Impact of career and technical education pathways on student professional and educational outcomes

Abstract

This thesis evaluates the impact of choice of postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) program completers in regards to educational views, current educational and career goals, future career pathways, and aspirations for continued postsecondary education. Considerations to the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation on CTE programs are made with respect to the effect on CTE programs and students from provisions such as high stakes standardized testing and annual yearly progress (AYP), evaluation of CTE educator qualifications, and CTE student outcomes. A qualitative study on the career and educational outcomes of students from postsecondary CTE programs and four-year undergraduate program was conducted to observe professional and educational implications of these individuals and to establish comparisons between CTE students and four-year college students with respect to the public education system.