University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Strategies utilized by southern California school districts to bridge the college and career gap through career technical education pathways in high schools

(USC Thesis Other)

Strategies utilized by southern California school districts to bridge the college and career gap through career technical education pathways in high schools

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content
STRATEGIES UTILIZED BY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO
BRIDGE THE COLLEGE AND CAREER GAP THROUGH CAREER
TECHNICAL EDUCATION PATHWAYS IN HIGH SCHOOLS

by
Elim Wang Carpenter

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2020

Copyright 2020 Elim Wang Carpenter

ii
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my family for their unwavering support during this doctoral degree
program. Their words of encouragement have sustained me over these three years. I would like
to thank my heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity to culminate my education at the
University of Southern Caliornia’s Rossier School of Education.
I would also like to acknowledge my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Rudy Castruita as well
as my committee members, Dr. David Cash and Dr. John Roach, for their collective educational
wisdom and experience who have guided me on the last leg of my doctoral journey.
Thank you to the following professors who I have taken one or more classes with and
who I have tremendous respect and admiration for: Dr. Julie Slayton, Dr. Artineh Samkian, Dr.
Sandra Kaplan, Dr. Esther Kim, and Professor Susan Allen Ortega.
Thank you to the Southern California school district administrators who participated in
this mixed-methods research study, by which the mission of preparing their high school students
of being both college and career ready have been revealed through their responses to this study’s
research questions regarding career technical education programs. Through their support of this
study’s objectives the educators in the state of CA will have a better understanding of the work
and progress that CTE has made both within your own school districts as well as more broadly
within the field of education. Ultimately, the rewards will be reaped by the high school students
who will be able to graduate and enter the real world post-high school graduation in the 21st
century with real-world skills gained through the CTE programs your school district has offered.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the high school students, who I have had the
privilege of teaching since 2008 and have devoted my time, energy and heart into assisting them
cross the threshold into adulthood, contributing to society as productive individuals. They are all
adults now and this is the group of students that the State of California’s Department of
iii
Education endeavors to educate and nurture through the successful CTE programs offered within
the school districts.

iv
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... v

Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi

Chapter One: Overview of the Study .............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem................................................................................................. 1
Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 5
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 6
Importance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7
Limitations and Delimitations ............................................................................................. 7
Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 9

Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................................... 19

Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 24
Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 24
Sample and Population ...................................................................................................... 24
Instrumentation.................................................................................................................. 26
Data Collection .................................................................................................................. 26
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 26

Chapter Four: Findings.................................................................................................................. 28
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 28
Findings by Research Question ......................................................................................... 33
Results Research Question One ........................................................................................ 33
Results Research Question Two ........................................................................................ 36
Results Research Question Three ...................................................................................... 38
Results Research Question Four ....................................................................................... 42
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 46

Chapter Five: Discussion .............................................................................................................. 48
Implications for Practice ................................................................................................... 52
Future Research ................................................................................................................. 53
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 54

References ..................................................................................................................................... 55

Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 62
Appendix A: Survey Questions for Superintendents and Other District
Administrators ................................................................................................................... 62
Appendix B: Survey Results ............................................................................................. 64

v
List of Tables
Table 1: Qualitative Survey Response Results .............................................................................. 29
Table 2: Qualitative Interview: District Administrator Demographics ........................................ 30
Table 3: Interview Participant’s District Enrollment Data ............................................................ 31

vi
Abstract
Career Technical Education (CTE) in California’s high schools is offered through 58 career
pathways organized around 15 career sectors. The mystery surrounding what role Southern
California school district administrators have in developing these pathways, how they have
supported the selected CTE pathways for implementation, what financial resources have been
allocated towards CTE pathways and finally which pathways have proven to be effective in
improving college and career readiness will be examined and explored through the following
mixed methods research study.
Keywords [career technical education (CTE), CTE industry sector, CTE industry
pathway, college and career readiness, Carl D. Perkins, Career Technical Education Incentive
Grant (CTEIG), dual enrollment, articulation agreement, work-based learning, project-based
learning, California Dashboard, California Partnership for Achieving Student Success,
California Partnership Grant].

1
Chapter One: Overview of the Study
Background of the Problem
The challenge to impart the knowledge and skills needed to prepare high school students
to enter the workforce of California—a state which is currently ranked as having the world’s
eighth largest economy—is the primary responsibility of Career Technical Education
professionals. The vision statement of Career Technical Education (CTE), according to the State
of California, is to engage all students in a dynamic learning experience resulting in their mastery
of the career and academic knowledge and skills necessary to become productive, contributing
members of society (California CTE Standards and Framework Advisory Group, [California
CTE Standards], 2007).
The goal of California’s Career Technical Education initiative is to prepare high school
students for a particular career or industry through enrollment in a sequence of elective courses
aligned with high-paying local or regional industry careers. There are 15 CTE industry sectors :
(1) Agriculture and Natural Resources; (2) Arts, Media, and Entertainment; (3) Building and
Construction Trades; (4) Business and Finance; (5) Education, Child Development, and Family
Services; (6) Energy, Environment, and Utilities; (7) Engineering and Architecture; (8) Fashion
and Interior Design; (9) Health Science and Medical Technology; (10) Hospitality, Tourism, and
Recreation; (11) Information and Communication Technologies; (12) Manufacturing and Product
Development; (13) Marketing, Sales, and Service; (14) Public Services; and (15) Transportation
(California Department of Education [CDE], 2019d). Within these 15 CTE industry sectors, there
are 58 CTE industry pathways that can be offered in California high schools (CDE, 2019d).
Most high school students attend comprehensive high schools that offer career or
industry-specific education. At least one industry pathway is offered at 60% of public
comprehensive high schools (Bishop & Mane, 2004). In large urban school districts, the high

2
schools that offer CTE career academies offer more occupational programs as well as higher
quality programs (Bishop & Mane, 2014). A study tracking 12- to 17-year old individuals over
time found that CTE participation was associated with higher wages primarily in technical fields,
due to the upper level coursework in the CTE course sequence. This finding suggests that
students who participate in CTE coursework of a specific study align with the recent trend of
CTE pathways of study. The result is that CTE “can motivate students to attend school more
frequently and be more engaged, and therefore improve core academic skills” (Jacob, 2017, p.
2).
With career technical education pathways, however, high schools may offer CTE courses
that are considered elective courses based upon the industry pathway developed by the CDE, and
therein lies the key to how high schools practically increase the connection between college and
career readiness within the high school curriculum.
The recognition of the importance of college and career readiness at the high school level
can be seen now as the successful completion of career technical education pathways on the
California School Dashboard (2019a). It is measured at the high school level through completion
of Career Technical Education pathway courses within one of the 15 industry sectors .
Completion of an industry pathway is counted as successful completion of a minimum of two to
a maximum of four courses within a designated pathway, taught by a California credentialed
CTE teacher within that industry pathway. The CTE course sequencing includes, at a minimum,
an introductory course and a concentration course. Ideally there are three courses, which will
include a capstone (otherwise known as an advanced course), in that pathway. Four courses in a
sequence are also permitted with the inclusion of two concentration courses after the
introductory course and before the capstone course (Riverside County Office of Education, 2017,
p. 15). The majority of courses taught at the high school level are core courses and the majority

3
of them do not state their primary goal as the preparation of high school students for a career.
That is the focus of CTE courses, however, as these courses are aligned to industry careers and
teach preparatory or introductory courses for that industry career. These classes place career
preparation as a top priority and the manner in which high school students are introduced to
those careers includes inviting industry guest speakers to the classroom, taking students on field
trips to companies in the pathway, and utilizing a curriculum designed for maximum exposure to
careers in that industry.
High school CTE courses also offer articulation to community college courses teaching
similar or identical subject matter. The advantage of CTE courses that have articulation
agreements with local community colleges are numerous. Articulation agreements encourage
students to do well in their high school CTE courses (only students who have earned A’s and B’s
can qualify), pass a community college exam that the college instructor has written, and earn
community college credits upon enrollment at that particular community college. CTE
articulation courses provide time and tuition cost savings to high school students, especially
when those students are already applying those CTE course credits towards their high school
diploma and college entrance requirements.
Out of the 15 industry sectors that the California Board of Education has established, the
choice of which ones to offer, and specifically which individual pathway are selected to be taught
at the high school level can be further determined by a school district. This researcher is
interested to learn how school districts make these decisions and based on what criteria. There is
also an interest to find out how school districts allocate budget resources towards supporting this
area of the high school curriculum; otherwise success in such programs is not guaranteed. Lastly,
some pathways may be more effective/successful in preparing students for future jobs in the
local economy. This researcher would like to study if the school districts look into the data to

4
support the industry pathways offered and if they do, determine what type of research is done to
support those decisions by the school district.
Statement of the Problem
The problem is the State of California shows an 83% graduation rate for the class of
2018, only 1 out of every 2 graduates, or a mere 50% met the admissions requirements for either
the California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC).
The entrance requirement for both CSU and UC admissions is completion of 15 courses
in “a-g” courses with a C grade or higher.
One year of CTE courses fall under the required “g” category of college preparatory
electives. The challenge is for high schools to offer the type of CTE classes that are aligned with
the local and state industry’s employment needs in order to best prepare these young people for
higher paying jobs, either right out of high school or after graduation from college.
The United States Department of Labor reported in October 2017 that 7.1 million jobs
were unfilled, yet almost the same number of people were unemployed. “In a time of low
unemployment, that indicates an underlying mismatch in skills and preparation” (Chiefs for
Change, 2019, p. 7). The areas with the most shortage are jobs that require credentials and not
necessarily a college degree. These jobs are in the healthcare, education, technology,
construction, and transportation sectors and vary by regional demand (Chiefs for Change, 2019).
The mission statement of many high schools to graduate their students to be “college and
career ready” needs to be a reality that results in gainful employment that allows the graduating
student to be able to support themselves at a minimum and one day even their family. High
schools can realistically boast that they are preparing their students for the 21st century as skilled
workers to “keep our nation, economy, communities, and families healthy and productive and to

5
incorporate CTE as a tested strategy to engage these students in their learning, prepare them for
postsecondary education and the far more complex world” (Brand, 2008, p. 3).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine how southern California school districts select
career and technical education industry pathways in their high schools to bridge the college and
career gap. As everyone knows, the core courses offered in a high school curriculum are
designed to prepare students for academic success in college as evidenced by the State’s
mandated testing. However, the methodology in which high school students are prepared for a
career, typically through the CTE industry sectors and pathways offered at the high school level,
has not been scrutinized through an accountability measure. Now with the California School
Dashboard (CDE, 2019a), the college/career readiness measurement includes the completion of a
CTE industry pathway in addition to other measures such as Grade 11 Smarter Balanced
Summative Assessments in ELA and mathematics, Advanced Placement exams, International
Baccalaureate Exams, College Credit Courses (Dual Enrollment), UC A-G courses, and State
Seal of Biliteracy and Military Science/Leadership as part of its high school graduation
performance readiness (CDE, 2019b).
Out of the 15 CTE industry sectors and 58 CTE industry pathways that the California
State Board of Education has established, the choice of which elective courses to offer are
determined by a school district and its individual high schools. This mixed methods study
determined the methodology as to how school districts make these decisions and based on what
criteria. The answers to these questions determined if the CTE industry sectors and pathways
selected are accurately based upon data-supported decisions whose goals will help to usher
students into college majors and careers that will align with the jobs that the U.S. and local
economy need.

