College and Workforce Outcomes of CTE Graduates in Houston

The State of Texas emphasizes college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) in its annual accountability rating system for public schools. As part of these efforts, career and technical education (CTE) has been identified as an important element to improve the connection between students and the labor market. CTE programs offer a sequence of courses to provide students with rigorous academic content and technical skills to help prepare them for success after high school.

To better understand the role CTE plays in supporting a successful transition into adult life, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Houston Education Research Consortium conducted a broad study on CTE graduates from the 2013–14 to 2019–20 cohorts. This series of briefs looked at graduates' postsecondary education outcomes, such as college enrollment and degree attainment, as well as workforce outcomes, such as employment and earnings, and how college degree attainment influenced workforce success.