Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Achievement in Pre- and Post-COVID Cohorts: A Quantitative Analysis in an Urban Public School District

The Career and Technical Education (CTE)-focused dual credits programs are proven to promote both career and academic benefits to students. This quantitative study matched and analyzed transcript data from 245 high school students enrolled in CTE dual credit programs in an urban public school district in a southern state of the U.S. The school district serves a large proportion of Black or African Americans and low-income students. The authors conducted regression analyses to compare student learning outcomes in the pre- and post-COVID cohorts while controlling for demographic characteristics, academic background, and school-level characteristics. Findings showed that students in post-COVID cohorts had significantly lower CTE GPAs but significantly higher probabilities of obtaining a CTE certificate, as compared with those in the pre-COVID cohort. In addition, a higher high school GPA predicted a higher GPA in CTE dual credits programs and a higher probability of earning a CTE certificate. The school-level average free/reduced lunch rate was a negative predictor of CTE GPA. Students enrolled in medical programs had a lower probability of earning a CTE certificate.