This August, we hosted our 2025 Research Training Institute, an intensive five-day training designed to prepare the next generation of CTE researchers. Twenty-three early career researchers were selected out of 100 to participate in this virtual training. Participants heralded from throughout the United States and brought a range of expertise and experience —including researchers in academic positions, state and large district departments of education, and research organizations, as well as doctoral students.

The CTE Research Network 2.0 strives to expand the pool of individuals conducting rigorous quantitative evaluations of CTE programs and policies. As part of this goal, the Network hosts a Research Training Institute each summer. During this year’s training, participants explored CTE policies and theories, studied current CTE research, and gained hands-on experience in statistical analysis and research techniques. They also had the chance to hone practical skills like communicating evidence and applying for research grants.

The Research Training Institute blended presentations by Shaun Dougherty, the Network’s Co-Principal Investigator, as well as Megan Austin from the American Institutes for Research and Thomas Goldring and Daniel Kreisman from Georgia State University with hands-on learning activities. In feedback, participants described how this structure helped them learn. As one participant noted, “The activities were incredibly helpful for putting concept into practice.” The participant said that because of the CTE Research Training Institute, they “have a much better understanding of how to implement the methodology as opposed to just conceptual knowledge.”

Participants also valued how these activities allowed them to learn together, work with instructors, and expand their networks. One participant noted that “The small group activities with instructors were very useful because we could readily consult with instructors when we had any challenges/uncertainties.” Another highlighted “The capacity to work with a VERY small group of peers” which “allowed for a level of comfort to develop in a short period of time that allowed for richer conversations and sharing of questions, uncertainty, and problem solving with coding.”

In feedback, several participants described how the CTE Research Training Institute will advance their academic research and professional goals. As one said: “Within my organization, we've been talking a lot about impact, but this experience has helped me think more critically about how we define, measure, and operationalize impact in meaningful ways. Most importantly, I am encouraged to reflect on ways I can integrate causal research into our emerging research portfolio.”

Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive and constructive. We look forward to using this feedback as we prepare for the 2026 Research Training Institute next summer. We’re also excited to keep up with this year’s participants and see how they put what they’ve learned to use.

Upcoming training: Sign up for the Network’s mailing list for updates about our 2026 Research Training Institute and other Network activities through the year.