The more students participate in career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities, the higher their academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy, college aspirations and employability skills.[i]
For CTE Month, let’s celebrate the important role CTSOs play in engaging and preparing students for their futures. The finding above is from original research published by the National Research Center for CTE that compared high school students in CTE classes with a CTSO, CTE classes without a CTSO and non-CTE classes. The researchers found a positive association between CTSO participation and a wide variety of college and career readiness indicators.
When meeting with policymakers, pair this research with success stories from CTSO students in your school or district. Highlight their academic achievement, technical and employability skills, and postsecondary and workforce plans or attainment. Better yet, bring these students to meet policymakers! You can also remind legislators that CTSO activities are often eligible for funding through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Therefore, the benefits these organizations provide are dependent on continuing support for Perkins.
You can access CTE facts and figures online any time you need them with ACTE Fact Sheets.
[i] Alfeld et al., Looking Inside the Black Box: The Value Added by Career and Technical Student Organizations to Students’ High School Experience, National Research Center for CTE, 2007.
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