EVALUATING CAREER PATHWAYS PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Institute of Education Sciences (IES) requires one or more contractors to assist IES in conducting evaluations of career pathways programs and strategies. These programs and strategies are designed to improve the career outcomes of youth and adults—including those with disabilities—and can include career and technical education (CTE), adult education (AE), and other educational programs with career exploration, career development, workforce development and/or related activities and supports. These evaluations may use new data collection and/or existing data sources to: (1) describe the implementation and costs of federally-funded career pathways programs and strategies; (2) analyze trends in participation and outcomes in federally-funded career pathways programs and strategies; (3) describe the characteristics and activities of schools, providers, districts, postsecondary institutions, and states that are implementing career pathways programs and strategies; (4) examine the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of policy-relevant career pathways programs and strategies through systematic evidence reviews, and demonstration or low-cost opportunistic impact evaluations; and (5) identify and describe the core components of policy-relevant career pathways programs and strategies, including the conditions necessary to achieve impact for key “high-need” youth and adult populations. The program office responsible for the evaluations will be the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance within IES.