Work-Based Learning: Evidence Review and Synthesis

In 2023, the CTE Research Network published a systematic evidence review and meta-analysis of the rigorous research on high school career and technical education (CTE) spanning the last twenty years. The report highlights the many positive impacts of CTE on student outcomes, as well as gaps in the research literature. For the CTE Research Network 2.0, the American Institutes for Research will conduct a new systematic evidence review focused on a key component of many students’ CTE experiences: work-based learning (WBL).

WBL is recognized as an integral component of high-quality CTE programs of study and pathways.1 The federal Perkins V legislation that authorizes funding for CTE formally defines WBL as "sustained interactions with industry or community professionals in real workplace settings, to the extent practicable, or simulated environments at an educational institution that foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field, that are aligned to curriculum and instruction."2 WBL may be organized into a continuum of student experiences (see sidebar). Many states and school districts are seeking to increase the number of students who participate in WBL. Twenty-seven states include the number of CTE concentrators receiving WBL as a secondary-level program quality indicator for Perkins V accountability reporting.

AIR will use a four-step systematic evidence review process to identify and summarize existing WBL research conducted in the United States since 2003, including published research and unpublished dissertations identified through research databases. The review will focus on research on the career immersion and experience section of the WBL continuum across secondary, postsecondary, and adult education populations connected to education settings, with the goal of identifying studies to synthesize that meet the rigorous standards of the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse. Through the evidence review and synthesis, the Network will provide the field a solid understanding about what is known on the effectiveness of WBL strategies and where further research is needed. The review will provide actionable information to the field as it seeks to rapidly expand WBL offerings to students and examine subsequent impacts.

Study period: 2023-2025

This project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through grant number R305N230016 to the American Institutes for Research (AIR).