Career and Technology Education Course Participation

Decreases Dropout Rates

Rhonda RitterUniversity of North Texas

United States

SITEMarch 19, 2014

Introduction Role of education in society Variables beyond educators’ control Students labeled as at-risk Burden on society

Proposed Research Question

“Are students who have a 2.0 or lower GPA and have completed at least three Career and Technology Education courses less likely to drop out of high school when compared to students who completed no CTE courses?”

Dropout Trends 2000

• Approximately one-half million of 10 million students enrolled in high school (Kaufman, Alt, & Chapman 2004)

2008-2009 • 607,000 students in grades 9-12 (Chapman,

Laird, Ifill & KewalRamani 2011)

2011• 1.2 million annually, 7,000 students daily

(Alliance for Excellent Education 2011)

Reasons for Dropouts Low socioeconomic status and family

structure Unsuccessful in academic courses Loss of interest with no connection to

real-world Process of disengagement on social

and academic level (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

Intervention Plan Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical

Education Improvement Act 2006

Funding to improve and develop academic and career and technical skills for students in CTE courses (Public Law 109-270 2006)

CTE CoursesAgriculture, Food & Natural Resources Human Services

Architecture & Construction Information Technology

Arts, Audio/Visual Technology, & Comm.

Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security

Business Management & Administration Manufacturing

Education & Training Marketing

Finance STEM

Government & Public Admin

Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Health Science Career Development

Hospitality & Tourism (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5415)

CTE Program Goal Prepare to manage dual roles of

family member and wage earner (TEA 2010)

Gain entry-level employment (TEA 2010)

Provide skills needed by employers (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

Provide work habits desired by employers (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

CTE Course Advantages More likely to be engaged in learning,

tend to stay in school (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

Builds positive relationships, provides innovative delivery methods (ACTE 2007)

Empowers students, relates to real-world, makes it more interesting and enjoyable (Anderson et al 2004)

Negative Effects on Dropouts

Increased chances of unemployment Increase incidence of divorce and

births outside marriage Increased involvement with welfare

and legal systems Poor health (Bloom & Haskins 2010)

Potential Effects on Society Result in approximately $192 billion

in combined income and tax revenue losses to US

Great hardships on labor market and economic welfare (Rouse 2005)

CTE Positive Effects Produce productive citizens Contribute to the national job labor

market Increase earning potential of students Receive higher wages (Bishop & Mane 2004)

Adding CTE to Curriculum Decreased risk of dropout (Plank, DeLuca & Estacion 2005)

More diverse sense of learning Establish and encourage pathway to

successful future Career focus gives students sense of direction

(Bishop & Mane 2004)

Motivates them to achieve and stay in school More individually relevant choices available to

them

Proposed Methods Quantitative study Sample 9-12 grade students Male and female Participated in at least three CTE

courses Transcript verification of GPA Results tabulated

Possible Limitations Sample size Previous studies finding no significant

difference Definition of dropout Lack of complete transcripts

Potential Conclusions Provide means of staying in school More engaging Real-world applications Envision future

Contact Information

Rhonda Ritter, M.EdUniversity of North Texas, Denton, TX

Hull-Daisetta High School, Daisetta, TX

rhonda.ritter@my.unt.edurritter@hdisd.net