6
CTE plays a pivotal role in helping our youth make the meaningful connection between
the various academic content they study with the real-world application of career-oriented CTE
courses. If educators and policymakers truly understood the positive connection that CTE could
offer to solve both of these tremendous issues, then the U.S. economy would no longer be
begging for skilled American workers and U.S. companies would not have to issue H1B visas,
which are non-immigrant visas for skilled, educated individuals employed in specialized
occupations outside of the United States. The gap lies between the jobs that are unfilled by our
future graduates because they are not prepared with the required skills and American companies
which will look for the talents they need among graduates from foreign countries.
Therefore, utilizing a mixed methods study, the researcher examined and researched
Southern California school districts with high schools that have shown in the College/Career
category Very High or High effective (blue or green) indicators on the California School
Dashboard (CDE, 2019a).
Forty-one school districts’ leaders were invited to participate in a study to determine what
their role is in supporting CTE programs, how they formulate strategies to determine which
pathways to offer to their student population, how those pathways are financially supported
during the implementation phase as well as on an ongoing basis, and finally which particular
CTE industry pathways have helped their students be both college and career prepared.
Research Questions
The four overarching research questions that will help guide this study:
1. What is the role of district administrators in developing CTE pathways to support
college and career readiness?
2. What CTE pathways have districts supported for implementation?
3. What financial resources have your district allocated to support CTE pathways?

7
4. What types of CTE pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and
career readiness?
Importance of the Study
The importance of this study was to provide an in-depth look at how high school districts
that have scored in the color-coded performance level on the California School Dashboard (CDE,
2019a) in the area of College/Career Readiness Calculation make their decisions regarding the
Career Technical Education industry sector and industry pathway selection. Coincidentally, the
CTE Pathway Completion is listed first as a contributing factor to the College/Career Readiness
Calculation.
Due to the wide selection of choices within 15 CTE industry sectors and the 58 CTE
industry pathways within those sectors, the selections that each school district makes are quite
unique and varied for each high school. The decision-making selection process and funding
decisions make an impact on the high school students by providing CTE courses that fulfill their
elective credits for high school graduation as well as college admission requirements. In
addition, those same CTE courses, if wisely selected through local industry employment
research, hopefully can provide an introduction into those career opportunities through jobs right
after high school or pave the way for continued studies at the college level in that
specialization/major. For the districts that have graciously agreed to participate in this study, their
decision-making methodology and funding initiatives may offer other districts guidance and
insight into how to initiate, modify, or grow their CTE programs to successfully benefit their
high school student population.
Limitations and Delimitations
The limitations of the study include the relative newness of the California School
Dashboard (CDE, 2019a), which launched on March 15, 2017. Thus, the pool of high schools

8
available for this study who began tracking their high school students’ CTE course completions
may have only begun doing so in the 2016-2017 school year. Completion of a CTE industry
pathway requires any one of these possibilities: a minimum completion of two courses, referred
to as one year of a concentrator CTE course and a one-year CTE capstone course; a sequence of
three courses: an introductory one-year course, a one-year concentrator course, and a one-year
capstone course; or a sequence of four courses: a one-year introductory course, two one-year
concentrator courses, and one year of a capstone course. High school students are typically
placed into CTE courses during their 11th grade and only take one year-long CTE course in the
fall and spring semesters and another one in the following fall and spring semesters. In addition,
if the school offers more than one pathway and the student is not programmed to complete the
pathway they began, then the second course taken will not count towards a pathway completion.
Therefore, the limitation of the school’s ability to track their students’ pathway completion will
rely a great deal on the high school counseling department in programming the students’
schedules correctly in order to meet the California School Dashboard (CDE, 2019a) readiness
calculation.
Some high schools in southern California school districts participate in a regional
occupational program that provides the administration, including some funding and selection of
CTE staffing. Therefore, the individual school districts are joint-collaborators in the selection of
the CTE industry sector and pathways. Other districts alternatively make their own CTE
program and staffing decisions internally within their own district. The determination of which
industry sector may also be restricted to the availability of CTE teachers that hold that credential
in the workforce.
Another limitation was the ability to access district administrators as their work schedules
were quite busy and their primary focus was on their own district responsibilities. The accuracy

9
of the collected data was reliant on the participants’ own knowledge of the CTE programs and
their willingness to provide that information to me as the researcher of this study.
The delimitations that were encountered were the willingness of the districts to respond
to the survey as well as their willingness to meet with me to allow me to conduct the in-person
interview. Another delimitation was that the district administrator’s voice represented their
district’s overview of the responses that were collected.
Definition of Terms
Academic Performance Index (API): NOTE: The API was discontinued in 2014 and has
been replaced by the California School Dashboard (CDE, 2019a). The API was a number, used
for school accountability purposes, summarizing the performance of a group of students, a
school, or a district on California’s standardized tests. The API was discontinued with the
introduction of the Smarter Balanced tests aligned with the Common Core standards, and the
push in the state to establish an accountability system based on multiple measures. A school’s
number (or API score) was used to rank it among schools of the same type (elementary, middle,
high) and among the 100 schools of the same type that were most similar in terms of students
served, teacher qualifications, and other factors. Schools and districts also received separate API
scores for any student group—including ethnic subgroups, socioeconomically disadvantaged
students, English learners, and students with disabilities—comprised of more than 10 students
with valid test scores. They only received academic growth targets for “numerically significant”
student groups, however.
Accountability: The notion that people (e.g., students or teachers) or an organization
(e.g., a school, school district, or state department of education) should be held responsible for
improving student achievement and should be rewarded or sanctioned for their success or lack of
success in doing so.

10
Achievement Gap: A consistent difference in scores on student achievement tests
between certain groups of children and children in other groups. The data document a strong
association between poverty and students’ lack of academic success as measured by achievement
tests. And while poverty is not unique to any ethnicity, it does exist in disproportionate rates
among African Americans and Hispanics and among English learners.
A-G Courses: The set of high school courses students must take to be eligible to enter
either the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) systems. Required
A-G courses beginning with the class of 2003 and beyond include: (a) Two history/social
science; (b) Four English language arts; (c) Three math (through Algebra II or Integrated Math
III); (d) Two laboratory science (two different disciplines); (e) Two foreign language (same
language); (f) One visual/performing arts; and (g) One elective from the above subjects. Students
must also meet other criteria to gain admission to the university systems.
Articulation Agreement: A written agreement at the state, district, or school office that
creates a sequence of progressive, nonduplicated education leading to technical skill proficiency,
a credential, a certificate, or a degree. Typically, credit transfer agreements between institutions
are key components of the articulation agreement.
California Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS Plus): A statewide
clearinghouse of longitudinal data on student placement status in postsecondary education or
advanced training, in military service, or in employment, opinion regarding the value and
relevance of the CTE program, suggestions for improving the CTE program (Cal-PASS Plus,
n.d.).
California School Dashboard: The Dashboard contains reports that display the
performance of districts, schools, and student groups on a set of state and local measures. These

11
reports help schools and districts identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas in need of
improvement (CDE, 2019a).
California State University (CSU) System: A four-year state university system.
California operates three separate public systems for postsecondary education: two-year
community colleges, the four-year California State University (CSU) system, and the most
selective University of California (UC) system. There are 23 CSU campuses serving more than
400,000 students. CSU generally accepts the top one-third of high school graduates and all
qualified community college transfers. Eligibility for high school seniors to enter either CSU or
UC is based on the completion of 15 one-year college prep courses (referred to as A-G courses),
high school grades, performance on college entrance exams, advanced coursework taken, and
personal attributes.
Capstone Course: The final course in a planned sequence of courses for a CTE program
that provides a rigorous and intensive culmination of a course of study. (California CTE
Standards, 2007, p. 447).
Career Technical Education (CTE): Organized educational activities that provide
coherent, rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical
knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging
professions. CTE provides technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a
certificate, or a degree and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to
students’ academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, attitudes
toward work, general employability skills, technical skills, occupation-specific skills, and
knowledge of all aspects of an industry.

12
Career (Technical Education) Pathway: A coherent, planned sequence of career
technical education courses detailing the knowledge and technical skills students need to succeed
in a specific career area.
CTE Program: A coherent sequence of rigorous career technical and academic courses at
the school level that prepares students for successful completion of state academic standards,
readies all students for entry-level careers, and lays the foundations for more advanced
postsecondary training (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 448).
Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO): A pre-professional organization for
individuals enrolled in a CTE program that engages in career and technical education activities
as an integral part of the instructional program. CTSOs develop leadership skills, provide
competitive career development activities, enhance academic skills, promote career choices, and
contribute to employability. Activities are an integral part of the instructional program. Examples
of CTSOs include DECA, FBLA, FFA, FHA-HERO, HOSA, and SkillsUSA (California CTE
Standards, 2007, p. 447).
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act: A federal act to improve
career technical education programs, integrate academic and career technical instruction,
serve special populations, and meet gender equity needs (California CTE Standards, 2007, p.
448).
Career Ready: A term generally applied to (a) students who are considered to be
equipped with the knowledge and skills deemed to be essential for success in the modern
workforce, or (b) the kinds of educational programs and learning opportunities that lead to
improved workforce preparation. The career-ready concept is also related to 21st century skills
and college ready (Great Schools Partnership, 2013, para. 1).

13
College Ready: A term generally applied to (a) students who are considered to be
equipped with the knowledge and skills deemed essential for success in university, college, and
community-college programs, or (b) the kinds of educational programs and learning
opportunities that lead to improved preparation for these two- and four-year collegiate programs.
The college-ready concept is also related to career ready, equity, high expectations, and rigor
(Great Schools Partnership, 2013, para. 1).
Common Core State Standards (CCSS): A set of educational standards, often referred to
as the “Common Core,” that describe what students should know and be able to do in English
language arts and math in each grade from kindergarten through 12th grade. California is among
the more than 40 states that have adopted them in an effort to establish clear, consistent
educational standards across state lines (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).
Concentration Course: A CTE course beyond the introductory level that is intended to
provide more in-depth instruction in and exploration of a specific industry sector; the second
course and succeeding courses of a planned CTE program sequence (California CTE Standards,
2007, p. 448).
Course Sequence: Two or more related CTE courses taken in sequence. A course
sequence provides individuals with coherent, rigorous content aligned with the challenging
academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further
education and careers in current or emerging professions (California CTE Standards, 2007, p.
448).
Curriculum: The courses of study offered by a school or district. California has adopted
a set of standards that are intended to guide curriculum and instruction and tests to measure
student proficiency on those standards. The state also approves K-8 textbooks that reflect those

14
standards. The ultimate decisions regarding school curriculum, however, are the responsibility of
the local school board (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 1965, 2015): The 2015 reauthorization of the
federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, 1965), the Every Student Succeeds Act
replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002). Most provisions of ESSA went into effect in
2017-2018.
Foundation Standards: Eleven core standards that support mastery of essential
employability skills and rigorous academic content standards (California CTE Standards, 2007,
p. 448).
Internships: A generic term for workplace learning programs. Participants may or may
not be paid (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 449).
Introductory Course: An initial course in a CTE program intended to provide a
beginning or introductory level of information about an industry sector or career pathway; the
first course in a CTE course sequence (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 449).
Labor Market: The availability of employment and labor, in terms of supply and
demand.
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP): A key accountability requirement of the
state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF); the LCAP is a three-year plan, which every
district and charter school must create and update annually with input from the community. The
LCAP is intended to explain how the district will use state funds to improve educational
outcomes for all students based on eight state priorities, with special attention to high-needs
students for whom the district received additional money. The State Board of Education
approved a template for the LCAP in January 2014 (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).

