The positive effects of vocational schools

The positive effects of vocational schools 
Johns Hopkins


More than 90% of high schools offer a vocational training option for students, and more than one in five students participate in these career and technical education (CTE) programs. Traditionally in CTE, career-training courses are offered during each school day, and non-career classes contain a mix of CTE and non-CTE students. Massachusetts has taken CTE a step further by offering 32 regional vocational and technical high schools (RVTS), where all students participate in CTE, alternating one week of schooling with one week of career training.

Shaun Dougherty of the University of Connecticut recently studied the effects of attending an RVTS.  In this study, students had to apply to attend, with admission based on middle school record of attendance, standardized test scores in math, and disciplinary record. Using state data and admissions applications, Dougherty compared 4,000 ninth grade students in three RVTS schools, 2,000 of whom were just above and below the cutoff points for admission, inferring that RVTS participation would be the main variable affecting their performance. Following these ninth grade students through twelfth grade, he found that, as compared to students who barely missed the cutoff, students who had participated in RVTS:
  • Were 7-10 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school
  • Were more likely to earn industry-recognized credentials while in high school
  • Were likely to receive comparable state test scores that qualified them for graduation
Given that state test scores in core subjects were similar for the students who did and didn't participate in the RVTS, Dougherty concluded that RVTS schools positively influence graduation rates without sacrificing knowledge in core subjects.
Unlike traditional CTE programs, where students may study one course one year and switch the next year, RVTS students stay within the same course of study from tenth to twelfth grade, often with the same teachers and peers. They offer a larger selection of courses, and classes are taught within the same building, allowing vocational-training teachers to confer with traditional-course teachers and carry over career training into the traditional realms of math, English, and social studies. 

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