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This final report presents findings from data collection and analysis conducted during a five-year study by the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University, in conjunction with colleagues from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) at the University of Louisville. This project was one of three NRCCTE studies intended to increase knowledge about Perkins IV-defined Programs of Study (POS) and their development; how best to organize a POS to meet the needs of students, parents, schools, and the community; and the impact of POS on student outcomes. This study examined a statewide K-16 school reform act, the "Personal Pathways to Success Initiative," which was designed to focus on college and career readiness through a combination of high academic standards with career-focused education. The study's goals were to measure specific impact related to the state policy and the development of POS. This study examined the policy in its early implementation years and in the context of high school. The report begins with a summary of some of the relevant research on career-focused education, CTE reform, and counseling and guidance in CTE and programs of study. Then, it offers a brief overview of the South Carolina policy framework. The design of the study and the study sites are then described, followed by a discussion of statewide policy implementation and outcomes. The bulk of the report describes in detail observations across sample schools and contains five sections that focus on: (1) policy implementation and student outcomes, (2) evidence found at sample schools on programs of study and their influence on student outcomes, (3) possible relationships between the policy and development of programs of study, (4) the influence of local economic resources on both policy and programs of study implementation, and (5) school-level graduation rates and their relationships to policy or programs of study implementation. Next, there is a brief description of challenges the team faced in trying to "count" Perkins IV-type programs of study at sample schools. The final two sections summarize major findings and the key themes that emerged from these, as well as implications of study findings for further research, for practitioners, and for policymakers. "Resulting Papers and Presentations on Study Findings" can be found in Appendix C.

This executive summary outlines key findings from the final technical report of a five-year study of South Carolina's Personal Pathways to Success Initiative, which was authorized by the state's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) in 2005. The Personal Pathways initiative is a K-16, career-focused school reform model intended to improve student achievement and preparedness for postsecondary education and high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand jobs. EEDA was designed to achieve these results through a focus on career awareness and exploration at all school levels and through the creation of locally relevant career pathways and programs of study (POS). The goals of EEDA are closely aligned with those of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, otherwise known as Perkins IV, which allowed researchers to conduct an examination of the effects of the Perkins Act in the context of a highly supportive state policy. The study's goals were to measure specific impacts related to the state policy and the development of POS; the study examined the policy in its early implementation years and in the context of high school. [For the full technical report, see ED574462. For Technical Appendix A: Implementation of the Education and Economic Development Act, see ED574467. For Technical Appendix B, see ED574466.]

This is the final technical report from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's (NRCCTE's) five-year longitudinal study of South Carolina's Personal Pathway to Success initiative, which was authorized by the state's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) in 2005. NRCCTE-affiliated researchers at the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University investigated the extent to which EEDA facilitated the creation of programs of study/career pathways and whether these programs led to improved student high school and postgraduation preparation and planning. The study followed two student cohorts from a sample of eight high schools from economically and culturally diverse regions of the state. To create a broader understanding of EEDA's influence on schools, teachers, students, and the creation of programs of study (POS), various quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Quantitative data included student outcome and survey data from the Classes of 2009 and 2011 and survey data from guidance personnel. Overall, researchers found that EEDA was having some positive impacts, including increasing career-focused activities at all schools and enhancing roles for guidance personnel. Surprisingly, schools with more challenging economic situations were more likely to embrace and fully implement programs of study/career pathways than schools with more resources. Researchers found mixed or contradictory results on associations between the development of programs of study/career pathways and student outcomes. The full technical report includes two technical appendices and recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in transforming CTE--and future iterations of Perkins--through sector strategy-responsive collaborations between secondary, postsecondary, and business and systemic reforms of state policies and practices. [For the executive summary, see ED574465. For Technical Appendix A: Implementation of the Education and Economic Development Act, see ED574467. For Technical Appendix B, see ED574466.]