Career Readiness

A George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School student participates in a butchery class at Essex Kitchen in New York, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
A student at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School tries her hand in a butchery class at Essex Kitchen in New York on May 21, 2024. Most high school students think they need more education after graduation, but they're less likely than previous generations to think it needs to be at a four-year college.
James Pollard/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Infographic Students Want to Learn More About Careers. Will High Schools Step Up?
Students say they want more career education, and EdWeek Research Center survey data show schools are emphasizing it more.
Matthew Stone, October 1, 2024
5 min read
Nolden Grohe, 16, feeds exotic fish during Marine Biology class at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 27, 2024.
Nolden Grohe, 16, feeds exotic fish during Marine Biology class at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 27, 2024. The Iowa school system has had a hands-on program for three decades that has introduced students to career possibilities in aquarium science, marine biology, and related fields.
Rachel Mummey for Education Week
Science A Marine Science Program in a Surprising Place Shows Students New Career Options
It's hard to find teachers for STEM subjects, but a school system in a landlocked state has found a way to make it work with marine science.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 30, 2024
5 min read
Image of a teacher drawing outside of the lines of a whiteboard.
<b>Katie Thomas for Education Week</b>
College & Workforce Readiness How Should High School Change? These Districts May Have the Answer
By supporting learning that takes place outside the classroom, districts—and states—are starting to rethink an age-old institution.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 30, 2024
12 min read
Agnieszka Crownoever explains the surgical robot to intern Lutrell Kirk, an 18-year-old high school senior, at Northwest Health in Valparaiso, Ind., Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Agnieszka Crownoever explains how a surgical robot works to intern Lutrell Kirk, an 18-year-old high school senior, at Northwest Health in Valparaiso, Ind., on June 4, 2024. Lutrell and other seniors are part of a program to give them hands-on experiences before graduation.
Eric Davis for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Students at This High School Do Internships. It's a Game Changer
A superintendent challenged his high school to get half of seniors engaged in learning outside the building. Students responded.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 30, 2024
9 min read
Image of students on different future paths.
<b>Katie Thomas for Education Week</b>
College & Workforce Readiness Series The High School Handoff
A new series examines how high school is evolving to reflect changing pathways to degrees, credentials, and the workforce.
September 30, 2024
Instructor working with adult special needs student.
iStock
Special Education Many Students Can Get Special Ed. Until Age 22. What Districts Should Do
School districts' responsibilities under federal special education law aren't always clear-cut.
Mark Lieberman, June 27, 2024
4 min read
Tess Carlson, Biology & Community Health Teacher for SFUSD Mission Bay Hub, demonstrates how to meter a pipet for Ruier Fang and Aldriana Ramos, both 12th graders at Thurgood Marshall, on April 29, 2024, in San Francisco.
Tess Carlson, the founding science teacher for Mission Bay Hub, demonstrates how to meter a pipet for students on April 29, 2024, in San Francisco.
Peter Prato for Education Week
Teaching Profession Q&A 'Fundamentally Changing the Conditions' for Teaching
A specialized STEM program builds in more planning time for teachers.
Lauraine Langreo, June 3, 2024
5 min read
Photograph of culturally diverse students and Black female teacher discussing mathematics problem at a whiteboard
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College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center Are Real-World Problem-Solving Skills Essential for Students?
Ensuring students' career readiness is a top priority for districts.
Lauraine Langreo, May 29, 2024
2 min read
Reagan Institute Summit on Education panelists discuss career-connected education at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
Reagan Institute Summit on Education panelists discuss career-connected education at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
Annie Goldman/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What’s More Important to Students and Employers: Skills or Credentials?
At the Reagan Institute Summit on Education, leaders discussed the evolving value of college degrees versus career skills.
Annie Goldman, May 28, 2024
4 min read
Karma Chea and Dela Zhao, both 12th graders at Thurgood Marshall, practices the use of a pipet at SFUSD Mission Bay Hub in Byers Hall of the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on April 29, 2024. Chea was placed in a fellowship in the orthopedic oncology surgery program at UCSF under the sponsorship of Dr. Melissa Zimel. Zhao placed in a fellowship in the nephrology program at UCSF under the sponsorship of Dr. Delphine Tuot.
Seniors at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco practice the use of a pipette as part of a STEM initiative on April 29, 2024.
Peter Prato for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The Motivational Power of STEM: This Program Connects Students to Potential Careers
It's not just about motivation—it's about providing supports for kids to study STEM subjects.
Lauraine Langreo, May 28, 2024
8 min read
Older student facing the city, younger version is being swept away.
Nicole Xu for Education Week
Special Education From Our Research Center What Happens for High Schoolers Who Need More Than 4 Years?
Districts work to serve older students longer than four years to plan for a changing career world.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 13, 2024
6 min read
Collage of a woman in a wheelchair on a road leading to a large dollar sign. In the woman's hair is a ghosted photo of hands on a laptop.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty
Special Education These Grants Could Help Students With Disabilities Access Jobs, Training
The Ed. Dept. is investing $236 million to help with transitions to careers and post-secondary education.
Alyson Klein, April 15, 2024
3 min read
Bethel High School films a production of Fear the Fog at Fort Monroe on June 21, 2023.
Students from Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., film "Fear the Fog"<i> </i>at Virginia's Fort Monroe on June 21, 2023. Students wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film through a partnership between their district, Hampton City Schools, and two television actors that's designed to give them applied, entertainment industry experience.
Courtesy of Hampton City Schools
College & Workforce Readiness This East Coast District Brought a Hollywood-Quality Experience to Its Students
A unique collaboration between a Virginia school district and two television actors allows students to gain real-life filmmaking experience.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 26, 2024
6 min read
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019.
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019. CTE programs were a core theme of several governors' state addresses in 2024.
Loren Townsley/The Argus Leader via AP
States Republican and Democratic Governors Both Are Touting This K-12 Priority
Workforce readiness and career and technical education were the most common education themes in governors' state of the state addresses.
Evie Blad, March 20, 2024
6 min read