Opportunity and constraint

Abstract

As the evidence-base for positive outcomes of career and technical education (CTE) has increasingly relied on intensive programs and focused technical schools (Dougherty, 2023), exploring the tradeoffs involved in focused programs, as well as how these models affect student attitudes and beliefs about career development, is important for balancing the need for general workforce readiness and student choice. This paper explores this balance by examining career pathway programs in Delaware, one of the nation’s leaders in career pathway programs in secondary school. The paper explores the mechanisms of student decision-making and pathway assignment, as well as student and educator perceptions about early CTE program commitment, intensive work-based focus, and postsecondary options. The results help illuminate program and instructional design considerations that may support both rewarding career development and student growth and motivation.