Category: Data and Research

Ohio CTE Expansion of Effective Access: A toolkit from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce provides CTE and workforce leaders with resources and recommendations to expand CTE programming across JobsOhio regions. Alongside an overview of the CTE landscape in the state, the toolkit outlines three steps leaders in each region should take:  

• Understanding Your Region’s Effective Access Status: Leaders should take the time to review the current CTE programs offered in their region and identify participation rates across school districts and counties. To this end, the toolkit provides data on middle and high school CTE participation for each JobsOhio region, allowing leaders to identify underperforming areas and provide targeted support. 
• Building New CTE Programming Where None Currently Exists: Once leaders identify areas where few CTE programs are offered, the toolkit provides a step-by-step process on how they can build new programs—from examining regional labor demand to consulting with industry partners and developing a curriculum. Additional resources are provided on connecting career pathways across the K-12 spectrum and developing programs in rural, suburban and urban areas. 
• Growing Existing CTE Programming to Further Increase Effective Access: Current CTE programs should be updated or expanded in order to grow CTE access across the state. One way leaders can do this is by conducting targeted outreach to students and their families; this can include hosting CTE exploration days, inviting employers to speak in schools and developing parent-focused fact sheets and resources. Additional strategies and resources are provided for leaders to create flexible program schedules, incorporate industry-recognized credentials into CTE courses and develop meaningful work-based learning experiences. 

Labor Market Returns to Community College Noncredit Occupational Education: An article by Peter Riley Bahr and Rooney Columbus in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis analyzes the labor market outcomes of community college noncredit occupational programs. 

The researchers examined community college students in Texas who enrolled in a noncredit program between fall 2011 and 2014 and found that, on average, students who participated in a noncredit program earned about $2,000 more annually two years after enrollment, a 3.8% increase compared to their previous salaries. Gains varied by cluster, with Transportation, Engineering Technologies and Construction seeing the highest salary increases. Men experienced higher gains than women, and programs with longer durations of instruction led to higher gains compared to programs with shorter durations. 

When disaggregating program duration by cluster, the researchers found that earnings gains for students who attempted the shortest-term programs (30 or fewer instructional hours) were the strongest in Construction, Engineering Technologies and Transportation programs. Among the longest-term programs (300+ hours of instruction), Nursing, Protective Services and Engineering Technologies saw the strongest gains. Enrollment in noncredit programs also led to a 5.6 percentage point increase in employment immediately after a program. 

National Postsecondary Credential Attainment: New data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center examines postsecondary credential attainment rates for students who first pursued a credential in fall 2019. Major takeaways from the data include the following: 

• The national six-year credential attainment rate for fall 2019 students was 61.1%, holding steady from previous cohorts. 
  • Attainment rates vary across institution types: students from private, nonprofit four-year universities had the highest attainment rate (74.6%), followed by public four-year universities (70.9%) and community colleges (44.1%).  
• Students who previously took dual enrollment (DE) courses were about 14 percentage points more likely to earn a credential (71.1%) compared to students with no DE experience (57.2%).  
  • This difference was larger for community college students: 57.1% of community college students with previous DE experience earned a credential compared to 40% with no experience. 
• Asian (75.7%) and white (69%) students had the highest credential attainment rates. Black (44%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (44.5%) and Native American (45.2%) students had the lowest rates. 
• Female students had a higher credential attainment rate (64.3%) than male students (58.1%). 
• Students who enrolled in a postsecondary program at age 20 or younger were significantly more likely to earn a credential (63.8%) than students aged 21-24 (35.6%) and students 25 or older (36.6%). 

The Blueprint for Statewide Re-enrollment Success: A report from ReUp Education analyzes New Jersey’s Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative. Launched in 2022 through a partnership between ReUp and the state, the initiative aims to re-enroll adults who left college without earning a degree or credential—840,000 adults in New Jersey fall into this category. 

The report found that, since the program’s inception, over 13,500 students have re-enrolled in postsecondary education and over 1,400 have graduated with a credential. Of these graduates, 51% earned a bachelor’s degree and 49% earned an associate degree. Furthermore, more than 28,000 are currently exploring a return to education, with 45% seeking to re-enroll as soon as possible and 23% planning to return within 6-12 months. The top pathways for two- and four-year college graduates are Health Professions and Business/Management. 

