EdWorkingPapers Policy and Practice Series

Does Expanding Access to High Quality Technical Education Induce Participation and Improve Outcomes?

New Study Shows Expanding High-Quality CTE in Regular High Schools Boosts Student Participation and Early Career Outcomes

Across the country, Career and Technical Education (CTE) is getting greater focus as a core part of the comprehensive high school experience. In fact, 83 percent of U.S. districts that offer CTE programs offer them in regular high schools, where students take career-focused courses alongside traditional graduation requirements. 

Increasing Applied STEM Curricular Opportunities in High School and Impacts on Early Post-Secondary Outcomes: The Effect of Project Lead the Way

Preparing students for STEM careers is essential to sustaining the nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. STEM fields already make up nearly a quarter of the U.S. workforce, about 37 million workers, and that share is projected to grow twice as fast as non-STEM jobs over the next decade. Yet industries like engineering and health sciences are facing serious worker shortages. Strengthening the STEM pipeline has become a shared challenge for schools, policymakers, and employers alike: how can we spark students’ interest and prepare more students for STEM careers?

The Effects of Universal School Vouchers on Private School Tuition and Enrollment: A National Analysis

The rapid spread of universal private school vouchers marks one of the most significant shifts in U.S. education policy in decades. As states increasingly adopt universal voucher programs, what will this mean for access, affordability, and the future of public education?

Who Wants to Be a Teacher in America?

This study shows the teacher pipeline through the same lens as other professions, and the contrasts are stark. Unlike nursing or social work, teaching struggles to attract students of color. Unlike law or engineering, it draws fewer high-achieving students who seem motivated by prestige and advancement. While the paper does not claim to identify the exact drivers of these patterns, it highlights important hypotheses, such as the possibility that low professional prestige may deter some talented students from entering teaching. In doing so, it reframes the teacher shortage not only as a question of supply, but also as an issue of status and opportunity, raising important questions about how to recruit, support, and elevate teaching to make it both accessible and appealing to the next generation.

Comparative Cost Analyses of Community College Student Success Initiatives

Community colleges serve as “engines of opportunity,” particularly for low-income, racially minoritized, and first-generation students. Yet, completion rates remain low: only ~30% of students graduate within 6 years, less than half the rate of public universities. A big reason is resources: community colleges spend far less per student than four-year schools, leaving them with limited capacity to support students. We know from research that certain strategies (like embedded tutoring, basic needs supports, and early alert systems) can help students and improve graduation rates. What we don’t usually know is what they actually cost. This study fills that gap with the first comparative cost analysis of six proven student success initiatives, breaking down annual spending, cost per student, funding sources, and budget trade-offs so leaders can make smarter, more informed investments.

Financial Aid For Future Educators: Assessing A Federal Grant's Impact On Students' Postsecondary Decisions

Schools across the U.S. face persistent challenges in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, especially in high-demand fields such as special education and secondary STEM. At the same time, enrollment in traditional teacher preparation programs (TPPs) has declined. Cost is a major barrier: teacher preparation students, who are disproportionately women and students of color, often face financial pressures that make it hard to persist, especially in the early years of college.

Neighborhood Effects on STEM Major Choice

STEM degrees are among the strongest pathways to economic mobility, yet access to them remains deeply unequal across lines of race, gender, income, and geography. Students from wealthier families and suburban communities are far more likely to pursue STEM majors, while low-income students and students of color remain underrepresented in these fields. 

This study adds new insight into why those disparities persist and what can be done about them. By following Texas students over time, the researchers show that neighborhood context itself matters: students who spend more of their middle and high school years in “STEM-rich” neighborhoods (places where peers frequently major in STEM and STEM professionals are visible in the community) are significantly more likely to choose STEM majors themselves. 

Asset‑Based Implementation of Structured Adaptations in an Online Third‑Grade Content Literacy Intervention

Scaling evidence-based programs often faces a tension: how can teachers adapt materials to their local context without losing the effectiveness that made the program work in the first place?

In education, strict fidelity to a program and local adaptation to meet student needs are not mutually exclusive; both happen in real classrooms, whether intended or not. Past reforms like Reading First show that prioritizing fidelity alone often fails to produce sustained improvement, as teachers inevitably adapt to fit their students, contexts, and professional judgment. These adaptations can either dilute or strengthen instruction depending on whether systems support teachers in making evidence-based adjustments. 

High School Equivalency Credentialing and Post-Secondary Success: Pre-Registered Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the GED® Test 

Nearly 10% of U.S. adults lack a high school diploma, limiting access to many jobs and postsecondary opportunities. For these individuals, high school equivalency (HSE) credentials, most commonly earned through the GED® test, serve as a primary “second-chance” pathway. However, most national evidence on the GED test’s educational value comes from cohorts in the 1980s–2000s, before test revisions in 2014 and 2016 raised academic standards and introduced “College Ready” designations intended to signal preparedness for college coursework. In light of these changes and substantial increases in both college enrollment rates and the share of jobs  requiring postsecondary training, this study uses current, representative data to examine “How, and for whom does earning an HSE credential or a GED College Ready designation improve college enrollment, persistence, and completion?”

Introducing a High-School Exit Exam in Science: Consequences in Massachusetts

How does a high-stakes science test shape opportunities for students from different backgrounds?

There have been growing concerns about stagnant or declining science achievement among U.S. students, evidenced by poor performance on international and national assessments. As a result, some states have responded by introducing science exit exams as a graduation requirement, aiming to raise standards and accountability.