and the gap between low- and high-income students has grown in recent years. (4)

Interwoven with the challenges of the low-income population are the challenges faced by the large number of minority students who are served by urban schools, many of whom are not native English speakers. A persistent minority achievement gap continues to exist despite many years of work to address this issue.

Many urban schools also face the tremendous challenge of operating with inadequate resources while trying to serve these high concentrations of students that have traditionally struggled academically. The lack of resources often means teachers and career counselors are stretched thin, straining positive relationship development and meaningful interaction between students and adults in schools. Students in urban districts also face challenges in their communities that impact their education. Factors like high unemployment can create disruptive forces in urban students' lives, increasing financial demands and family responsibilities that impede learning.

Given these challenges, it can be difficult for urban students to connect education with a future of high-wage, high-demand and satisfying work, leading many students to disengage or drop out of school.

CTE Provides a Solution

Today's CTE is on the cutting edge of connecting students to their futures through relevant education. These programs engage and prepare students for postsecondary education and a range of career opportunities by providing core academic, employability and technical skills through an integrated, applied and connected curriculum.

CTE may be overlooked by urban education leaders under pressure to improve dismal academic results because CTE programs are more readily associated with rural and suburban locales than urban schools, and are at times typecast as appropriate only for students not planning to pursue postsecondary education. Urban school leaders who embrace these stereotypes are doing their students a disservice.

While CTE cannot claim to solve the structural problems that exist in urban schools, such as budget and staffing issues, it can address the issue of student engagement and connect more urban students to positive educational experiences. CTE programs engage urban students. by providing rigorous and relevant coursework, fostering positive relationships, establishing clear pathways, and connecting education and careers--fulfilling a unique and positive role in today's urban education system.

Providing Rigorous and Relevant Coursework

A core component of eligagement is relevance: The most engaged students are those who find their coursework relevant to their everyday lives and future career goals. (5) GTE has been proven to decrease dropout rates and improve academic performance, due in part to instructional methods--such as hands-on. project-based, inquiry-based, and service-learning--that provide context to academic subjects.

One important component of the success of GTE programs in improving student achievement is the purpose-fill integration of-rigorous academic coursework and technical training that lead to more contextualized learning. By embedding academics into CTE, students can better grasp the relevance of core academics, like math and science, to solve real-world problems.

At the postsecondary level, integration is often seen benefitting students Who require extra help to be successful, but who also face the need to quickly secure postsecondary credentials and employment. For example, working from Washington state's 1-Best model. community colleges. in the Milwaukee. Wisconsin, area serve. English-language learners through a welding career ladder program that incorporates learn teaching in English. and the technical skills necessary for welding certification.

Fostering Positive Connections

GTE can put students who lack role models for education and carver success on track toward a rewarding future by connecting them to adult leaders in the education and business communities. GTE teachers and program mentors are repeatedly able to reach students in ways that other adults in schools cannot. And they are often relied on by students to provide education and career advice, either informally or through Romal programs like teacher-as-adviser initiatives.

Another way that CTE fosters positive connections is by shrinking the educational environment. Many urban areas have begun to employ the career academy model, which provides smaller, more personalized learning environments for students, to accomplish this goal. As specialized programs within comprehensive high schools, career academies provide more direct interaction with teachers and counselors, making them an effective engagement strategy for large and often impersonal urban high schools.

CTE is also at the forefront of work-based learning opportunities that engage students in the career fields of their choice and provide early connections to employers. Working directly with those in their desired career field allows students to not only learn through application but also develop important relationships with business leaders and mentors.

Establishing Clear Pathways to Careers

Career pathways and programs of study that form a coherent sequence of relevant, career-focused courses are a central element of CTE's success and address many of the needs of' urban students. These CTE strategies clearly delineate the sequence of courses students need to connect secondary and postsecondary education with their chosen career fields, and they show students the means by which they can achieve their goals. This can be critical for urban students who perceive limited educational and career options.

Career pathways are often developed and strengthened through partnerships between CTE programs and local business and industry, particularly in urban settings. For example, in Philadelphia, a Sunoco oil refinery partners with the Process Control Technology Academy at Bok High School to develop curriculum, as well as provide job opportunities and scholarships for students.

