Career-Connected Pathway Programs

Study: Career Academies: Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes and Educational Attainment (Kemple, 2004, Kemple & Willner, 2008, Page, 2012)

Intervention: Participation in high school Career Academies. Career Academies typically serve students in grade 9 or 10 through grade 12, and feature three core components: 

1) Small learning communities to provide personalized support, 

2) Integrated academic and technical coursework, and 

3) Partnerships with employers to provide work-based learning opportunities. 

Context: 

• The study analyzed outcomes for students who applied to one of nine urban Career Academies across the U.S. between 1993 and 1996. Applicants were randomly assigned to either the Career Academy group or a control group (non-Academy group). Findings were based on survey data collected from over 1,400 participants at two follow-up points: four years and eight years after scheduled high school graduation.
  • The first study (Kemple, 2004) examined whether Career Academies improved students’ transitions to postsecondary education and early labor market outcomes.
  • The follow-up study (Kemple & Willner, 2008) assessed longer-term impacts, focusing on labor market performance and transitions to adulthood (e.g., marriage, parenting).
  • An additional follow-up analysis by Page (2012) used the same sample from seven sites to estimate the impact of the actual duration of academy participation on long-term earnings.   

Research Design: Randomized Controlled Trial

Findings: 

• Compared to students in the control group(non-Academy group), four years after scheduled graduation, Career Academy students (Kemple, 2004):
  • Earned an average of $107 more per month in 2000 dollars, representing a10% higher monthly earnings than the control group, totaling over $5,000 in additional earnings over the four-year follow-up period.
    • Earnings gains were driven by higher hourly wages, more hours worked per week, and more months of employment.
  • Had no significant differences in overall high school graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment, or attainment.
• Compared to students in the control group, eight years after scheduled graduation, Career Academy students (Kemple & Willner, 2008):
  • Earned $2,088 more per year on average (≈$174 per month in 2006 dollars), representing 11% higher annual income than the control group, totaling more than $16,700 in additional earnings over the eight-year follow-up period.
  • Were 6 percentage points more likely to live independently with a partner and child.
  • Had no significant differences on high school completion or postsecondary credential attainment. 

Subgroup Findings

• Four years after scheduled graduation (Kemple, 2004):
  • Young men randomly given a seat in a Career Academy earned $212 more per month on average than young men assigned to the control group; this represents over $10,000 in added earnings over four years.
  • Young women randomly given a seat in a Career Academy saw no statistically significant difference in earnings relative to young women in the control group.
  • Students who were at high or medium risk of dropping out of high school who were given a seat at a Career Academy earned $141-$168 more per month than students similarly at risk of dropping out who were assigned to the control group.
• Eight years after scheduled graduation (Kemple & Willner, 2008):
  • Young men earned $3,722 more per year (≈$310 per month) than young men in the control group, totaling nearly $30,000 in additional earnings over eight years.
  • There were no statistically significant differences between young women assigned to a Career Academy or the control group.
  • Young men in the Academy group were more likely to be married (+9 points) and be custodial parents (+12 points) than young men assigned to the control group.
• Duration of participation (Page, 2012)
  • Young men who fully participated in a Career Academy (enrolled for all three years) earned $588 more per month on average in 2006 dollars (about 28% higher than the control group), over the 4^th to 8^th years after scheduled high school graduation.

Study: Building bridges to life after high school: Contemporary career academies and student outcomes (Hemelt et al.,2019)

Intervention: Participation in a Career Academy focused on Information Technology. The study evaluated Apex High School’s Academy of Information Technology (AOIT), a Career Academy certified by the National Academy Foundation (NAF). AOIT featured a four-year sequence of IT courses and electives, a paid technology internship, cohort-based grouping, and embedded soft skills training. The study examined the program’s effects on a range of student outcomes, including high school graduation, attendance, college enrollment, and credential attainment.

Context: 

• The study analyzed 469 students who applied to AOIT as entering 9^th graders between 2009 and 2012 in Wake County, NC. Students were randomly assigned through a lottery-based admissions process: 220 students were offered admission, and 189 of those enrolled. The remaining students were not offered admission and typically attended Apex High School’s traditional program. 

Research Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. The study reports both intent-to-treat (ITT; effects of being offered admission) and treatment-on-the-treated (TOT; effects of enrolling) estimates, since not all students offered a seat chose to enroll.

Findings: Compared to students in the control group, students who were offered admission to AOIT...

• Were 8 percentage points more likely to graduate high school.
• Accumulated 1.43 fewer days absent during 9^th grade.
• Were 23 percentage points more likely to earn an IT industry certification during high school.

Subgroup Findings: 

• Male students who enrolled in AOIT were more likely to enroll in college within one year of expected high school graduation compared to male students in the control group.
• No statistically significant effect was found for female students.

Study: College and Career Readiness Outcomes from a High-Performing Career Academy (Fletcher & Dumford, 2021a, Fletcher & Dumford, 2021b)

Intervention: Participation in a high-performing National Academy Foundation Academy of Information Technology Career Academy. As a NAF-certified academy, the program followed a national framework that includes structured work-based learning, sequenced career and academic coursework, and formal industry partnerships to support college and career readiness.

