The Effect of High School Career and Technology Education on Postsecondary Enrollment and Early Career Wages
This report from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center examines the effect of completing a sequence of career and technology education (CTE) courses in high school on enrollment in postsecondary education, postsecondary degree or certificate attainment within five years, and workforce wages after six years. Using a propensity score matching method, the study compared CTE program completers with non-completers. The study also used an instrumental variables strategy to account for students who attended high schools closer to CTE Centers offering CTE programs. The study findings indicate that CTE completes, compared to non-completers, were more likely to enroll in and receive a degree from a two-year institution and were less likely to enroll in and receive a degree from a four-year institution. In addition, CTE completers had higher wages than non-completers six years after graduating high school.