ReUp also estimates that the initiative will contribute $128 million to the state economy and that each graduate will expand the tax base by $6,590 per year. Despite the potential economic return, adults identified barriers that prevent them from returning to school, including cost (51%), time commitment (21%) and lacking access to online or hybrid courses (7%).  

The Effects of High School Remediation on Long-run Educational Attainment: A paper from the Annenberg Institute examines how enrolling in remedial high school courses influences students’ access to other coursework and postsecondary outcomes. The author leverages state policy in Florida, which requires students who score low on statewide mathematics and reading assessments to take remediation courses in those subjects the following year. 

After analyzing data from a large urban school district in Florida, the author found that students who take a remedial course are 20 percentage points less likely to take a CTE course in the same year they take the remedial course and eight percentage points less likely to ever take a CTE course in high school. Remedial students earn fewer CTE credits and are less likely to be a CTE participant. They are also six percentage points less likely to take college-credit courses and other advanced coursework.  

In addition, students who take a remedial course are 20% less likely to earn a two- or four-year degree. The author suggests that about half of this effect stems from remedial students having reduced access to other high school coursework, such as CTE. 

Interest Surging in Nondegree Credentials but How Do Students Finance Them?: An article from the Pew Charitable Trusts examines how students pay for nondegree and workforce credentials. The researchers analyzed data from the National Training, Education and Workforce Survey (NTEWS) and found that more adults than ever are pursuing nondegree credentials. 

• Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults have a nondegree credential. Within this group, about half do not have a degree and the other half do (16% and 18% of all U.S. adults, respectively).  
• Most students use their own money to pay for nondegree credentials; specifically, 71% paid out of pocket for their most important professional license and 51% for their most recent vocational certificate.  
  • Other funding sources relied on by students include government/private loans (19% for most important license, 20% for most recent vocational certificate); financial support from employers (24% and 15%, respectively); and grants or scholarships from non-employer sources (13% and 15%, respectively).  

Postsecondary Fall Enrollment Trends: The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently released preliminary fall 2025 postsecondary enrollment data. Major takeaways from the data include the following: 

• Total postsecondary enrollment in fall 2025 grew 2% compared to the previous fall. Growth occurred across all institution types, with community college enrollment increasing the most (+4%).  
• Postsecondary certificate programs (+6.6%) and associate degree programs (+3.1%) experienced the strongest growth in fall 2025.  
• Fields of study at two-year colleges that experienced the strongest enrollment increases include Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians (+10.4%); Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences (+10.1%); and Engineering Technologies/Technicians (+8.3%).  
• Postsecondary enrollment growth occurred across all age groups. Students aged 17 or younger (+6%) saw the strongest growth, followed by 25- to 29-year-olds (+3.3%) and 18-year-olds (+3.2%). 
• Hispanic (+3.1%), Black (+3.5%) and multiracial (+2.9%) learners’ postsecondary enrollment all increased in fall 2025. Asian student enrollment held steady, and white student enrollment declined by 3.7%. 
• Male and female postsecondary enrollment grew slightly, by 1.5% and 2.2%, respectively. Growth was stronger at two-year colleges, with male enrollment increasing by 2.2% and female enrollment increasing by 4.2%. 

Global Education at a Glance: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published their annual Education at a Glance report, which provides comprehensive data on the state of education globally. 

The report found that employed adults, on average, have higher literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving skills across all OECD nations compared to unemployed adults. Younger adults also have higher skill levels across most nations compared to older adults. However, the researchers noted that while educational attainment rates are rising, skill levels among adults have largely stagnated or even declined. In the U.S., adults have average skill levels compared to other nations, but literacy skills declined between 2012 and 2023 across all age groups and education levels.  

The report also found that, while financial returns from postsecondary education are the highest in the U.S. compared to other OECD nations, few alternatives offer Americans a pathway to higher earnings. For instance, young adults in most nations experience a wage increase when they earn the equivalent of a high school diploma, but Americans do not: U.S. adults aged 25-34 who hold a high school diploma earn the same as those who do not.