Career and

Technical

Education: New

Directions for the

21st Century

October 27, 2008

GREGG BETHEIL Senior Executive for Career & Technical EducationOffice of Portfolio DevelopmentNYC Department of Educationgbetheil@schools.nyc.gov

SUE FINEExecutive DirectorUrban Assembly

2October 27, 2008

New York City – Facts & FiguresOffering Good Options to NYC Students. Through our Children First school reforms, we

have worked to create a portfolio of high-quality options that meet the needs of New York

City’s students and families. We have created:

> New small schools

> Multiple pathway options for over-age and under-credited students

> Strong small learning communities

> Charter schools

> Career & Technical Education (CTE) schools and programs

284 CTE Programs of Study across 114 schools, including:

• 26 CTE-Designated Schools

• 71 State Approved CTE Programs of Study

14 Career Clusters represented. Most highly represented include:• Business Management & Administration• Information Technology• Arts/Audio Visual/Technology & Communications• Health Science• Architecture & Construction• Hospitality & Tourism• Law & Public Safety

3October 27, 2008

Preliminary Analysis of Comparative CTE Performance

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

FashionIndustries

HS

27%

AviationHS

20%

ThomasEdisonCTE HS

14%

East NYTransit

Tech HS

11%

Art &Design

HS

9%

SamuelGompers

HS

7%

ClaraBarton

HS

7%

QueensVoc. HS

5%

GraceDodge

HS

5%

ChelseaHS

4%

GraphicComm.Arts HS

4%

RalphMcKee

CTE

3%

Alfred E.Smith

HS

3%

Auto-motive

HS

2%

J aneAddams

HS

2%

William H.Maxwell

HS

2%

WilliamE. Grady

HS

2%

GeorgeWesting-

houseHS

0%

Perc

en

tage

of

Stu

den

tsDOE Average

• Mirroring a citywide challenge, CTE schools – even those who over-perform in terms of graduation rate –struggle to help students achieve post-secondary readiness, especially those who enter below a low-level 2

Wide disparities exist within the CTE portfolio in both population and performance

• Controlling for population differences through a regression model, CTE schools, on average, perform roughly equal with their predicted four-year graduation rate

• CTE schools serve above-average concentrations of males, minorities and SPED students, and are comparable to the system at-large in terms of incoming test scores and age at entry

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

Male

Female

7.8K

Non-CTESchools*

Male

Female

77.9K

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

OA

NotOA

7.8K

Non-CTESchools*

OA

NotOA

77.9K

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

ELL

NeverELL

7.8K

Non-CTESchools*

ELL

NeverELL

77.9K

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

African-American

Hispanic

Asian

Other

White

7.8K

Non-CTESchools*

African-American

Hispanic

Asian

Other

White

77.9K

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

LowLevel

2

Level1

HighLevel

2

Level 4

Level3

6.6K

Non-CTESchools*

LowLevel

2

Level1

HighLevel

2

Level 4

Level3

53.4K

Comparison of Student Body Composition

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

CTESchools

SC

LRE

NotSPED

7.8K

Non-CTESchools*

SC

LRE

NotSPED

77.9K

4October 27, 2008

Recommendations – Mayoral Task Force on CTE Innovation

> Meet 21st Century Standards. Prepare NYC students to meet academic and industry-based standards and competencies through rigorous and relevant coursework, supported by strong public-private partnerships.

> Expand Paths to Graduation. Create and support career pathways that integrate coursework, work-based learning experiences and hands-on experiences so that students develop competencies, skills and attitudes for success beyond high school in the workforce.

> Engage and Empower Industry Leadership. Reach beyond the educational sphere and develop a coherent structure for engaging, organizing and accounting for industry support to ensure the continued relevancy of CTE programs, and build pipelines of skilled workers into sector labor markets.

> Prepare Graduates for Post-Secondary Success. Prepare more NYC students for post-secondary and post-scholastic work and training options, including a particular emphasis on integration and articulation with post-secondary degree options.

> Increase Opportunity and Access. Equip students and families to make informed choices about education and work and ensure that all students have access to desirable options.

5October 27, 2008

Next Generation Career & Technical Education in NYC

• Implement the recommendations of Mayor Bloomberg’s Task Force on CTE Innovation.

• Redesign CTE to ensure it is a desirable, rigorous, respected, and accessible option for all high school students. CTE should create pathways to student success in the workplace, in associate’s programs, and in four-year college, both now and as industries evolve.

Initiative Initiative ConceptConcept

Possible Possible ChallengesChallenges

2008-09 2008-09 Goals &Goals &

PrioritiesPriorities

• Create 3 exemplary CTE Demonstration Schools beginning in Fall 2009

• Improve effectiveness of the 284 existing CTE programs citywide and increase student access to these programs

• Support CTE innovation by tailoring and aligning City and State policy and operations, to achieve desired outcomes

• Engage and align with industry and post-secondary institutions

• Overcoming tradition and negative stigma of vocational education

• Securing State policy waivers in seat-time and assessment

• Developing rigorous, State approved alternative assessments

• Uneven performance of and limited/unequal access to existing CTE schools

• Industry engagement in current economic environment

Description