The Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing at a rapid rate and Spanish has become a predominant language, which could pose problems if more students are enrolling in school with limited English proficiency. In 2010, the Texas FFA Association implemented the Spanish Creed speaking event in order to help Spanish-speaking FFA members realize the…

This qualitative study explores the efficacy of community college career and technical education programs through employer perspectives. Participants for this study were cultivated from a variety of industries and disciplines. Predominant themes that emerged from this study include education, authentic experience, the value of career and technical…

Schools across the country are facing a shortage of Career & Technical Education (CTE) teachers. Challenges regarding recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers have far-reaching economic and educational implications. The literature notes multiple factors associated with CTE teacher attrition, such as low pay, absence of adequate…

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in high school career and technical education (CTE) coursetaking by gender and race/ethnicity across two cohorts of students over time. Using high school transcript data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) and the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), we examined…

Representing approximately two in five community college students, noncredit education is an important but understudied segment of the higher education population. In an effort to help open the "black box" of noncredit education in community colleges, the present study uses an established noncredit course typology (occupational training,…

Preparing students in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) to respond to emerging challenges impacting -- and being impacted by -- agriculture, food, and natural resource systems (e.g., climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation) is essential. Therefore, student involvement in SBAE was investigated in relation to metacognition,…

A Value-Achievement-Cost (VAC) Survey was psychometrically tested to continue to establish its predictive utility for future research with 12th grade female Career and Technical Education (CTE) health science classroom cohorts of less than 50 students. In this study, a 10-construct, 46-item VAC Survey was administered to 31 college-bound 12th…

The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 5 in 2013 to adopt the Foundation High School Program, a new graduation program intended to support youth college and career readiness. Texan students entering grade 9 were guided to enroll in one or more endorsements with a specific curriculum designed to introduce them to STEM, Business & Industry,…

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the US. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are important settings in which new construction workers can learn about Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). CTE programs are sometimes the only place where these workers will encounter such training. We set out to examine the quality of…

Practitioners, researchers, and policymakers are interested in the potential of Career and Technical Education (CTE) to improve student outcomes by increasing students' affective engagement - their feelings of belonging at school and valuing what they are learning. Little research has studied the relationship between the breadth of participation…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at secondary and post-secondary levels are gaining more and more attention from students, parents, and communities. Evaluating the merit of educational programs is a necessary practice. This study examined the academic achievement of CTE completer high school graduates and non-CTE graduates as measured…

Industries across the United States are facing a shortage of skilled technical workers. This qualitative case study investigated how participation in SkillsUSA, a career and technical student organization, "influenced community college students' preparedness for the workforce" and their connection to campus. Data were gathered from…

This paper summarizes an exploratory study probing perspectives of pesticide applicators and educators regarding pesticide licensing and safety training in Idaho. The purpose of the study was to identify lines of inquiry concerning critical learning components for pesticide worker safety. Information was gathered about training practices for…

The edTPA, a validated teacher performance assessment, is being used across the nation to assess the readiness of career and technical education (CTE) student teachers for a successful career in education. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between edTPA and both Technology and Agricultural Education…

Previous research has indicated professional training and support, personal literacy preferences, and professional literacy attitudes have an influence on classroom literacy practices. Limited literacy related research has been conducted in agricultural education. This study sought to examine the influence of professional training and support,…