Career and Technical Education: History, Theory, Evidence, and the Path Ahead

The passage of No Child Left Behind in 2002 led to an initial decline followed by a resurgence of career and technical education (CTE) in U.S. educational policy and practice. The federal focus on test-based accountability and college for all has evolved to an emphasis on both college and career readiness, including the prioritization and formal integration of two-year colleges into the set of emphasized postsecondary pathways. This chapter reviews the history of policy that accounts for the current state of CTE in the United States and presents the theories used to frame much of the research related to CTE. It then presents the wealth of evidence on the efficacy and impact of CTE that has been generated largely over the past 15 years, and presents a set of opportunities in research and practice that must be met to understand whether and how CTE benefits students.

Keywords: career and technical education (CTE); college and career readiness; high school to college transitions; vocational education; CTE policy