15
Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF): Signed into law on July 1, 2013, the Local
Control Funding Formula, also known as LCFF, overhauls California’s school finance system,
replacing “revenue limits” and most “categorical funds” with a per-pupil base grant plus
additional money for high-needs (low income, English learner, homeless and foster youth)
students (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).
Local Education Agency (LEA): A public board of education or other public authority
within a state that maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in
a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state. School districts
and county offices of education are both LEAs. Under the Local Control Funding Formula,
charter schools are increasingly treated as LEAs (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB): The 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in
2015. Originally passed in 1965, ESEA programs provide much of the federal funding for K-12
schools. NCLB’s provisions represented a significant change in the federal government’s
influence in public schools and districts throughout the United States, particularly in terms of
assessment, accountability, and teacher quality (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).
Pathway Standard: A statement of knowledge or skills deemed to be essential for all
students in a given career pathway (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 449).
Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCPs): Centers and programs
authorized by the California Legislature to provide individual counseling and guidance in career
technical matters to high school age youths. Each ROCP provides a CTE curriculum that
includes skill training in locally relevant occupational fields that may lead to entry-level
employment opportunities. ROCPs are required to have related business and industry advisory
committees that approve the industry-based curriculum. ROCPs collaborate with other public

16
and private agencies, labor organizations, and other associations to develop and offer relevant
courses and work-study opportunities to meet labor market demands (California CTE Standards,
2007, p. 450).
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT): A test administered by the national College Board and
widely used throughout the country as a college entrance examination. National and state
averages of scores from the SAT I Reasoning Test (formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test)
are published annually. In California, the University of California system uses an index of SAT I
and SAT II (math, English, and a third subject that a student chooses) test scores plus a student’s
grade point average for admission to its campuses for freshmen. The SAT I is also required for
some students seeking admission to the California State University system (EdSource, n.d.,
Glossary).
Socioeconomic Status: An economic and sociological combined total measure of a
person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position in
relation to others, based on household income, earners’ education, and occupation are examined,
as well as combined income, whereas for an individual’s SES only their own attributes are
assessed. However, SES is more commonly used to depict an economic difference in society as a
whole (Wikipedia, 2019, para. 1).
Soft Skills (Employability Skills): Personal attributes that enable someone to interact
effectively and harmoniously with other people (Lexico.com, 2020, para 1).
Special Needs Students: Students protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) who have or are at risk of a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional
condition and who, as a result, require additional developmental, health, mental health, or other
services and/or supports (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 450).

17
Stakeholders: Persons who have an interest in, sponsor, conduct, are directly influenced
by, use, or benefit from education projects and programs (California CTE Standards, 2007, p.
450).
Standard: In California’s career technical model curriculum standards, a broad statement
of knowledge or skills that indicates what students in a given sector or career pathway should
know or be able to do (California CTE Standards, 2007, p. 450).
Student Outcomes: Either (a) the desired learning objectives or standards that schools
and teachers want students to achieve, or (b) the educational, societal, and life effects that result
from students being educated (Great Schools Partnership, 2013, para. 1).
21st Century Skills: Refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character
traits that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and
others—to be critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in collegiate programs
and contemporary careers and workplaces. Generally speaking, 21st century skills can be applied
in all academic subject areas, and in all educational, career, and civic settings throughout a
student’s life (Great Schools Partnership, 2016, para. 1).
University of California (UC) System: The most selective of the three public systems for
postsecondary education in California. Those three systems include: two-year community
colleges, the four-year California State University (CSU) system, and the most selective
University of California (UC) system. In 2006, UC had 10 campuses with an enrollment of more
than 208,000. UC traditionally accepts the top 12.5% of high school students and qualified
community college transfers. Eligibility for high school students to enter is based on the
completion of 15 one-year college prep courses (referred to as A-G courses), high school grades,
performance on college admissions exams, advanced coursework taken, and personal attributes.
Beginning in fall 2001, the top 4% of students in the graduating class of every high school were

18
eligible for UC if they had completed 11 specific college prep courses by the end of their junior
year. Under this program, called Eligibility in the Local Context, students are admitted to a
specific campus, though not necessarily their campus of choice. Beginning in fall 2003, the Dual
Admissions policy gave students who rank between the top 4% and 12.5% at their high schools
provisional admission to a specific UC campus after first attending a community college. The
student must also have completed any nine college prep courses by the end of 11th grade. These
two policies are meant to encourage students who have excelled academically in disadvantaged
high schools to attend UC (EdSource, n.d., Glossary).

19
Chapter Two: Literature Review
The goals of education are influenced by many stakeholders in our society. Should the
end result of education create future graduates that fulfill the needs of society or should
education allow for individual hopes and ambitions of its students (Labaree, 1997)? Between the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaders from the education, labor, and business communities
collaborated to make school curriculum more responsive to the working occupational structure.
This historical trend was known as vocationalism. Lazerson and Grubb (1974) stated that these
community leaders were united in their belief that schools would become irrelevant unless they
succeeded in “better articulating educational content with future job requirements” (Labaree,
1997, p. 47). The stark reality regarding students was that one day they would leave their school
and join the workforce whether or not their school prepared them well for this next phase of life.
In 1998, the American Vocational Association changed their professional association
name to the Association of Career and Technical Education (Lynch, 2000). V ocational education
was considered to be single electives that were low-level, job-training courses. Whereas career
technical education consists of industry sectors and pathways that are “academically rigorous,
integrated, and sequenced programs of study that align with and lead to postsecondary
education” (Brand, Valent, & Browning, 2013, p. 2).
According to the 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics, a report analyzing unemployment rates
and earnings by educational attainment compared the difference between a high school graduate
and a four-year college graduate. The unemployment rate dropped by half from 4.1% to 2.2%,
which implies that the more education an individual completes, the easier it is for that individual
to find employment (U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). In addition, a high school graduate earns
a weekly median amount of $730 compared to a four-year college graduate’s average weekly
earnings of $1,198. American high school students who trained for specific occupations through

20
taking CTE courses in high school obtained better jobs, remained employed longer, and earned
significantly more than students who did not (Bishop & Mane, 2004). The aim of building high-
quality CTE programs was to align academic and rigorous standards with postsecondary
requirements as well as the skills needed in the various CTE pathways. The CTE programs and
pathways helped to reduce high school dropout rates, encourage dual-enrollment (take high
school courses while earning high school and college credits), earn industry-recognized
certificates, in addition to encouraging the continuation of their education in two- and four-year
colleges (Plank, DeLuca, & Estacion, 2005). CTE programs aim to offer internships, work-
experience, and any other type of real-world applications incorporated with classwork such as
project-based learning and linked-learning (Brand et al., 2013, p. 4).
Every school district has flexibility to select the CTE pathways that it feels are aligned to
industries that are prevalent in their region. Multiple pathways are selected in a district to provide
a course of study that would be of interest to their high school students. Included in the pathway
are academically rigorous CTE courses as well as work-based learning opportunities aligned
with the pathway. A multiple pathway is defined as “a multiyear, comprehensive high school
program of integrated academic and technical study that is organized around a broad theme,
interest area, or industry sector” (O’Connell, 2010, p. 13).
In addition, in order to teach CTE courses, high school CTE teachers need to have a CTE
teaching credential in the industry of the pathway in which they are teaching. This requires
verification of five years of industry work experience with 1,000 hours a year, either full-time or
part-time and either paid or unpaid (UC Berkeley Extension, n.d.).
CTE instructors try to offer as close to a work experience as possible in a high school
classroom setting wherever possible. This experience is referred to as work-based learning.
“Work-based learning is an educational strategy that links school-based instruction with activity

21
that has consequences and value beyond school” (Darche, Nayar, & Braco, 2009, p. 3). “The
concept of using educational and career pathways as structural career guidance is central to
CTE” (Ryken, 2006, p. 56). According to the California Education Code Article 7 [51760]:
The governing board of a district maintaining a high school may: (a) Provide for the
instruction of pupils in the skills, attitudes, and understanding necessary to succeed in
employment by means of courses of work-based learning or work experience education
as provided in this article (California Legislative Information, 2010, para. 1, 2).
CTE’s conceptual framework is closely aligned with cognitive constructivism. This
learning theory espouses that the learner’s individual learning experiences contribute to their
knowledge gained (Doolittle & Camp, 1999). The essential factors of constructivist pedagogy
consist of learning in real-world environments that are authentic (Doolittle & Camp, 1999). The
CTE industry pathways offer varying levels of student and industry engagement including work-
based learning or job shadowing, dual enrollment through a partnership with the local
community college campus whereby the CTE student attends a community college course and
receives both high school and college credit (Lekes et al., 2007). Within CTE programs,
depending on the school district and industry sector and pathway, opportunities to earn industry
certificates such as Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Associate are available. On
the downside, some students may be discouraged from taking CTE courses if they know that not
all CTE courses are approved for UC and CSU A-G admission credits (Betts, Young, Zau, &
Bachofer, 2016).
As of June 2013, funding for education took a radical turn with the Local Control
Funding Formula (LCFF) law that funded school districts with a base funding per pupil and
additional funding for high-need students, Free and Reduced-Price Meals eligible students, and
foster youth (Affeldt, 2015). The rationale behind this type of educational funding is that those

22
students who have a greater need will also “require more resources in order to have the same
opportunities to achieve meaningful outcomes” (Affeldt, 2015, p. 3). Within the LCFF funding,
an additional 2.6% was allocated to districts to fund high school career tech courses. Each Local
Education Agency, including school districts, must report the amount of supplemental and
concentration funding they spend each year according to an established formula and describe
how the funds are being used to improve or increase services for those high-needs students.
School districts are given broad discretionary latitude in spending, yet they are still held
accountable by the State to achieve yearly progress within eight priority areas. The eight areas
constitute a framework for a well-rounded education. The eight areas include: basic services,
implementation of state-adopted standards, course access, parental involvement, student
engagement, school climate, student achievement, and other student outcomes. Under student
achievement, the share of students who are college and career ready are distinctly measured.
Within this LCFF accountability framework, school districts are required to seek community
input on how to implement the Common Core State Standards and prepare students to graduate
college and career ready (Affeldt, 2015). Although full implementation of the LCFF is targeted
for 2020-2021, the redistribution of existing educational funding has not increased; adjusting for
inflation, the educational funding is still at 2007-2008 levels with California ranked an appalling
44 out of 50 states in per pupil funding (Affeldt, 2015).
Federal legislation has historically funded vocational education, now commonly known
as Career and Technical Education (CTE), since the Smith Hughes Act in 1917. In 1963 the
Vocational Education Act of 1963 was intended to provide funding to everyone while targeting
the economic and social needs that America faced. The Vocational Education Act was
subsequently amended in 1968 as well as in 1976. The 1984 Carl D. Perkins Vocational

23
Education Act replaced the Vocational Education Act of 1963 (and its revised versions from 1968
and 1976).
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990 or Perkins II was
based upon the premise that the U.S. was unable to compete in the global marketplace. Thus,
Perkins II was meant to strengthen the partnership between education and industry as well as
between school and work (Threeton, 2007, p. 68). Subsequently, the Carl D. Perkins Act of
1998 became known as Perkins III. This new legislation’s objective was to improve academic
and technical competency, incorporating academics with vocational education in addition to
“postsecondary placement of students” (Threeton, 2007, p. 69). The Carl D. Perkins CTE
Improvement Act of 2006 was signed by President Bush and allocated $1.3 billion in federal
funding to CTE programs in every state. This version of the Perkins Act was referred to as
Perkins IV and was the first legislation that used the Career and Technical Education (CTE)
title. As a result of the No Child Left Behind movement, there was a greater expectation of the
integration of academic standards into the CTE curriculum and pedagogy as part of the
preparation for students to enter the workforce (Threeton, 2007, p. 76).

