Middle School CTE
Middle school CTE programs allow students to engage with career pathways that interest them through hands-on, exploratory coursework and work-based learning experiences such as industry tours, job shadows, career fairs and business simulations.
The federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, known in its most recent iteration as Perkins V, allows states to use funds for students as early as grade 5, and roughly 90% of states allow local recipients to use Perkins funds for middle school CTE and career exploration (ACTE).
Middle school students who receive career-relevant instruction are more engaged in school (Orthner et al.) and see improvements in academic achievement, attendance and high school graduation rates (Pathway2Careers).
Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE
Advance CTE and ACTE released Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE to support state and local leaders as they work to develop or strengthen middle grades CTE policies, programs and practices. Building on the framework included in the paper, a repository of state-level resources for middle grades CTE is also available to assist state and local leaders around the country as they develop and strengthen middle grades programs.
Series on Student Career Development
This series, produced in collaboration with Xello, explores topics such as virtual career development, social-emotional learning, work-based learning, early grades experiences and more.
