Technical Education Yields Higher Test Scores, Higher Earnings for Men, According to New Study

A new study conducted by the Vanderbilt Institute and the University of Connecticut found that male students who enrolled in Connecticut technical high school had earnings, on average, one-third higher in years following graduation. The researchers studied 16 stand-alone schools focused in career and technical education within the Connecticut Technical High School System, or CTHSS.

College enrollment in the United States is steadily climbing, but this study confirms that there is still a high demand for jobs in trades.

“We find large, robust positive effects for male students on high school graduation and post-high school labor market outcomes with the improved labor market outcomes being accompanied by declines in college enrollment,” said researches in the study. “These positive outcomes may in part be due to the positive effects of CTHSS attendance on in-school outcomes such as attendance and 10th grade test scores.

“These estimates are robust to alternative bandwidths, the inclusion of controls for student attributes and a donut hole specification. We also demonstrate that the sample exhibits balance on student socio-demographic attributes. Falsification tests cannot identify similar discontinuities at false thresholds that are set above or below the true cut-offs, further bolstering the validity of the fuzzy regression discontinuity design.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 90% of students in the United States take part in at least one CTE program. President Trump recently announced a new budget that would increase funding to CTE by $900 million.

Trumps Budget Would Boost Career and Technical Education Funding

President Donald Trump recently announced a $900 million increase in education spending that would go towards career and technical education training. Trump is using this spending to offer stronger career paths for students interested in alternatives to four-year degrees. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos offered a comment to the press after the administration released its new budget proposal.