Texas Perspectives on College and Career Readiness: An Examination of CTE-Supported Endorsements in Public High Schools

The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 5 in 2013 to adopt the Foundation High School Program, a new graduation program intended to support youth college and career readiness. Texan students entering grade 9 were guided to enroll in one or more endorsements with a specific curriculum designed to introduce them to [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] STEM, Business and Industry, Public Services, Arts and Humanities, or Multidisciplinary areas of study and future career pathways. This research was based on analysis of restricted-use Texas longitudinal administrative and transcript data for 9th graders enrolled in Texas public schools in the academic year 2015/16. We examined the complementary roles that exposure to core academic subjects and career and technical education courses has on making endorsement choices, with a focus on three [career and technical education] CTE-supported endorsements, STEM, Business and Industry, and Public Service. The study contributes to the literature on college and career readiness by examining specifically how the academic and vocational dimensions are reflected in the Texas high school endorsements. The study also addresses social equity issues by inquiring who participates in which endorsements and whether student endorsement choices are marked by sociodemographic and academic differences that exacerbate educational inequalities.