States bet big on career education, but struggle to show it works — from hechingerreport.org by Patrick Hall
Adult employment outcomes are disconnected from K-12 data sets
As college costs soar and demand for skilled labor rises, programs that prepare students for well-paid work are gaining popularity. About 85 percent of high school graduates in 2019 had taken at least one course in career and technical education, or CTE. In 2018, Congress increased annual funding for CTE, which now exceeds $1.4 billion. And in 2022, 36 states enacted policies promoting career training for high schoolers, college students, and adults, according to Advance CTE, a professional organization for state CTE leaders.
Yet many states struggle to answer a basic question: Is career education working?