Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways: Preparing California’s Youth for College, Career, and Civic Responsibility

Jeanne Oakes and Marisa Saunders, UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education & Access (UCLA/IDEA), 2007

This collection of 15 papers presents the results of a collaboration between UCLA and scholars throughout California to study Multiple Pathways—a new approach to prepare high school students for both college and career, and full involvement in civic life. Multiple Pathways are intended to provide students with many programmatic choices based on students’ interests and the strengths and the opportunities present in their communities and would, therefore, differ in their size, curriculum, organization, on- and off-campus offerings, and connections with colleges and business and industry. In addition to identifying the promise and challenges of Multiple Pathways, the UCLA studies provide a solid policy agenda and set of recommendations.View Report

Making the Most of Career-Technical Education: Options for California

Norton Grubb & David Stern, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), 2007

This policy brief suggests that after a decade of focusing on academic programs and college preparation, some forms of Career-Technical Education (CTE)—in which core academics are integrated with occupational coursework—could be expanded into “CTE/multiple pathways” to provide high school students with more than one route to college and careers. Recent evidence demonstrates that CTE/multiple pathways increase students’ motivation, employment, and earnings without adversely affecting their likelihood of taking academic courses, completing high school, or enrolling in college. The brief stresses the importance of providing funding, technical assistance, professional development for teachers and principals, curriculum development, additional work-based learning opportunities, and data to gauge the effectiveness of CTE/multiple pathways reform. Download/view: PDF (625 KB)

Transforming Today’s Education for Tomorrow’s Economy: New Directions for Career and Technical Education in California

Gary Hoachlander

One of California’s significant public policy challenges is preparing its young people for lasting success in their educational, career, and civic pursuits. This policy brief provides twelve policy strategies for ending the separation between Career and Technical Education (CTE) and mainstream academics, creating comprehensive multiple pathways to provide a more engaging and relevant educational experience that prepares students for both postsecondary education and career, not one or the other. Download/view: PDF (107 KB)