Context: 

• The study analyzed survey responses from 1,030 high school students within the same urban district in the Southeastern part of the country. Data were collected during the 2018-2019 school year using the High School Survey of Student Engagement.
  • The first study (Fletcher & Dumford, 2021a) examined whether enrolling in this Academy improved students’ engagement in college and career preparatory activities (e.g., dual enrollment participation, receiving college preparation assistance, resume writing, job shadowing, etc.).
  • The second study (Fletcher & Dumford, 2021b) assessed the Career Academy’s impacts on the development of 21st-century competencies, including critical thinking and communication, applied learning, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.

Research Design: Propensity Score Matching

Findings: 

College and Career Preparatory Activity Participation (Fletcher & Dumford, 2021a)

Compared to similar students enrolled in a comprehensive high school, students in the IT Career Academy (Activity participation measures used 0-3 or 0-4 frequency scales):

• Participated in more career readiness activities, including resume building, mock interviews, job shadowing, and internships (average score difference: 0.42 on a 0–3 scale).
• Participated in more college preparation activities, such as dual enrollment, financial aid information, college tours, and planning support (average score difference: 0.31 on a 0–4 scale).

21st-Century Skill Development (Fletcher & Dumford, 2021b)

Compared to similar students at a comprehensive high school, Career Academy students reported (Skill development measures used a 1-4 self-reported scale):

• Stronger development in their ability to apply academic knowledge to real-world contexts (average score difference: 0.21 on a 4-point scale).
• Stronger development of job-related skills (average score difference: 0.41).
• More frequent use of technology to gather and communicate information (average score difference: 0.47).
• Stronger development of career goals (average score difference: 0.22).
• Stronger development of creative ideas and solutions (average score difference: 0.12).
• Lower development in writing skills compared to comprehensive students (average score difference: 0.13).

• No statistically significant differences in overall critical thinking and communication or intrapersonal/interpersonal skills composite scores.

   

Study: Can Career Academies Work as a School Turnaround Strategy? (Kistler, H. et al., 2024)

Intervention: District-wide adoption of the Career Academy model as a school improvement strategy. The Career Academy (CA) model included Freshman Academies in grade 9, a district-wide career fair, and structured experiences in grades 10–12 (for example, industry field trips in grade 10, job shadowing in grade 11, and capstone projects in grade 12). Students selected a CA theme (e.g., Health Science or STEM) and pathway (e.g., Diagnostic Services or Therapeutic Services) and completed integrated academic and CTE coursework. 

Context: 

• The study examined 12 high schools in a large urban district that adopted the CA model to improve graduation rates. In 2007–08, 8 high schools (early adopters) implemented Freshman Academies using a federal grant. In 2009–10, these schools and four additional schools (late adopters) began rolling out full CA programming. The rollout of the model’s four core components occurred gradually from 2009 to 2014. Schools implemented common structures such as cohort scheduling, cross-disciplinary teacher planning time, and employer engagement. Over time, the CA model became the dominant structure, with 16,000 of the district’s 20,000 high school students enrolled in an Academy; however, four selective magnet schools did not adopt it, and participation in specific academy activities was high but not universal.

Research Design: Difference-in-Differences (school and year fixed effects)

Findings: 

• Career Academy adoption led to a 3.0 to 3.2 percentage point increase in four-year high school graduation rates, with stronger effects estimated in schools with the lowest baseline graduation rates.

Subgroup findings: 

• Schools with below-median pre-CA graduation rates experienced larger gains in graduation, relative to higher-performing schools.
• Early adopter schools had improvements in  
  • 9th-grade English I scores: +0.24 SD.
  • 9th-grade Algebra I scores: +0.19 SD.
• Late adopter schools had an improvement in
  • 9th-grade English I scores: +0.10 SD.

Study: An Evaluation of California Partnership Academies: Charting the Path from High School to Postsecondary Enrollment (Sepanik et al., 2024)

Intervention: Participation in California Partnership Academies (CPAs). CPAs are state-supported programs designed to improve college and career readiness through small learning communities (also known as a school within a school), the integration of academic and career-themed curricula, and work-based learning opportunities (e.g., internships, mentorship). This report presents early outcome findings; the evaluation team plans to follow students through eight years after graduation, with future reports expected in 2028 and 2032. 

Context: 

• The study included 1,125 high school students who applied to 15 oversubscribed CPAs across California between 2018 and 2020. Students were randomly assigned to either be offered admission to a CPA (treatment group) or not (control group). The analysis captured outcomes up to five years post-entry, including high school graduation, completion of A-G courses (a measure of college readiness), and first-year enrollment in postsecondary education. Most students in the sample came from lower-income backgrounds (as defined by the California Department of Education, e.g., eligibility for free/reduced-price meals, foster/homeless status, migrant program participation, direct certification, or tribal foster youth identification). The sample skewed female (about 60 percent, unusual for CTE), included a majority Hispanic population (51 percent).

