Sarah Cashdollar: Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the College-for-All Era: Exploring Low-Income Youths’ Socially Contextualized Educational and Occupational Aspirations
The college-for-all movement has become the default approach to preparing low-income youth for careers in the shifting economic landscape of the 21st century (Rosenbaum, Ahearn, Rosenbaum, & Gamoran, 2017). Central to this approach is the view that equality of educational opportunity stems from ensuring all students, including those who are low-income, are prepared to attain the highest educational credentials possible. Yet in recent years, a revitalization of vocational education, rebranded as “career and technical education” (CTE), has gained momentum as an alternative to the college-for-all approach. CTE supporters argue that holding all students to the narrow goal of attaining a four-year college degree
actually limits their opportunities to pursue well-paying jobs that don’t require a BA. A fundamental difference between the college-for-all and CTE approaches lies in the assumptions they make about low-income youths’ aspirations, yet very work has actually investigated the ideals of success youth hold for themselves. The proposed study will help fill this gap through surveys and semi-structured interviews with approximately 60 low-income high school youth in CTE and general academic programs. Additionally, interviews with youths’ parents, educators, employers, and members of community groups
that promote post-secondary readiness will further explore how important figures in a range of contexts influence the goals youth form. Observations with educators, employers, and community group members will give insight into how some of these important adults interact with youth and each other to construct the meanings of various postsecondary preparation opportunities. Findings will speak to how to best support low-income youth in making educational and vocational choices in an informed and intentional way.