In addition to providing opportunities 'for students, local business and industry can also 611 a critical resource gap and ensure courses are appropriately aligned to workforce needs by donating time, expertise and funds for such projects as facility improvement or the purchasing of new equipment. These investments are essential to ensuring that students receive high-quality instruction connected to careers and that business and industry receive a return on their investment in the form of a well-trained work Ii wee.

Conclusion

Students in GM programs have a clearer perspective of how their coursework relates to their career aspirations, and CTE's instructional approach helps students learn academic and technical con-tem not by rote, but in an in-depth and meaningful way. The nature of instruction also creates an environment in which students can develop strong relationships with teachers and mentors in the business world, and better connect to their schools, communities and employers.

CTE strategies of engagement through rigorous and relevant coursework, positive relationships and clear pathways for education and careers can make a difference for urban students who often struggle against economic and social disadvantages. The net effect of CITE programs in urban school districts is higher graduation rates and improved academic performance, leading to well-educated and trained individuals ready to succeed in both postsecondary education and their careers. Policymakers and education leaders in urban areas will be well served, and will serve their students well, by considering widespread adoption of GTE programs and strategies.

RELATED ARTICLE: 2012 ACTE Issue Brief: CTE's Role in Urban Education

ACTE Issue Briefs are designed to highlight the role of career and technical education (CTE) against the backdrop of national interest. Each brief is designed to strengthen the voice of CTE related to the specific issue and to draw more attention to CTE activities and best practices around the country. The briefs provide background information, highlight research, profile CTE programs and include numerous examples of how CTE is tied to the broader issue. Issue Briefs are designed in a concise, easy-to-read format that is ideal for use in advocacy and public awareness efforts with a variety of audiences. CTE's Role in Urban Education was released in August 2012 to emphasize the importance of CTE in addressing challenges faced by urban school systems seeking to improve student achievement. This article is a condensed version of the brief, but you can access the complete text, including research, case studies and examples, at www.acteonline.org/issuebriefs.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Pathway to a Career at Aviation High

For more than 75 years, Aviation High School (AHS), a public New York City high school in Queens, has set students on a direct pathway to careers in aviation maintenance and the aerospace industry. Combining rigorous coursework in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies with world-class technical training, graduates from Aviation High can earn Federal Aviation Administration airframe and/or powerplant certifications. As of 2013, AHS has been awarded five straight "A" ratings by the New York City Department of Education and has been recognized as one of the best high schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

One of the strengths of AHS's program is the close relationship between the school and the aviation industry. For example, in addition to using state-of-the-art equipment purchased by the school, AHS students also work on a functioning 727 aircraft donated by FedEx. In order to create more real-world instructional opportunities, AHS partnered with the airline companies to create an on-site classroom located in an annex at JFK International Airport. Students also intern with airline companies, such as Delta and JetBlue, as well as with the airport.

While the primary goal of AHS is to prepare students for college, students are immediately ready for employment upon graduation, and entry-level jobs in these fields typically earn $50,000-60,000 annually. Sixty percent of Aviation High's students are from low-income families, yet the school boasts an 88 percent graduation rate, compared to 57 percent citywide, and carries the distinction of having trained 12 percent of the industry's aviation technicians.

Endnotes

(1.) Swanson, C., Cities in Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap (Bethesda, MD: Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, April 2009); and National Center for Education Statistics, "Urban Education in America," www.nces.ed.gov/surveys/urbaned.

(2.) Attewell, P., et al., "New Evidence on College Remediation," The Journal of Higher Education 77, no. 5 (September/October 2006): 886-924.

(3.) Snipes, J., Doolittle, F., & Herlihy, C., Foundations for Success: Case Studies of How Urban School Systems Improve Student Achievement (Washington, DC: MDRC for the Council of the Great City Schools, September 2002); and National Center for Education Statistics, "School Characteristics and Climate, Table A-13-2" (Washington, DC: 2010).

(4.) Reardon, S., "The Widening Academic Achievement Gap Between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations," Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality, Schools, and Children's Life Chances (New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2011); National Center for Education Statistics; and Muraskin, L. & Lee, J., Raising the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students (Washington, DC: The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, December 2004).

(5.) Certo, i. L., Cauley, K. M., & Chafin, C., "Students' Perspectives on Their High School Experience," Adolescence 38, no. 152 (2003): 705-724.

Learn more about CTE's crucial role in urban education by visiting www.acteonline.org/issuebriefs.

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

Catherine Imperatore is the research manager at ACTE. She can be reached at cimperatore@acteonline.org