Data to Improve Access, Delivery, and Outcomes | Career and Technical Education
Using data to improve career and technical education (CTE) delivery, access, and outcomes is essential to providing all students with the opportunities they need to succeed in the workforce in their chosen career path.
AIR is committed to supporting states and districts in using data to understand how all students can access, engage, and be successful in CTE programs, through the services such as geographic information system map development, toolkit development for school staff and counselors, and district quality reviews.
Our Projects
Helping New Hampshire Align Career and Technical Education Programs with Workforce Needs Using Geographic Data
As part of the Region 1 Comprehensive Center, AIR supports students, families, CTE program directors at both secondary and postsecondary levels, and policymakers in New Hampshire. AIR developed an innovative geographic information system (GIS) map to guide states in examining how CTE programs offered align with local high-wage, high-demand occupations.
In-Demand Jobs and CTE Pathways Alignment Map and Crosswalk Project
In collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Office of Career-Technical Education, AIR developed a cutting-edge edge GIS mapping tool. This tool enables users to explore in-demand jobs and the availability of CTE programs aligned with those in-demand jobs. The tool allows state leaders to make informed decisions about CTE pathway approvals and supports districts in developing pathways aligned with labor needs, and to support students and parents in making informed pathway choices.
Recruiting Special Populations into Career-Technical Education
AIR and Ohio collaboratively developed the Recruiting Special Populations into Career-Technical Education Toolkit to support the education community in implementing strategies that recruit and support special student populations (e.g., students experiencing homelessness, foster care students, or students receiving special education services) into high-wage and in-demand CTE programs.
Early College & Innovations Pathways (EC/IP) Program Reviews
As part of the Massachusetts Early College/Innovation Pathways Program Reviews project, AIR is conducting Pathway Partnership Reviews of the first cohort of Early College and Innovation Pathways program, which give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industries. These reviews aim to support program quality and improvement, and serves as a check-in after the third or fourth year of designation. The goal of these programs is to ensure that students who have had limited or no access to promising postsecondary opportunities gain greater access to programs that prepare them for high-quality careers or make attending college a viable possibility.
Kentucky Community and Technical College System Education to Workforce Alignment Mapping
AIR worked with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to evaluate how well education programs align with workforce needs and how they are distributed across the state. AIR created a tailored online GIS application that visualizes data on education, industry, and wages. This tool will help KCTCS develop academic programs and resources that better meet the state’s workforce demands.
