1. Program Quality
  2. Program Quality

Program Quality

Resources on topics such as program approval, accreditation, standards, programs of study, evaluation, personalized learning and academic-technical integration

The State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of State CTE Standards

  • Research/ Report
October 2013 —

This report from Advance CTE provides a national view on how states adopt, organize and implement CTE standards at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, comparing all state standards to a common benchmark, the Common Career Technical Core.

Ensuring Career Pathway Quality: A Guide to Pathway Intervention

  • Guide/Tool
July 2018 —

This report from Advance CTE outlines the steps that state leaders can take when making decisions to transform or phase out pathways that do not have market relevance.

Driving Quality in Postsecondary CTE: Approval and Evaluation Policies

  • Case Study
  • Research/ Report
August 2018 —

This report from Advance CTE explores how states can leverage program approval and program evaluation policies and processes to ensure postsecondary CTE program quality. The report examines state examples from California, Florida and Wisconsin.

Policy Benchmark Tool: CTE Program of Study Approval

  • Guide/Tool
September 2017 —

This tool from Advance CTE lays out the non-negotiable elements of an effective policy for approving and evaluating CTE programs of study and offers an assessment rubric that state leaders can use to identify gaps in their current state policy and prioritize areas for improvement.

Raising the Bar: State Strategies for Developing and Approving High-quality Career Pathways

  • Case Study
April 2017 —

This report from Advance CTE examines successes in Tennessee, New Jersey and Delaware to demonstrate how states can use the career pathways approval process to raise the level of quality across the board. The report examines common approaches and unpacks key policy levers available to states.

Gold Standard: The Swiss Vocational Education and Training System

  • Case Study
March 2015 —

This report from CIEB is one of three case studies that examine international approaches to vocational education and training. This report explores the vocational education system in Switzerland. 

Preparing a Globally Competent Workforce Through High-Quality Career and Technical Education

  • Case Study
January 2015 —

This report from Asia Society, Longview Foundation, ACTE and Advance CTE discusses the importance of including global skills and perspectives into high-quality CTE. It includes examples for educators and policymakers who wish to integrate global competencies into CTE classrooms.

New Pathways to Careers and College: Examples, Evidence and Prospects

  • Case Study
  • Research/ Report
April 2015 —

This report from MDRC provides a brief history of CTE, examines common career pathway models to identify design principles, and charts a path forward for strengthening and expanding local career pathways.

The Learning that Works Resource Center was developed through the New Skills for Youth initiative, a partnership of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and the Education Strategy Group, generously funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co