24
Chapter Three: Methodology
Chapter 3 includes a review of the purpose and questions posed for this research study.
The sample and population selected will include the types of schools as well as student
characteristics at their respective schools.
The purpose of this study was to understand how Los Angeles County public school
district administrators selected the career technical education industry sector and pathways in
order to meet the California School Dashboard (CDE, 2019a) requirement of college and career
preparedness. In addition, this research examined the funding sources for their respective career
technical education programs so that these programs can thrive and better prepare their high
school students for life after high school, whether they continue with their post-secondary
education or immediately join the workforce after high school graduation.
Methodology
The mixed methods research methodology included multiple means of data collection,
which utilized both quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) (Creswell, 2014). By
utilizing the mixed methods research approach, a complete and thorough understanding of how a
career technical education program is designed and funded will emerge.
Sample and Population
The public school districts which participated were based upon cluster random sampling
as schools are considered to be embodiments of clusters, with students, classes and teachers all
contained therein (Johnson & Christensen, 2014). Cluster sampling provides a larger sample
across a larger, spread-out geography, especially in the case of Los Angeles County which is a
very populous county within the United States. In addition, the equal probability selection
method (EPSM) was used as every school district within Los Angeles County was invited to

25
participate and their participation was dependent upon their interest and timely response until a
sufficient number of school districts agreed to participate in the study.
Sampling consisted of superintendents, assistant superintendents, senior directors and
career technical education coordinators of public unified school districts within the study area.
Excluded were private schools and charter schools because they typically do not have career
technical education programs. The study group population was comprised of high schools in Los
Angeles County unified school districts. The high schools within Los Angeles County vary
geographically between urban and suburban public high schools ranging from low-income, new-
immigrant communities to affluent neighborhoods populated primarily with homeowners. The
presence of a high Title 1 and English Language Learner population will tend to be present in the
lower income demographic school districts which have received more of the state’s calculation
of the Local Control Funding Formula versus the more affluent communities that have stepped
up to do more of their own fundraising to make up for the lack of ELL, Title 1, and
homeless/foster youth Local Control Funding Formula available for their school districts.
Criterion-based selection was used to choose research participants (Johnson &
Christensen, 2014). A Likert scale was used for the responses in the survey. Purposive sampling
was utilized to seek out the leaders of school districts who had knowledge of their district’s
career technical education programs, including funding sources and decisions made by
administrators. Forty-one surveys were emailed to the superintendent offices of public school
districts within Los Angeles County. Twenty school districts responded and answered the
surveys. Interviews were conducted with seven of the superintendents or their CTE designed
who responded and indicated their willingness to participate.

26
Instrumentation
The instrumentation used included an initial phone call to the school district
superintendent’s office. A conversation with the superintendent’s executive assistant provided
the email address where the survey could be sent. Included in the survey was a request to those
who returned the survey for a subsequent in-person interview that would be recorded with their
permission.
Data Collection
After the initial response, a mutually agreed upon time was set to conduct the interview
phase of the study with the superintendent. For those recipients who did not respond, a follow-up
survey was sent out again giving the recipient another week to complete the online survey
conducted through Survey Monkey. Interviews with the respondents took place at the district
office at a mutually agreed-upon date and time.
Four research questions that will help guide this study:
1. What is the role of district administrators in developing CTE pathways to support
college and career readiness?
2. What CTE pathways have districts supported for implementation?
3. What financial resources have your district allocated to support CTE pathways?
4. What types of CTE pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and
career readiness?
Data Analysis
The conceptual framework of this qualitative study was to understand how career
technical education industry sectors and pathways were selected for their programs and funded
so that they can continue to thrive and operate within high schools. Through the research it was
discovered whether these high school programs were developing and training students to pursue

27
these job opportunities and fields of study. The regional workforce is directly impacted by the
career technical education and training offered in these high school classrooms.
Chapter 4 includes the findings from the surveys and the interviews that were completed.
Tables and individual responses represent the findings of the four research questions posed by
this researcher.

28
Chapter Four: Findings
This chapter encompasses the data collected through a mixed-methods study to examine
how Southern California school districts have developed and supported their career technical
education (CTE) industry pathways at the high school level.
The conceptual framework the researcher followed was cognitive constructivism. After
conducting both qualitative and quantitative research the results support constructivist pedagogy
in that high school students are given opportunities to learn in real-world environments (Doolittle
& Camp, 1999). The CTE programs and the industry pathways are offering varying levels of
work-based learning, industry supported programs that teach job skills, and local government
sponsored training programs leading to certification and future job opportunities. The researcher
found that there were dual enrollment opportunities at community colleges that provide high
school and college credit simultaneously. There were CTE programs that taught high school
courses with contractual articulation agreements with community colleges that provided college
credits after passing a similar college-level course exam (Lekes et al., 2007).
Participants
The quantitative aspect of this study included a survey which was emailed to 44 public
school district superintendents within Los Angeles County, and 20 responses were received back.
The seventeen questions and their results can be seen in Appendix A.
The qualitative aspect of this study included a confidential in-person 45-minute interview
with volunteer participants from the survey pool respondents. Although the original survey was
emailed to the superintendents’ offices, sometimes, the survey was answered by someone who
worked more closely with the CTE programs at the district level. Thus, the interviews were, in
certain instances, conducted with individuals whom the superintendent recommended These
seven individuals who were interviewed held the following job titles: three were superintendents,

29
two were assistant superintendents, one was a senior director of secondary curriculum and
instruction and one was a career technical education coordinator. In addition, six of the
participants were female and one was male. Although not part of the study, five of the seven
people interviewed had earned advanced degrees and doctorates in education. Two individuals
had earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership or a Master’s in Educational Management. The
number of high schools within their districts ranged from two to five. Geographically, all of the
school districts were located within Los Angeles County.
Based on the California Dashboard College and Career Readiness Metric for 2019, the
school districts that participated included these color-coded performance levels: one each in
orange and yellow color, and four in green. On the California School Dashboard for the
college/career readiness calculation, there are five performance measures represented by five
colors. The colors range from the lowest performance to the highest performance (Red, Orange,
Yellow, Green, and Blue). Red represents worse than 10%, orange represents 10% or better,
yellow represents 35% or better, green represents 55% or better and blue represents 70% or
better (Camp, 2019).
There were two district administrator participants from the same district, which is why
only six districts were represented in the study.
Table 1
Qualitative Survey Response Results
Measure Invitees Interview Participants % Participants
District
administrators
44 7 16%

30
Table 2
Qualitative Interview: District Administrator Demographics
Administrator
Title
Gender Race Years in
Education
Terminal
Degree
Subject
Taught
Years in
Current
Position
Age
(A)Superintendent Male Filipino-
American
29 Ed. D. Counselor 5 53
(B) Superintendent Female Declined
to state

(C) Superintendent Female Armenian
(Caucasian)
34 Ed. D. English 7 56
(D) Assistant
Superintendent
Female Declined
to state

(E) Assistant
Superintendent
Female Latina 30 Masters in
Educational
Leadership
Spanish,
English,
ELD
8 60
(F) Senior Director Female Caucasian 24 Masters in
Educational
Management
English,
Social
Science
3 49
(G) CTE
Coordinator
Female Armenian
(Caucasian)
12 Ed. D.
Educational
Leadership
Counseling 2 39

31
Table 3
Interview Participant’ s District Enrollment Data
District Enrollment Ethnic
Breakdown
English
Learner
Free or
Reduced-Price
Lunch
A 16,000 79.6% Hispanic
6.45 Not
Reported
5% Asian
3% White
3#5 African
American
1.4% Filipino
0.8% Two or
More races
0.6% American
Indian or Alaska
Native
0.1% Pacific
Islander
19% 83%
B 20.500 74.4% Hispanic
11% African
American 4.9%
Filipino
4.9% White
3.7% Asian
1.2% Two or
More Races
18.5% 50%
C 5,442 64.6% Hispanic
18.9% White
5.3% African
American
5% Asian
3.1% Two or
More Races
2.7% Filipino
0.2% American
Indian or Alaska
Native
0.1% Pacific
Islander
0.1% Not
Reported
55 3,037

32
District Enrollment Ethnic
Breakdown
English
Learner
Free &
Reduced Lunch
E 15.203 47.2% White
34.5% Hispanic
5.3% Asian
4.4% Two or
More Races
3.9% Filipino
2.6% African
American
1.8% Not
Reported
0.2% American
Indian or Alaska
Native
0.1% Pacific
Islander
1,583 5,406
F 10,055 52.5% Hispanic
27% White
6.2% Asian
6.1% Two or
More Races
2.9% African
American
2.8% Not
Reported
2.3% Filipino
0.1% American
Indian or Alaska
Native
0.1% Pacific
Islander
596 3,799
G 25,789 58.4% White
20.5% Hispanic
11.6% Asian
5.2% Filipino
2.9% Two or
More Races
1.1% African
American
0.2% American
Indian or Alaska
Native
0.1% Pacific
Islander
5,942 12,956

33
Findings by Research Question
The overarching research questions that guided this study were
1. What is the role of district administrators in developing CTE pathways to support college
and career readiness?
2. What CTE pathways have districts supported for implementation?
3. What financial resources have your district allocated to support CTE pathways?
4. What types of CTE pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and career
readiness?
Results Research Question One
What is the role of district administrators in developing CTE pathways to support college
and career readiness?
Theme One. The role of district administrators involves establishing the professional
relationship between the school district and the respective external organization. This
relationship could be with any number of industry partners, including companies in the CTE
industry pathway such as a technology company, a community partner, the local government, a
workforce development agency, a regional occupational program, a community college or a 4-
year university. By partnering with the high school district administrators, business and
community leaders are made “aware of work-based learning opportunities, internships, job
shadowing and mentoring so that they can support our high school students and their futures as
well as meet the workforce needs of their respective organizations and industries” (Hyslop, 2009,
.p 43). These community partners provide significant assistance to CTE programs (Career
Technical Education Framework for California Public Schools, 2007). “Only through dynamic,
two-way partnerships will CTE and business and industry be able to successfully compete in the
21st century global economy” (Hyslop, 2009, p. 43).

34
Superintendent A shared the benefits of their new CTE program gained through a
partnership with a technology company. The education-industry partnerships at the executive
level garnered infrastructure support, industry provided training of the curriculum for the CTE
instructor, industry donated equipment, and workplace fieldtrips for the students, teachers and
administrators. “CTE programs rely on partnerships with employers to deliver content and
provide learning opportunities outside the classroom, such as Cisco in the Information and
Communication Technologies sector” (Superintendent A, personal communication, January 23,
2020).
In other schools, industry contributors have included AECOM in the engineering and
architecture sector, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC), California Society of CPAs (CalCPA),
University of Southern California Leventhal School of Accounting, and Network for Teaching
Entrepreneurship (NFTE ) in the business and finance sector. These organizations have partnered
with schools, allowed fieldtrips where applicable, and provided classroom guest speakers to
provide real-world experiences to be shared with high school students. Employers provide
information about the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for career progression in the
industry clusters (Brand, Vallent, & Browning, 2013, p. 5).
“Other times the partnerships were established with other academic institutions such as
community colleges for creating articulation agreements which gives college credit for college
classes taken while in high school,” said Assistant Superintendent D. That approach, when
combined with rigorous high school instruction and dual enrollment opportunities will help
smooth students’ transition to postsecondary success (Brand et al., 2013, p. 12). Assistant
Superintendent E stated,
It’s my responsibility to make sure that we have all of the liaisons that we need between
the business community, between the different learning institutions (local community

35
colleges) with whom we have articulation agreements. So, it’s my job to make sure that
we have all of that correct and in place so that we can work together.
Senior Director F works in conjunction with a local community college who collects
workforce data. She meets with the high school administrator and advisory groups to review the
workforce data. Then, with the assistance of the high school administration and the CTE
teachers, Senior Director F creates the survey that is sent to students in grades 9 through 11 to
gauge their interest in consideration of offering a new CTE pathway. “Students learned that they
could influence the ways in which they were taught; they came to trust that their voices
mattered” (Kane & Chimwayange, 2014, p. 63).
Theme Two. Another role that district administrators play is to ensure that the CTE
courses taught have been submitted to the University of California High School Articulation
Office for evaluation of quality and rigor. CTE courses typically fall in the category of UC “g”
college-preparatory elective courses, of which one year is required for admission consideration
by both the UC and CSU. Superintendent B works closely with two other individuals at the
district level, a director of educational services as well as a supervisor of secondary
curriculum/instruction, to ensure that all of their CTE pathway courses offered are approved by
the UC and CSU to meet college admission requirements. “The benefit of this is that all of the
CTE courses taken as electives by their high school students will count towards their UC/CSU
admission requirements” said Superintendent B and CTE Coordinator G in separate interviews.
Thus, by taking CTE courses that have been approved for UC admission requirements, the CTE
pathways are preparing their students for college as well as a career. “A curriculum that shows
how academic knowledge and skills are used in the world of work may motivate more students
to persevere in the academic courses that prepare them for college” (Stern & Stearns, 2006, p. 6).

