The dropout effects of career pathways: Evidence from California

Abstract

Contemporary Career and Technical Education (CTE) models have shifted from isolated courses to sequences of study that integrate academics and skills in high-demand sectors. Providing career pathways to high school students may reduce asymmetries about the available careers and strategies for attaining them but they may also catalyze students' intrinsic motivation by shifting their understanding of their social role and capacity for success. In this study, I estimate the effects of an ambitious $500 million effort to encourage the formation of career pathways in California. Funding supported the formation of tripartite partnerships between K-12 school districts, employers and community colleges to develop career pathway curricula (i.e., articulated course sequences) in high-demand occupations and sectors. I provide causal estimates of implementing this multifaceted intervention by leveraging a natural experiment that occurs at the margin of grant receipt. Using Regression Discontinuity (RD) designs, I provide evidence on the most proximate mechanism, increased CTE spending. Per pupil CTE expenditures increased by 21.7 percent for grant recipients at the assignment threshold relative to the CTE spending of unsuccessful applicants. Furthermore, dropout rates declined by 23 percent in treatment districts but were more pronounced for females than males.

The Effects of Career and Technical Education: Evidence from the Connecticut Technical High School System

“…In contrast,Bonilla (2020) finds that the California Career Pathways Trust has larger effects for female students, possibly due to a focus on college readiness.Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-pdf/doi/10.1162/rest_a_01098/1956354/rest_a_01098.pdf by guest on 23 August 2021…”

“…Dougherty (2018) uses score based admissions to study three Vocational and Technical High Schools in Massachusetts finding a 7 to 10 percentage point increase in on-time graduation. In an exception, Bonilla (2020) evaluates a large CTE grant program in California using the threshold for grant award. Districts receiving a grant reduced high school drop-out rates, but effects could have arisen from either the CTE expansion or the additional monetary resources.…”

“…CTE instructors often collaborate with teachers in core academic areas to ensure overlap of content. CTHSS tends to focus on providing skills to support labor market transition, unlike some states where CTE programs focus heavily on college readiness(Bonilla, 2020).…”

Vocational Education: An International Perspective

“…Finally, we note that the research literature is relatively quiet on how resources for vocational programs themselves affect students. Bonilla (2020) provides a recent exception, showing evidence that districts who received a large grant to create aligned pathways between general and vocational education saw substantial declines in the high school dropout rate.…”

Predicción de las principales variables que conllevan al abandono estudiantil por medio de técnicas de minería de datos

“…En estudios recientes sobre abandono escolar, llevados a cabo por Vaughn et al (2020) y Bonilla (2020), se identifican las mayores incidencias económicas, públicas, penales, laborales y comportamentales producidas por este fenómeno, aun cuando el mismo sea temporal. En dichos estudios se destaca la necesidad de determinar los factores que llevan a definir el abandono como un proceso acumulativo de desconexión escolar, recomendándose intervenciones sistemáticas en pequeños grupos desde la escuela, dado que el abandono (temporal o definitivo) en esta etapa, es consistente con el que se presenta en otros niveles de formación.…”