Research Design: Randomized Controlled Trial 

Findings: Compared to similar students who applied but did not get into a CPA… 

• Female students in the CPA group were 12 percentage points more likely to complete the A–G college-prep course sequence required for admission to California’s public universities.
• Economically and academically disadvantaged students in the CPA group were 13 percentage points more likely to complete the A-G requirements.
• No significant impact was found on high school graduation rates or college enrollment within one year of graduation.

Study: P-TECH 9-14: Impacts on High School, College, and Career Outcomes (Rosen et al., 2020; Dixon & Rosen, 2022; Rosen et al., 2023)

Intervention: Participation in New York City’s P-TECH 9-14 school. P-TECH 9-14 schools integrate high school and college coursework as well as career training. P-TECH 9-14 schools emphasize pathways in STEM fields. Students can earn a high school diploma, a cost-free associate’s degree, and gain exposure to work-based learning opportunities, such as mentoring and internships, during their six-year enrollment. The model includes partnerships with City University of New York (CUNY) colleges and STEM-focused employers.

Context: 

• The studies analyzed outcomes for 2,085 students who applied to one of seven P-TECH 9–14 schools in New York City and were randomly assigned through the high school admissions lottery. Students entered 9^th grade between 2013 and 2017 and were followed for up to seven years. Most students were academically underprepared (approximately 70 percent of the students were below proficient in eighth-grade ELA and math) and lived in lower-income communities. The evaluation drew on administrative records from the NYC Department of Education and CUNY, including state Regents exams, high school transcripts, college credit records, and degree completion.
  • Rosen et al., 2020 examined whether P-TECH 9-14 improved early high school academic progress, including credit accumulation and Regents exam passage.
  • Dixon & Rosen, 2022 focused on dual enrollment outcomes during high school.
  • Rosen et al., 2023 assessed the longer-term impacts on work-based learning participation, postsecondary degree attainment, and cost-effectiveness.

Research Design: Randomized Controlled Trial

Findings: Compared to students not offered a seat at a P-TECH 9-14 school, students who attended a P-TECH 9-14 school... 

• High School Outcomes (Rosen et al., 2020)
  • Earned more high school credits during each of their first three years of high school.
  • Were more likely to pass the New York State Regents English exam at a level qualifying them for college-level coursework (42% vs. 25% by the end of 10^th grade).
  • No more or less likely statistically to graduate high school within 4 years, based on pooled analyses across available cohorts.
• Dual Enrollment Participation (Dixon & Rosen, 2022)
  • By the end of four years of high school, students in the P-TECH 9–14 group:
    • Were 29.7 percentage points more likely to have taken at least one dual enrollment course.
    • Earned 6.4 more college credits on average through dual enrollment (equivalent to about two additional college courses).
    • Completed more college courses aligned with their CTE pathway (e.g., 17% vs. 3% in IT; 14% vs. 7% in math; 11% vs. 1% in engineering).
• Postsecondary Attainment and Work-Based Learning (Rosen et al., 2023)
  • Seven years after 9th-grade entry, students in the P-TECH 9-14 group
    • Were 38 percentage points more likely to have completed an internship during high school.
    • Were 5 percentage points more likely to complete an associate degree.
    • Were 26 percentage points more likely to earn any dual enrollment credit during high school.
  • The effects of being given a seat at a P-TECH 9-14 school differed across groups:
    • Young men saw the largest gains, with 13% completing an associate degree, compared to 3% in the control group.
    • No statistically significant impact was found on degree attainment for female students.
  • Rosen et al. (2023) also estimated the cost-effectiveness of the model. These findings were mixed:
    • 2014-15 cohort: cost-effective, with costs about $125,000 less per degree than the control.

    • 2015-16 cohort: not cost-effective, with costs about $611,000 more per degree than the control. 

      The authors note that the higher cost in the 2015-16 cohort was due to lower degree attainment, not higher operating costs. 

Study: Smoothing the transition to college? The effect of Tech-Prep programs on educational attainment (Celini, 2006)

Intervention: Participation in Tech-Prep programs. Tech-Prep programs build partnerships between high schools and community colleges to offer transferable college credit for certain high school courses, applied technical instruction, and enhanced college and career counseling. Programs are intended to serve the “middle majority” of students by offering structured transition pathways to two-year colleges and high-skill careers. 

Context: 

• The study analyzed data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), focusing on a sample of 266 sibling pairs in which at least one student participated in Tech-Prep between 1997 and 2002. Students were, on average, 16 years old at the time of participation, and most students in the sample came from low- to moderate-income households. 

Research Design: Family fixed effects. The study compared Tech-Prep participants to their non-participating siblings, controlling for unobserved family-level characteristics. 

Findings: Compared to their non-participating siblings, Tech-Prep participants were...

• More likely to complete high school (+9 percentage points).

• Less likely to enroll in a four-year college immediately after high school graduation (-8 percentage points). 

  The author notes that this result should be interpreted with caution, as it may reflect a short-term diversion to two-year colleges rather than an adverse long-term outcome. 

• Able to complete more total years of education (complete high school and attend a two-year college).