36
By contrast, “most high schools offer CTE courses to prepare students for a variety of careers
that may or may not require a bachelor’s degree” (Betts, Zau & Bachofer, 2013, p.18).
Theme Three. The third theme was that the districts “have expanded the CTE pathways
to the middle school level” said Superintendent B, Superintendent C, and Assistant
Superintendent E. Superintendent C’s district has begun offering computer programming as
early as kindergarten. In addition, Superintendent B said,
school districts are increasingly offering CTE programs at the feeder middle schools in
order to introduce the career pathways at an earlier age so that students will already have
familiarity with some of the skills taught in the CTE pathways in high school.
“The culinary pathway has been taught at the middle school level” for districts of Superintendent
F and Superintendent G.
In summary, the researcher found that district administrators provided a vision of CTE
pathways that started with their high schools, expanded it to include middle schools and even
some elementary schools, and then merged post-secondary educational opportunities through
articulation agreements and dual enrollment with community colleges.
Results Research Question Two
What CTE pathways have districts supported for implementation?
Theme One. The state of California currently has 15 CTE industry sectors and 58
pathways. Thus, there is great leeway and latitude for school districts to select from in terms of
their CTE program offerings. The commonality in the pathways that have been supported for
implementation is a direct connection to workforce skills in demand and specifically to job
opportunities. The superintendents and other district administrators interviewed selected CTE
program offerings that provided their students those types of opportunities.

37
Superintendent A’s district currently has two new programs that were discussed with the
researcher: the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HV AC) program, which is offered
through the Building and Construction Trades sector and the Mechanical Systems Installation
and Repair pathway, as well as the Networking pathway which is offered through the
Information and Communication Technologies sector. Superintendent B stated, “Our district has
supported the Automotive [Transportation industry sector and Systems Diagnostics, Service, &
Repair pathway] and the Welding pathways (Building and Construction Trades industry sector
and the Engineering and Heavy Construction pathway).” Superintendent A continued, “Our
students can continue their education in these trades industry by attending their local community
college to take additional courses in order to earn either an industry certificate or an associate of
arts [A.A.] degree.” It was also found that “employers would prefer to hire students with college
credentials over those with only high school and students are more likely to secure a well-paying
job with a postsecondary credential than without” (Kazis, 2005, p.5).
Theme Two. The researcher recognized, in some school districts, administrators
supported implementing CTE pathways that provided job training skills at other organizations’
premises to offer CTE programs, either due to prohibitive infrastructure expense to build a
training environment or due to the expertise offered by the outside organization. Superintendent
B’s district is partnered with the Electrical Training Institute, the number one electrical training
institute in California. Senior Director F’s district is partnered with the Career and Technical
Education Center located at the Los Angeles County Fairplex to offer industry sector training
programs in Automotive, Manufacturing and Welding, as well as Energy, Utilities and Water
distribution. The Los Angeles County Fairplex welding facility cost $2 million dollars to
construct, and they only accept 15 students per class due to the limited supply of welding
helmets and other equipment needed for each student. The districts of Superintendent B and

38
Senior Director F are finding alternative ways to supplement their CTE program offerings by
utilizing external resources to prepare their students for high school graduation, college, and
career. “High school career programs must respond more quickly and effectively to where the
economy is headed, to the occupations that offer opportunity in local labor markets, to the jobs of
tomorrow’s economy rather than yesterday’s” (Kazis, 2005, p. 7).
The Southern California school districts that participated in the qualitative phase of this
study offered numerous CTE pathways for their student populations. Some districts aligned their
pathway selection based on external workforce data, and other districts polled their students to
determine student interest and some other districts used both methods to implement new
pathways.
Results Research Question Three
What financial resources has your district allocated to support CTE pathways?
Theme One. All of the district administrators interviewed contributed their own
district’s funding to support their CTE programs. The Carl Perkins federal government grant
requirement is meant to “supplement and not supplant” state or local funding for CTE programs
(Dortch, 201). In other words, Carl Perkins grants are meant to supplement district resources
spent towards CTE and are not to be the sole source of funding for CTE programs. Also, a state
must maintain or exceed its CTE expenditures per student or the aggregate CTE expenditures for
the second preceeding fiscal year compared to the preceeding fiscal year” (Dortch, 2012, p. 26).
Assistant Superintendent D stated,
CTE funding comes from various sources including the Local Control and Accountability
Plan [LCAP] and the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant [CTEIG], which is a grant they
applied to jointly with five other districts through a regional occupational program [ROP]. The

39
writing for the CTEIG grant was handled by an external ROP administration and the grant
awards were provided to all six school districts that applied together.
As allowed by the California Department of Education, the CTEIG allows ROCPs to apply for
the CTEIG grant as a member of a consortium (California Department of Education, 2016, p. 5).
The LCFF was signed into law by Governor Brown on July 1, 2013 and replaced 40
years of categorical funding. The LCFF allows school districts to provide services to English
learners, low-income students and homeless and foster youth. Expanding CTE pathways is
allowable under LCAP expenditures and members of the above listed subgroups are enrolled in
the CTE programs in addition to the general student population. The LCAP is a centerpiece of
the LCFF “that brings together parents, students, staff, community, civil rights groups, and board
members to talk about where (we are), where we want to be, and how we get there. It’s about
setting goals and looking at progress…to see how close we are to reaching those goals”
(Koppich, Humphrey, & Marsh, 2015, p. 5).
The financial resources to support CTE pathways at Superintendent B’s district include
CTEIG, CTE facilities program, K-12 Strong Workforce grant and LCAP program funds that can
be utilized to support students who are of low socioeconomic status, English learners, homeless
and foster youth. Superintendent B said,
All of those groups of students are important to us and so in order to augment some of
our district resources for these particular student groups, it’s important for us to allocate
those resources to support the CTE programs as these groups of students are enrolled in
these classes as well.
Superintendent B added,
The CTE Facilities program is a California state grant that has helped us to build our
media center at one of our high schools. The Strong Workforce grant is a collaboration

40
between our high school and three neighboring community colleges. Through this grant it
is possible that our own high school teachers can be teaching the CTE dual enrollment
classes or alternatively an instructor from the community college can come to teach at
one of our high schools.
Dual enrollment is defined as taking college classes while still in high school and earning
both high school and college credits simultaneously. These courses are approved for credit at the
partnering community college and are most often taught on the high school campus. The
advantage of dual enrollment for high school CTE students is that it “magnifies the impact of an
additional CTE course by doubling the probability that a student will enroll in a two-year college
the year after graduation” (Dougherty, 2016, p.5).
As a smaller school district, Superintendent C’s district created a consortium with three
nearby districts and applied for the CTEIG grant, which helped create additional CTE pathways.
Doing so provided “a better chance at being awarded the grant,” stated Superintendent C. “The
consortium continues to this day and the collaboration has allowed us to share resources,
expertise and a common focus, in addition to the joint discussions that have helped all of our
programs,” pointed out Superintendent C.
Assistant Superintendent E provided details of their district’s CTE funding for two high
schools and a middle school: Carl Perkins grant, LCAP for materials, supplies, extra assignments
for CTE teachers, staffing, industry foundation grant contributing towards STEM (engineering
and medical CTE pathways), CTEIG, and K12 Strong Workforce. Student outcomes of pathway
completions are required by the K12 Strong Workforce. “The Carl Perkins grant is the federal
government’s contribution to CTE, estimated at 5 percent (Dortch, 2012) with state and local
dollars supporting teachers’ salaries and much of the CTE infrastructure” (Brand et al., 2013).
Coordinator G elaborated,

41
Our district has budgeted for the CTE pathways as follows: we have the local control
funding formula, the LCFS and we also have general funds that the district allocates. So
anytime we receive grants we need to have a district match. We have to show that our
district is supporting the programs and that if these grants were to go away, that we would
be able to sustain these programs. Our district does provide local funds and general funds
for CTE programs and that way where there is an opportunity to apply for a grant such as
the K12 Strong Workforce, the CPA [California Partnership Academy grant], the CTEIG
[Career Technical Education Incentive Grant] or the SSP grant [Specialized Secondary
Programs], that we have the match that is required. Usually for all of the grants, it’s a
two-to-one match, which means for every $1 that the state gives us, we have to show $2
support from the district.
Senior Director F’s district CTE program was historically small so that they received very little
Carl Perkins federal government grant funding. Senior Director F stated,
Our district supplemented the CTE budget with LCFF money that we gave to each high
school primarily to offset CTE teachers’ salaries. CTEIG grant funding receives
approximately $350,000 annually and we have eighteen years to expend the money but
we can reapply every year.
The larger school districts (B, E, and G) have applied and have been awarded grants for funding
their CTE programs. Smaller school districts (A, C, and D) have collaborated, jointly applied, and been
awarded the CTEIG grant. District administrators recognize that the funding is crucial for the success of
their CTE pathways and the more creative educational leaders also seek out business industry partners
whose core businesses align with a CTE pathway, and the benefits can be mutually rewarding: success
of high school students learning job skills, earning an industry recognized certificate, and the industry

42
partner preparing future employees coming into their workforce pipeline via the students being prepared
for a career through CTE.
Results Research Question Four
What types of CTE pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and career
readiness?
Theme One. The response to research question four was interpreted by the district
administrators as the results from the tracking outreach after their students graduated from high
school. By reaching out to their high school graduates, they were able to determine whether
those students continued in the CTE industry pathway, either by working in that field or by
continuing that course of study. That result would have been deemed “effective” by having
prepared the high school student for their college or career readiness.
In order to measure which CTE pathways have been effective in improving college and
career readiness, Superintendent A, Assistant Superintendent E, and Senior Director F spoke of
their district’s efforts to either call or email their high school graduates. However, depending on
the tracking criteria of the high school and the organization that required the data, if the student
was enrolled in college, that was also an indicator of success. Superintendent A, stated,
the CA Dashboard tracking of pathway completion which is now required by the state [of
California] as one way of determining how many students have completed pathways
although alternatively that merely measures passing the CTE courses they were enrolled
in…Ideally the tracking of students which we have done previously is to actually call our
graduates and see whether or not they were continuing to go to college or went to college
within 18 months of their high school graduation.
According to Assistant Superintendent E,

43
It’s difficult to track what types of CTE pathways have proven to be more effective. We
are required to track [students] with both the Perkins as well as with the K12 Strong
Workforce grant, so we’re in the process of calling, but, every year, we call our seniors
from the previous year that have completed career technical education pathways and ask
them what they’re doing. We haven’t really tracked by individual pathways. It’s been
more as a group, and we haven’t measured how that’s changed. One thing that’s
happening is they are looking more at that with the CALPASS [California Partnership for
Achieving Student Success] system. They are trying to measure it at the state level.
Assistant Superintendent E continued, “We changed our data system this year to track it more
accurately. We’re going to be more diligent about asking for their personal emails before they
leave us.”
Senior Director F, when asked by the researcher which CTE pathways have proven to be
effective, explained,
That’s elusive data to get even though we’re required to report out. We were required to
survey students after graduation to find out. It is really difficult to collect that data
because we don’t always have accurate email addresses or working phone numbers for
them. We use National Clearinghouse, and their data shows us that culinary is one of our
pathways where kids actually do end up working in that field. National Clearinghouse
surveys 85% of all colleges and universities and so they’ll provide you data on when
students enrolled in a two-year or four-year, after four years, did they receive a two- or
four-year degree, did they receive some kind of an industry certificate, and if so in what?
Senior Director F continued the explanation of what they do with that data,
After we get that data, we review the data with the secondary principals and see where
the students are going after they graduate. Like, this many kids are successful and going

