Preparing Students to be College and Career Ready: The Effect of Career Academy Participation on Student Engagement in College and Career Preparatory Activities

Abstract

Federal legislation has attempted to move career and technical education (CTE) from a narrow focus on low-wage job attainment for non-college bound youth to programs of study that prepare students for college and career readiness. However, few studies have demonstrated CTEs potential to prepare students for college. Using propensity score matching, we examined the relationship between student participation in a high performing NAF IT academy compared to a traditional, comprehensive high school on students' engagement in college and career preparatory experiences. We found that students in the NAF academy engaged in both college and career preparatory activities at significantly higher levels than their traditional, comprehensive student counterparts. Our findings provide implications for policy and for future studies concerning the potential of the career academy model to prepare students to be college and career ready.