1. Rhonda Ritter University of North Texas United States SITE March 19, 2014

2.  Role of education in society  Variables beyond educators’ control  Students labeled as at-risk  Burden on society

3. “Are students who have a 2.0 or lower GPA and have completed at least three Career and Technology Education courses less likely to drop out of high school when compared to students who completed no CTE courses?”

4.  2000 Approximately one-half million of 10 million students enrolled in high school (Kaufman, Alt, & Chapman 2004)  2008-2009 607,000 students in grades 9-12 (Chapman, Laird, Ifill & KewalRamani 2011)  2011 1.2 million annually, 7,000 students daily (Alliance for Excellent Education 2011)

5.  Low socioeconomic status and family structure  Unsuccessful in academic courses  Loss of interest with no connection to real-world  Process of disengagement on social and academic level (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

6.  Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act 2006  Funding to improve and develop academic and career and technical skills for students in CTE courses (Public Law 109-270 2006)

7. Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Human Services Architecture & ConstructionInformation Technology Arts, Audio/Visual Technology, & Comm. Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Business Management & Administration Manufacturing Education & TrainingMarketing FinanceSTEM Government & Public Admin Transportation, Distribution & Logistics Health ScienceCareer Development Hospitality & Tourism (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5415)

8.  Prepare to manage dual roles of family member and wage earner (TEA 2010)  Gain entry-level employment (TEA 2010)  Provide skills needed by employers (Cohen & Besharov 2002)  Provide work habits desired by employers (Cohen & Besharov 2002)

9.  More likely to be engaged in learning, tend to stay in school (Cohen & Besharov 2002)  Builds positive relationships, provides innovative delivery methods (ACTE 2007)  Empowers students, relates to real-world, makes it more interesting and enjoyable (Anderson et al 2004)

10.  Increased chances of unemployment  Increase incidence of divorce and births outside marriage  Increased involvement with welfare and legal systems  Poor health (Bloom & Haskins 2010)

11.  Result in approximately $192 billion in combined income and tax revenue losses to US  Great hardships on labor market and economic welfare (Rouse 2005)

12.  Produce productive citizens  Contribute to the national job labor market  Increase earning potential of students  Receive higher wages (Bishop & Mane 2004)

13.  Decreased risk of dropout (Plank, DeLuca & Estacion 2005)  More diverse sense of learning  Establish and encourage pathway to successful future  Career focus gives students sense of direction (Bishop & Mane 2004)  Motivates them to achieve and stay in school  More individually relevant choices available to them

14.  Quantitative study  Sample 9-12 grade students  Male and female  Participated in at least three CTE courses  Transcript verification of GPA  Results tabulated

15.  Sample size  Previous studies finding no significant difference  Definition of dropout  Lack of complete transcripts

16.  Provide means of staying in school  More engaging  Real-world applications  Envision future

17. Rhonda Ritter, M.Ed University of North Texas, Denton, TX Hull-Daisetta High School, Daisetta, TX rhonda.ritter@my.unt.edu rritter@hdisd.net