44
on to four-year universities. Or are we preparing enough kids to go to two-year colleges
and get a technical degree, where do most of our students end up going? There are trade
schools that are part of Clearinghouse so two-year technical schools report too, not just
universities and community colleges, stated Senior Director F.
Theme Two. From the interviews with the various participants, the researcher concluded
that one measure of tracking pathway effectiveness was by the level of jobs offered to the high
school graduates as well as industry certificates awarded in the CTE pathway.
According to Superintendent C, “our video production pathway has been effective in
terms of student interest and in winning competitions. With our automotive science, our students
have been successful and are able to secure jobs following graduation.” Superintendent C shared
that they have begun to offer CTE pathways at the middle (video production and graphic design)
and elementary (computer programming) school levels.
Superintendent B stated,
Whatever pathways we have created is because of the demand from the students. If there
is no demand or interest from the students, then we don’t offer the classes anymore. We
have auto shop and welding classes that we offer that are in the trades industry. Then, the
students are able to continue their education after high school at the local community
colleges, to study for the certifications in that field. So, it’s not necessarily just those that
are in the academics like computer science, for example, but it’s also related to the trades
industry. We want students to make sure that there are opportunities for them regardless
of whether they want to go on to college or not. And so, if they’re not going on to
college, they need certification. We want to be able to make sure that they have an
avenue for that.
CTE Coordinator G responded to research question 4 in this manner:

45
The established CTE pathways that have proven to be effective have grown in terms of
popularity. The teachers make a huge impact, the engagement piece, the project-based
learning, the work-based learning, those are all programs that have relevance to the
students today. Our construction academy has existed for many years and it needed to be
updated. This year we’ve partnered with our local city government and we’re offering a
building safety inspection program for those students. And the city is providing training
for ten of our students. And the hope is that they’ll get the certifications needed through
ICC, which is the International Code Council for Building and Safety. And that way they
can get internships at the city.
Theme Three. “CTE courses often combine classroom-based instruction with work-
based learning, internships or apprenticeships” (Brand et al., 2013, p. 9). “Project-based learning
is a common instructional strategy in CTE courses and programs” (Brown, et al., 2013, p. 6).
“Project based learning is a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning
essential knowledge and life-enhancing skills through an extended, student-influenced inquiry
process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and
tasks” (Mergendoller, Markham, Ravitz, & Lamer, 2006, p. 9). According to CTE Coordinator G,
We do cross-industry sector projects. For example, our digital arts teachers designed and
created the wraps for the band trucks. So, they worked on the design. Our engineering
teacher works for the construction academy. Our digital arts teacher works with our
engineering teacher to do 3-D printing of work that students do on that platform. Our
cinematography program needed to fulfil their capstone project offsite for four days and
so they had the culinary students cook meals for them. They had the engineering students
build sets for them with the construction. So, it was kind of like cross-curricular
engagement. So, we do multiple, different types of projects that way.

46
According to Assistant Superintendent D, their Arts, Media and Entertainment sector
offers the Design, Visual and Media Arts pathway which teaches their students graphic arts and
silk screening. Through project-based learning opportunities in this pathway, students have
created artwork designs for t-shirts and even designed imprints for sneakers that have been
created for businesses in the community on a for-profit basis. “By giving students the creative
freedom to design artwork utilizing the skills that their instructor has taught them and charging
for their services, the students are a lot more engaged and vested into their learning experience,”
pointed out Assistant Superintendent D.
Summary
The findings, revealed through the interviews with the various administrators at the
district level, provided a rich and in-depth look at the career technical education offerings
available to southern California high school students. The researcher found that, due to the
increased grant funding from the state of California through the CTEIG grant, the school districts
have been able to purchase equipment necessary to build the infrastructure of select CTE
programs. Another finding from the California Dashboard was that adding the completion of
CTE industry pathways into the college and career readiness indicator measurement was needed
by the district administrators to increase their collaborative efforts in working with the school
district’s IT department to ensure for accurate tracking of completed CTE coursework.
The researcher also found that allowing schools to select from 15 industry sectors and 58
industry pathways provides great flexibility and leeway for high schools to provide CTE courses
as electives that are both interesting and practical in preparing students for the future, whether it
be to continue their education at a trade school, community college, 4-year university or joining
the workforce immediately after high school. It was found that some districts partnered with
local government agencies who provided job outlook data as the basis for offering certain CTE

47
pathways whereas other districts relied more on student interest and demand to determine which
ones to offer.
However, the CTE industry pathway options available in the districts were broad enough
to appeal to the artistic, mechanical, and college-bound students. The skills they will learn in
these classes will be supported with passing industry certification exams, which will attest to
their future employers that their knowledge and skills are on par with industry acceptable levels.
Chapter Five continues with an overall summary of the research study including findings
and further implications.

48
Chapter Five: Discussion
The stakeholders interviewed indicated their CTE programs play a pivotal role in helping
their students make meaningful connections between the academic content they study and the
real-world focus of CTE. CTE is an educational strategy for providing young people with the
academic, technical, and employability skills and knowledge to pursue postsecondary training or
higher education and enter a career field prepared for ongoing learning (Partnership for 21st
Century Skills, Association for Career and Technical Education, & National Association of State
Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2010). CTE helps bridge a skills gap that is
a workforce challenge in the United States (Fletcher & Tyson, 2017). There are not enough
people to fill jobs requiring less than a bachelor’s degree, including a high school diploma, a
postsecondary certificate or an associate degree. There are more than 30 million jobs that pay a
median wage of $55,000 or more and require these “middle skills.” However, because there are
more jobs than people to fill them, this gap has an overall impact on American economic
competitiveness. Therefore, the federal government firmly supports CTE as a solution for this
critical employment issue such that Congress in 2018 passed federal legislation to reauthorize the
Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century, also known as Perkins V
(U. S. Department of Education, 2019).
In this study, stakeholders indicated that CTE programs give their students choices for
career paths, whether it be in the trades (HV AC, automotive, airplane repair), the service industry
(culinary, cosmetology), the medical industry (medical technician, sports medicine) or
technology industry (networking and gaming), or business and engineering pathways that bridge
to a 4-year degree.
A key finding was the discussion of meaningful partnerships created to benefit the CTE
programs. Participating districts are building meaningful partnerships with companies in

49
industry. Leaders at these companies are willing to invest time to train the high school CTE
teachers who need to teach the curriculum. They also provide other resources to support student
learning such as fieldtrips to company workplace sites to show high school students where they
could one day be an employee.
Assistant Superintendent D shared details about a field trip to a tech company with an
open floorplan, beanbags for chairs, and pool tables for employees along with meals and
unlimited snacks provided by the employer. This type of employer-sponsored fieldtrip has a
greater impact on students than merely telling them about it. The districts are maximizing the
CTE pathway opportunities and seeking out the areas with a demand for skilled high school and
college graduates to fill employment vacancies. They are then preparing students to fill these
vacancies in the CTE classrooms.
The relationships also bridge multiple school districts in order to apply for CTEIG grant
funds to expand existing pathways and create new ones, according to Superintendent C. Another
creative partnership that CTE Coordinator G discussed was between their construction pathway
and their local city building department that provided student training and industry-recognized
certification as well as jobs after graduation.
In fact, two of the new purposes of the law allude to the theme of “supporting
partnerships among secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, baccalaureate degree granting
institutions, area career and technical education schools, local workforce investment boards,
business and industry, and intermediaries” and “providing individuals with opportunities
throughout their lifetimes to develop, in conjunction with other education and training programs,
the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United States competitive” (Hyslop, 2009, p.42).
A common theme was that the CTE programs were progressing towards the higher
education route, with community college articulation as well as at the adult school level in some

50
districts, and the pathways were spanning across the elementary and middle school levels as
well. The reason for this common trend, according to Administrator B, was that “this way the
younger students would already know about the career options offered at the high school levels
as well as be prepared for those courses in those pathways.” “As CTE continues to evolve into
an academically rigorous pathway that offers students an opportunity to learn in context, it has
become a viable approach to ensure that students are ready for both careers and college. In an
economy that requires well-trained and highly skilled professionals, it is a method for endowing
young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful members proven of the
workforce” (Brand et al., 2013).
It was found that the benefit of dual enrollment for high school students that taking
college courses gives them the confidence to complete college-level work while still in a
supportive high school (Brand et al., 2013). Superintendent B stated,
We have certain grants that allow us to work with local community colleges to offer dual
enrollment CTE courses. Sometimes it’s our own high school teachers and other times
it’s the community college instructor coming to our high school campus to teach a class.
At Assistant Superintendent D’s district,
We’re offering dual credit courses for elective courses in the general education subjects,
such as sign language or psychology, so that it will grab their interest, and we’re hoping
that motivates them to realize they can handle a college course and will want to go to
college.
The researcher also found that pathway selection was based on multiple inputs, including local
workforce employment outlook projections and regional industry demands as well as student
interest.

51
The district administrators interviewed were genuinely excited about their newly created
CTE programs as well as the expansion of existing ones. These efforts provide students with the
opportunity to enter the workforce after high school (career ready) or an opportunity to earn an
industry-recognized certificate and proceed onto college (college ready). The methodology for
tracking the success of the separate pathways or an entire program is at various stages at the
different districts. Assistant Superintendent E outlined their district’s plan to follow up with their
graduates to determine if they continued their CTE pathways either in employment or
educational pursuits whereas other districts do not track the results consistently at this time. This
situation is not unusual, as Hughes and Karp (2006) noted,
Because pathways encompass multiple education sectors, data collection becomes
complicated. Ideally, Hughes and Karp would like to be able to follow individual students
from high school into the labor market… so we could understand what happens to
participants at each stage in their education and career path. This would require the
collection and use of data across multiple institutions… to follow students from high
school into college, (p. 13)
It was found that few states collect and use student enrollment data across K-12 and post-
secondary institutions (Hughes & Karp, 2006). However, in California, a grant from the
California Community College Chancellor’s Office helped to develop the Cal-PASS system. This
system encourages universities, community colleges, and K–12 school districts to work together
to collect and analyze data to track students’ education paths. “Eight years after their expected
graduation date, students who focused on career and technical education (CTE) courses while in
high school had higher median annual earnings than students who did not focus on CTE” (U. S.
Department of Education, 2019).

