National Research Center for Career and Technical Education

1. National Research Centerfor Career and Technical Education

2. The Center Consortium

3. Framing the Issues • Engagement – Completing high school and postsecondary programs • Achievement – technical and academic; acquisition of industry credentials • Transition – to continued formal learning without the need for remediation and to the workplace

4. Four Main Activities • Research • Dissemination • Technical Assistance • Professional Development

5. Research - Four main areas • Programs of Study • Curriculum Integration • Postsecondary • Data/Analytic

6. Programs of Study • Mature Programs of Study: A Postsecondary Perspective • AED • Longitudinal Study of South Carolina’s Personal Pathway to Success • Clemson • Rigorous Test of Student Outcomes in CTE Programs of Study • U of L

7. Mature Programs of Study: A Postsecondary Perspective Alfeld and Charner, AED • A look at “mature” Programs of Study • What are the key “ingredients” of success? • Do programs incorporate all of the components for POS identified by Perkins? • Are there other components leading to success? • What are student outcomes? • Longitudinal

8. Longitudinal Study of South Carolina's Personal Pathways to Success Smink and Drew, Clemson • Examine the impact of a statewide implementation of a Perkins IV type intervention and program of study policy on school and student outcomes. • To what extent are integrated, career-focused programs of study developed through the implementation of state policy? • What impact has the implementation of this state policy had on student high school outcomes, postsecondary employment and education/training outcomes? • Which aspects of this state policy, or other program elements, have been most instrumental in the development of integrated, career-focused programs of study?

9. Rigorous Tests of Student Outcomes in CTE Programs of Study Castellano and Sundell, University of Louisville • Assess the effectiveness of POS in 3 sites • Three randomized controlled trials, one quasi-experiment • Does the POS lead to improved student outcomes as compared to outcomes at comparison group schools? • Effectiveness measured in ways consistent with the Perkins IV legislation

10. Curriculum Integration • Science-in-CTE • Authentic Literacy (Dissemination) • Math-in-CTE (Dissemination)

11. Science-in-CTE University of Louisville Moving from Year 1 into Year 2: • Analysis of science concepts in CTE content areas • Identification of available school sites • Identification of appropriate tests/measures • Analysis of data from first year to modify/strengthen model

12. Postsecondary • Relative Impact of Interventions to Improve Achievement and Retention in Postsecondary Occupational Programs

13. Relative Impact of Interventions to Improve Achievement and Retention in Postsecondary Occupational Programs Bremer and Johnson University of Minnesota Castellano and Hirschy University of Louisville • Assess the impact of existing postsecondary interventions for improving achievement and retention for community college occupational students • Short-term analysis of the impact of interventions • Longitudinal study of selected interventions in four community colleges

14. Data/ Analytic • CTE Accountability and Evaluation • Systematic Reviews of Literature

15. Data products • Developing a guidebook for examining return on investment (ROI) at local, agency, and state levels; • Building of a technical skills assessment inventory; • Validating crosswalks that link education programs to labor market information; and • Identifying common data standards for Perkins accountability

16. Dissemination Activities

17. Dissemination Activities • Vanguard, Promising, and Practitioner Wisdom Practices: Creating, Building, and Sustaining Information on Methods and Techniques for Enhancing Student Engagement, Achievement, and Transition in CTE(ACTE) • Webcasts/Podcasts (ACTE) • Information Services (NRCCTE) • Website (NRCCTE)

18. Website • All research studies as PDF files • Electronic newsletters • Research Snapshots • Current Studies (1-pager) • Question and Answer service • FAQ’s • Podcasts – through iTunes and Podbeam • Webcasts

19. Tech Assistance and Professional Development • Technical Assistance Academy • Curriculum Integration • Math-in-CTE • Authentic Literacy (coming soon) • PD for Teachers and Administrators on the Use of Assessment Data • Alternative Licensure CTE Teacher Induction Model

20. National CTE Technical Assistance Academy Charner, AED • Focus on development of “Green” PoS • Continue to work with 5 states • Consultants work with states to support the development and implementation of a PoS • Will provide technical assistance to new grantees of the PRCTEPoS Program

21. Curriculum Integration: Technical Assistance and Professional Development Project Pearson, University of Louisville • Ongoing support for states’ adoption of tested models of curriculum integration • Grounded in scientifically-based research • Two-fold purpose: • build capacity of states to implement models of curriculum integration; • provide high quality, sustained professional development as called for in the Perkins IV legislation. • Three levels of technical assistance: • Introductory presentations and workshops • Jump-Start initiatives • Full implementations

22. Authentic Literacy Applications in CTE: Helping All Students Learn Park, Cornell • Initial study demonstrated the effectiveness of two models for improving literacy of CTE students. • Co-offer with Math-in-CTE Jump Start • Provide direct technical assistance for full implementation • On-going collection/analysis of additional data to refine model

23. Professional Development for Educators in the Use of Assessment Data Foster, Pritz, Kelley, NOCTI • How secondary CTE educators use technical assessment data to improve program curriculum and identify individual and group instructional needs • Technical Assistance/PD to enable staff to learn skills in using their data for program improvement • Continue to collect data to refine the model

24. Alternative Licensure Career/Technical Teacher Induction Model Bottoms, Presson, Sass, SREB  Development of a fast-track induction program for teachers pursuing an alternative route to certification. Key aspects: • Sustained professional development • Communities of practice • Coaching and mentoring on site • Evaluation and refinement of the model using feedback and rigorous research methods. Testing the full model (4 modules) in two states

25. Mission The National Center will improve the engagement, achievement, and transition of high school and postsecondary CTE students through technical assistance to states, professional development for CTE practitioners, and dissemination of knowledge derived from scientifically based research.

26. www.nrccte.org