52
It was found that, based on Carl D. Perkins federal government grant funding
requirements, all of the interviewees either mentioned their CTE programs participate in work-
based learning, collaborate with a neighboring community college to offer dual enrollment
courses, or had multiple CTE industry pathways offering a recognized postsecondary credential.
Implications for Practice
The district administrators interviewed shared detailed insights into the design and
development of CTE pathways within six Southern California school districts. The implication
this researcher found was the CTE administrators that partnered with local city or county
workforce development agencies were provided with workforce outlook data on which they
could base their CTE pathway selection and funding allocations.
The beneficial partnership between various entities in our community has intersecting
commonality with high school students in CTE programs:
In 2013, the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board commissioned the Los
Angeles Economic Development Corporation to determine what industries would
constitute in demand, high growth sectors that would sustain career-oriented pathways for
jobseekers in Los Angeles County. The following growth sectors were recommended by
LAEDC and adopted by the WIB as the seven primary industries that should be
emphasized when aligning our workforce, education and training efforts. (America’s Job
Center of California, High Growth Business Sectors Section, n.d.).
In addition, this industry partner encourages their business partners to become a Youth
Worksite with an online application on their website (America’s Job Center of California,
YEAR). Such work-based learning or school-to-work transitions are enhanced by this
government agency’s policy and program (Bremer & Madzar, 1995). High school CTE program
allow for building strong relationships with various strategic partners to help prepare students for

53
college and career while benefitting employers to build a talent pipeline and provide U.S.
businesses with the workers to remain globally competitive.
Future Research
From the rich conversations garnered during the qualitative aspect of this study, several
topics arose that were deemed important by this researcher to be considered for future research.
1. Additional research should be conducted on the impact of industry partnerships with
specific CTE sectors and the benefits for both the industry partner and the educational partner,
including the participating student.
2. Future research should be conducted on the impact of CTE programs that are now
being offered at the middle school and the college and career impact that has on these students
after high school.
3. Subsequent research should be conducted on the impact of the CTEIG grants that have
allowed for significant investment in CTE programs and how that has benefitted the students
participating in those pathways.
The state of California launched the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data
System (CALPADS) in 2009 to meet the federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) Act of 2001. In relation to this study, CTE pathway completion will be recorded for
each high school student as well as the younger grade level students in K-8 who may be taking
CTE classes even in the absence of a formal CTE program. The data will be reported to the U.S.
Education Department for the Carl Perkins federal grant.
The CTE data collected will pertain to students who are CTE participants, who have
finished one school year of a CTE program, enrolled in a concentrator class or was designated as
a completer of a CTE pathway (California Department of Education, n.d.). With this level of

54
reporting for each student in the state to the federal government, it is safe to say that CTE will be
an integral strategy utilized in education to bridge the college and college gap.
Conclusions
The research that was conducted to answer the four research questions provided this
researcher in-depth knowledge and understanding of the work these district administrators have
undertaken to build and strengthen their CTE programs. The strategies shared by interviewees at
school districts who maximized the potential of their CTE pathways were bold, creative and
utilized industry employment data to select new pathways for introduction as well as continued
funding for existing pathways that provided students with employment opportunities after
graduation.
In conclusion, the high school students in these Southern California school districts will
benefit from completing a CTE pathway at their high school as a result of their district
administrators creating successful partnerships with businesses, governments, and other
educational institutions. The CTE programs examined are but a microcosm of the many other
CTE programs offered at high schools throughout the state and country as CTE strives to prepare
youth to fill the job market shortage (Society for Human Resource Management, 2019).

55
References
Affeldt, J. T. (2015). New accountability in California through local control funding reforms: The
promise and the gaps. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(23), 1-20.
America’s Job Center of California. Retrieved from https://workforce.lacounty.gov/news-
events/.
Association for Career and Technical Education (2019). State policies impacting CTE: 2018
Year in review. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.acteonline.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/01/2018_State_CTE_Policy_Review.pdf
Betts, J. R., Young, S. M., Zau, A. C., & Bachofer, K. V . (2016). College prep for all, Part II: Will
San Diego students meet challenging new graduation requirements? Retrieved from
https://sandera.ucsd.edu/publications/College%20Prep%20Part%20II.pdf
Betts, J. R., Zau, A. C., & Bachofer, K. V. (2013). College readiness as a graduation
requirement. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California.
Bishop, J. H., & Mane, F. (2004). The impacts of career-technical education on high school labor
market success. Economics of Education Review, 23(4), 381-402.
Brand, B. (2008, May). Supporting high quality career and technical education through federal
and state policy. American Youth Policy Forum. Retrieved from http://www.aypf.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/07/Supporting-High-Quality-CTE.pdf
Brand, B., Valent, A., & Browning, A. (2013). How career and technical education can help
students be college and career ready: A primer. College and Career Readiness and
Success Center. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED555696.pdf
California CTE Standards and Framework Advisory Group. (2007). Career technical education
framework for California public schools: Grades seven through twelve. Retrieved from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/documents/cteframework.pdf

56
California Department of Education. (n.d.). Career technical education: A program of study that
involves a multiyear sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with
technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to
postsecondary education and careers. Retrieved from https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct
California Department of Education. (n.d.). Career technical education participant. Retrieved
from https://documentation.calpads.org/Glossary/EndofYearData/CareerTechnical
Education(CTE)Participant/
California Department of Education. (2010). Multiple pathways to student success: Envisioning
the new California high school. Retrieved from https://www.wested.org/resources/
multiple-pathways-to-student-success/
California Department of Education. (2015). LCFF frequently asked questions. Retrieved from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/lcfffaq.asp
California Department of Education. (2015). Career Technical Education Incentive Grant.
Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/pk/
California Department of Education. (2019a). California school dashboard and system of
support. Retrieved from https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/cm/
California Department of Education. (2019b). College/career readiness calculation. Retrieved
from https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/cm/ccical.asp
California Department of Education. (2019c). Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/
California Department of Education. (2019d). CTE model curriculum standards. Retrieved from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/ctemcstandards.asp
California Department of Education. (2019e). Local Control Funding Formula overview.
Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/lcffoverview.asp

57
California Department of Education. (2019f). State priority related resources. Retrieved from
www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/statepriorityresources.asp
California Legislative Information. (2009). California Education Code. Section 51228, Article 3
(b). Retrieved from http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?
lawCode=EDC§ionNum=51228
California Legislative Information. (2010). California education code. Article 7, 517860 and
(a). Retrieved from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?
lawCode=EDC&division=4.&title=2.&part=28.&chapter=5.&article=7
Cal-PASS Plus (n.d.). Actionable data on education. Retrieved from
https://www.calpassplus.org/Home
Camp, J. (2019). California’ s dashboard for college and career success. Retrieved from
https://ed100.org/blog/college-and-career-dashboard
Career Department of Education. (2007). Technical education framework for california public
schools (Grades seven through twelve). Retrieved from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/documents/cteframework.pdf
Carl D. Perkins CTE Improvement Act of 2006. (2006). Public Law 109-270 to amend the Carl
D. Perkins V ocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 to improve the Act. Retrieved
from https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ270/PLAW-109publ270.pdf
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. (2019, July 1). Retrieved from
https://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/Carl%20D.%20Perkins%20Career%20And%20Tech
nical%20Education%20Act%20Of%202006.pdf
Castellano, M. E., Richardson, G. B., Sundell, K., & Stone, J. R., III. (2015). Preparing students
for college and career in the United States: The effects of career-themed programs of
study on high school performance. Vocations and Learning, 10(1) 47-70.

58
Chiefs for Change. (2019). Let’ s get to work learning from success in career and technical
education. Retrieved from http://chiefsforchange.org/policy-paper/6720/
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2019). Preparing America’ s students for success.
Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/
Conley, D. T., & McGaughy, C. (2012). College and career readiness: Same or different?
Educational Leadership, 69(7), 28-34.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Darche, S., Nayar, N., & Bracco Reeves, K. (2009). Work-based learning in California:
Opportunities and models for expansion. Retrieved from
https://www.wested.org/online_pubs/workbasedlearning.pdf
Doolittle, P. E., & Camp, W. G. (1999). Constructivism: The career and technical education
perspective. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 16(1). Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ598590.pdf
Dortch, C. (2012). Carl D. Perkins career and technical education act of 2006: Background and
performance.
Dougherty, S. M. (2016). Career and technical education in high school: Does it improve student
outcomes? Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
EdSource. (n.d.) Glossary of education terms. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/glossary
Fletcher Jr, E. C., & Tyson, W. (2017). Bridging technical skills gaps between high school
students and local employers. Journal of Research in Technical Careers, 1(1), 20.
Great Schools Partnership. (2013). The glossary of education reform: For journalists, parents,
and community members. Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/career-ready/

59
Great Schools Partnership. (2016). The glossary of education reform for journalists, parents, and
community members: Career-Ready. Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/career-
ready/
Hughes, K. L., & Karp, M. J. M. (2006). Strengthening transitions by encouraging career
pathways: A look at state policies and practices. New York, NY: American Association of
Community Colleges and League for Innovation in the Community College.
Hyslop, A. (2009). Fostering partnerships between education, business and industry. Techniques:
Connecting Education and Careers (J1), 84(5), 42-43.
Jacob, B. A. (2017). What we know about career and technical education in high school.
Retrieved from www.brookings.edu/research/what-we-know-about-career-and-technical-
education-in-high-school/
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2014). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative and
mixed approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Kane, R. G., & Chimwayange, C. (2014). Teacher action research and student voice: Making
sense of learning in secondary school. Action Research, 12(1), 52-77.
Kazis, R. (2005). Remaking career and technical education for the 21st century: What role for
high school programs? Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future.
Koppich, J. E., Humphrey, D. C., & Marsh, J. A. (2015). Two years of California's local control
funding formula: Time to reaffirm the grand vision. Stanford, CA: Policy Analysis for
California Education.
Labaree, D. F. (1997). Public goods, private goods: The American struggle over educational
goals. American Educational Research Journal, 34(1), 39-81. Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/83f1/d25e7816bea96f3d0a8ae1eb3f73b58e93b7.pdf
Lexico.com. (2020). Soft skills. Retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/definition/soft_skills

60
Lynch, R. (2000). High school career and technical education for the first decade of the 21st
century. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 25(2), 155-198.
McEwan, E. K., & McEwan, P. J. (2003). Making sense of research: What's good, what's not,
and how to tell the difference. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mergendoller, J. R., Markham, T., Ravitz, J., & Larmer, J. (2006). Scaffolding project based
learning: tools, tactics and technology to facilitate instruction and management. Novato,
CA: Buck Institute for Education.
No Child Left Behind Act. (2002). Public law 107-110: An act to close the achievement gap with
accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/107-110.pdf
O’Connell, J. (2010). Multiple pathways to student success: Envisioning the new California high
school. A report to the Legislature and Governor pursuant to Chapter 681, Statutes of
2008. Retrieved from https://www.wested.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/11/1442942858resourcemultiplepathwaystostudentsuccess-3.pdf
Plank, S., DeLuca, S., & Estacion, A. (2005). Dropping out of high school and the place of
career and technical education: A survival analysis of surviving high school. Retrieved
from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497348.pdf
Riverside County Office of Education (2017). Pathways and course sequences: A reference
guide for counselors, administrators, parents, and students. Retrieved from
www.rcoe.us/career-technical-education/files/2017/10/2017-CTE-Courses-Pathways.pdf
Schaffhauser, D. (2019). Report stresses need for improved career pathways. Retrieved from
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/02/05/report-stresses-need-for-improved-
career-pathways.aspx

61
Society for Human Resource Management. (2019). The skills gap 2019. Retrieved from
https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/skills-
gap-2019.aspx
Suffolk County Community College. (2006). Basic definitions: Career & technical education
act of 2006 (Perkins IV) guidelines. Retrieved from http://department.sunysuffolk.edu/
DeptDocs/OfficeofGrantsDevelopment_Docs/PerkinsIVBasicDefinitions.pdf
U. S. Department of Education. (2019). Bridging the skills gap: Career and technical education
in high school. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/cte/index. html#data-story-
title

Appendix A: Survey Questions for Superintendents and Other District Administrators
Survey Questions:
1. What is your gender?
2. What is your title?
3. Are you a sole or collaborative decision maker for the CTE program at the high school?
4. If you are a collaborative decision maker regarding the CTE program, what is the title of
the other individual(s) in your district or high school?
5. Are you aware that college and career readiness is now an indicator on the school report
card surveys with CA Department of Education?
6. Are you aware that to measure completion of college and career readiness that your high
school students need to complete an industry pathway while in high school in order to
show successful completion of this indicator at your high school?
7. Does your district have a CTE program offered at all of its high schools?
8. Who decided which CTE industry pathways to offer at these high schools?
9. How many high schools are in your district?
10. How many of the high schools offer a CTE program?
11. How easy or difficult has it been to find and hire qualified, credentialed CTE teachers to
teach the classes for the industry pathway(s) selected?
12. How often are CTE pathway offerings discussed as an agenda topic on the board of
supervisor/s meeting?
13. How are CTE pathways budgetarily supported at the high schools?
14. Do the CTE industry pathways offered currently lead to industry certifications?

63
15. Is there anything else you would like to add or comment on that I may not have asked
but you would like me to address with you?
16. Would you like to participate further in the study as a confidential 45-minute interview
participant? Thank you for your willingness to participate. The following contact
information will help me get back in touch with you to schedule a convenient time for
the in-person interview.
17. What is your name, title, work phone number and work email address?

64
Appendix B: Survey Results
Findings by Survey Question
Question 1: What is your gender? The respondents to the survey were 50% female and
50% male.
Table 1
Quantitative Survey: Respondents’ Gender.
Q1: What is your gender?

Female Male Did Not Self-Identify
8 11 1

Question 2: What is your title? The titles of the respondents to the survey are
Superintendent (75%), Assistant Superintendent (10%), Senior Director - Secondary Curriculum
and Instruction (5%), Director of Secondary (5%), and CTE Coordinator (5%).
Table 2
Respondent’s title.
Q2: What
is your
title?
Superintendent Asst.
Supt.
Sr.
Director
Director of
Secondary
CTE
Coord.
75%
(15)
10%
(2)
5%
(1)
5%
(1)
5%
(1)

Question 3: Are you a sole or collaborative decision maker for the CTE program at the
high school? The decision making for the CTE programs at the high schools was overwhelming
collaborative (95%) over sole decision making (5%).

Table 3

65
CTE Decision Making at the High School(s)
Q3: Are you a sole or
collaborative decision
maker for the CTE
program at the high school?

Percentage Count

Numerical Count
Sole 5% 1
Collaborative 95% 19

Question 4: If you are a collaborative decision maker regarding the CTE program, what
is the title of the other individual(s) in your district or high school? In the collaborative decision
making process, the combined survey respondent is listed while other participants they
collaborated with are listed in parentheses, included Superintendent (Assistant Superintendent –
Secondary Education, Director of College and Career Readiness), Superintendent (high school
Principal, high school leadership team), Assistant Superintendent (solo), Superintendent
(Director of Secondary Schools), Superintendent (Assistant Superintendent, Director of Student
Achievement, High School Principal, Teacher, ROP Administrator, Students, Parents, Industry
Partners), Senior Director (Principals, department chairs, advisory group), Superintendent
(high school Principal), Superintendent (Director of College and Career Education, Assistant
Superintendent of Educational Services, Advisory Council), Assistant Superintendent
(Director, Principal), Director of Secondary (CTE Coordinator), Superintendent (Director of
Counseling, College and Career, Principal, Assistant Principal, Teachers), Superintendent
(Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Assistant Principal, Teacher), Assistant Superintendent
(CTE Coordinator), Superintendent (Director, Principal) and CTE Coordinator (Assistant
Superintendent of Educational Services, site administrators, other district administrators).

66
Table 4a. Collaborative Decision-makers (regarding CTE program) With Other Individuals
Survey
Respondent

Suptdt.

Suptdt.

Suptdt.

Suptdt.
Senior
Director
Other
Collaborators
(below)

Superintendent
Assistant
Superintendent
X X
Director of
College &
Career
Readiness
X
Director of
Secondary
Schools
X
Director of
Student
Achievement
X
ROP
Administrator
X
High School
Principal
X X X
Advisory
Council
X
High School
Leadership
Team
X
Department
Chairs
X
Teacher X
Parents X
Students X
Industry
Partners
X

67
Table 4b. Collaborative Decision-makers (regarding CTE program) With Other Individuals
Survey
Respondent

Suptdt.

Suptdt.
Asst.
Suptdt.
Director of
Secondary

Suptdt.
Other
Collaborators
(below)

Superintendent
Assistant
Superintendent
X
Director of
College &
Career
Readiness
X X
Director of
Counseling
X
Director (no
addtl. title)
X
CTE
Coordinator
X
High School
Principal
X X X
Assistant
Principal
X X
Advisory
Council
X
Teacher X

Table 4c. Collaborative Decision-makers (regarding CTE program) With Other Individuals
Survey
Respondent

Suptd.
Asst.
Suptd.

Suptd.
CTE
Coordtr.
Other
Collaborators
(below)

Superintendent
Assistant
Superintendent
X X
Director X
CTE
Coordinator
X
High School
Principal
X X X
Asst. Principal X X
Teacher X

68

Question 5: Are you aware that college and career readiness is now an indicator on the
California Dashboard? All respondents (100%) to the survey were aware that college and career
readiness was an indicator on the California Department of Education Dashboard.
Table 5. Awareness of College and Career Readiness Is An Indicator On the CA Dashboard.
Q5: Are you aware that
college & career readiness is
now an indicator on the CA
Dashboard?

Yes

No
100% (20) 0

Question 6: Are you aware that to measure completion of college and career readiness
that your high school students need to complete an industry pathway while in high school in
order to show successful completion of this indicator at your high school? 95% survey
respondents were aware that completion of an industry pathway measured college and career
readiness, whereas 5% was not aware of this.

Table 6. Awareness to Measure Completion of College & Career Readiness High School Students
Need to Complete CTE Industry Pathway.

Q6: Are you aware that to
measure completion of
college and career readiness
that your high school
students need to complete
an industry pathway while
in high school in order to
show successful completion
of this indicator at your
high school

Yes

No
95% (19) 5% (1)

69
Question 7: Does your district have a CTE program offered at all of its high schools?
All of the districts that participated had a CTE program offered in all of their high schools within
their district.
Table 7.
CTE Program Offered At All Of High Schools In District.
Q7: Does your district have
a CTE program offered at
all of its high schools?
Yes No
100% (20) 0% (0)

Question 8: The individuals who decided which CTE industry pathways would be
offered at the high schools included the following: Assistant Superintendent (20%), CTE
Director (20%), High School Principal (30%) and Other (30%). Responses for “other” included
pre-existing pathways, students, parents, teacher surveys, economic reports, school board, district
administration, CTE teachers, Principals, and district office.
Table 8.
CTE Industry Pathway Decision-maker.
Q8: Who
decided
which CTE
industry
pathways to
offer at
these high
schools?
Superintendent Assistant
Superintendent
CTE
Director
High School
Principal
Other
0.00% (0) 20% (4) 20% (4) 30% (6) 30% (6)

Question 9: How many high schools are in your district? The survey respondents’ school
districts ranged from one to five high schools within their districts. Some of the high schools
may be magnet as well as alternative high schools.

70
Question 10: How many of the high schools offer a CTE program? All twenty school
districts participating in the survey responded with 100% of their high schools offer a CTE
program.
Question 11: How easy or difficult has it been to find and hire qualified, credentialed
CTE teachers to teach the classes for the industry pathway(s) selected? A qualified and
credentialed CTE teacher is absolutely critical in teaching the CTE courses yet 65% of the school
districts surveyed found it difficult to recruit the CTE teacher for the industry pathway selected
whereas only 35% found it easy to find these teachers.
Table 9.
Ease or difficulty in finding and hiring qualified, credentialed CTE teachers.
Q11: How easy or difficult
has it been to find and hire
qualified, credentialed CTE
teachers to teach the classes
for the industry pathway(s)
selected?
Easy Difficult
% response (total count) 35% (7) 65% (13)

Question 12: How often are CTE pathway offerings discussed as an agenda topic on the
board of supervisor’s meeting? The overwhelming majority of surveyed districts discussed CTE
pathway offerings at their board of supervisors’ meetings annually and one district discussed it at
its original pathway/program inception.

71
Table 10. Frequency of CTE pathway offerings discussed as agenda topic on the board of
supervisors’ meetings.

Q12: How often
are CTE
pathway
offerings
discussed as an
agenda topic on
the board of
supervisors
meeting?
Once at CTE
program
inception.

5% (1)
Once every
three-five years.

0% (0)
Annually

95% (19)
Never

0% (0)

Question 13: How are CTE pathways budgetarily supported at the high schools? The
importance of funding CTE programs will also be discussed as a research question in this study
however not all survey respondents participated in the in-person interview thus it was important
to ask this question in the survey as well. The survey response to how CTE pathways were
budgetarily supported at the high schools included school district budget allocation (40%), Carl
Perkins federal grant (30%), Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) 10% and
other sources (20%).
Table 11. Sources of financial funding of CTE pathways at the high schools.
Q13: How
are CTE
pathways
budgetarily
supported
at the high
schools?
School
district
budget
allocation
School
site high
school
budget
allocation
Federal
funding:
Carl
Perkins
grants
California
state
funding:
Career
Technical
Education
Incentive
grant
Industry/vendor
donations
Other
40% (8) 0 30% (6) 10% (2) 0 20% (4)

Question 14: Do the CTE industry pathways offered currently lead to industry
certifications? 70% of the school districts CTE industry pathways offered led to industry
certifications whereas 30% of the pathways did not.

72
Q14: Do the CTE industry
pathways offered currently
lead to industry
certifications?
Yes No
70% (14) 30% (6)

Appendix B: Research Questions for Superintendents and Other District Administrators
Research Questions:
1. What is the role of district administrators in developing CTE pathways to support college

and career readiness?
2. What CTE pathways have districts supported for implementation?

3. What financial resources has your district allocated to support CTE pathways?
4. What types of CTE pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and career

readiness?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Career Technical Education (CTE) in California's high schools is offered through 58 career pathways organized around 15 career sectors. The mystery surrounding what role Southern California school district administrators have in developing these pathways, how they have supported the selected CTE pathways for implementation, what financial resources have been allocated towards CTE pathways and finally which pathways have proven to be effective in improving college and career readiness will be examined and explored through the following mixed methods research study.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

The role of leadership in creating guided pathways for career technical education

PDF

The allocation of resources for career technical education programs that improve college and career readiness

PDF

The role of district administrators in developing career technical education programs to assist students in becoming college- and career-ready

PDF

The role of superintendents and district administrators in developing career technical education programs to assist students in becoming college‐ and career‐ready

PDF

Overcoming the career technical education silo: an evaluation case study

PDF

An examination of the Oregon state college and career education investment and the Eastern Promise program

PDF

College-educated immigrants' experiences in adult education career technical education programs

PDF

Factors that contribute to community college career and technical education student success

PDF

College and career readiness through high school STEM programs: an evaluation study

PDF

Incorporating service learning curriculum to enhance college and career readiness: a professional development for teachers

PDF

Multi-site case studies on the collaboration of career technical education teachers and core teachers

PDF

Experiential learning curriculum supporting guided pathways in California community colleges

PDF

Future ready schools: how middle and high school principals support personalized and digital learning for teachers and students at a mid-sized urban middle/high school

PDF

Successful strategies and skills utilized by high school principals as perceived by Southern California superintendents

PDF

The impact of networks and mentorships to champion women as superintendents in southern California

PDF

Influence of globalization, school leadership, and students’ participation in science competitions on 21st-century skill development, instructional practices, and female students’ interest in sci...

PDF

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 public school districts in southern California: responses of superintendents, assistant superintendents, and principals

PDF

Professional learning communities: the role of secondary site and district leaders in developing collective efficacy in public schools in southern California

PDF

Calibrating the college preparation bridgeway for independent study program students at Amazing Independent High School District: a multisite evaluation study through the teachers' lens

PDF

Creating changemakers: integrating social innovation and service-learning to empower student voice and bolster college, career, and civic readiness

Asset Metadata

Creator Carpenter, Elim Wang (author)

Core Title Strategies utilized by southern California school districts to bridge the college and career gap through career technical education pathways in high schools

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 05/13/2021

Defense Date 04/28/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag California Dashboard,California Partnership for Achieving Student Success,California Partnership Grant,Career Technical Education (CTE),career technical education (CTE) industry pathway,career technical education (CTE) industry sector,Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG),Carl D. Perkins,college and career readiness,dual enrollment, articulation agreement,OAI-PMH Harvest,project-based learning,work-based learning

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Castruita, Rudy (committee chair), Cash, David (committee member), Roach, John (committee member)

Creator Email ewcarpen@usc.edu,sailorette@att.net

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-310812

Unique identifier UC11664181

Identifier etd-CarpenterE-8528.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-310812 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-CarpenterE-8528.pdf

Dmrecord 310812

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Carpenter, Elim Wang

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA