Summary

• CTE programs combine classroom learning with real-world experience, leading to a 93% graduation rate and higher future wages for students who don’t pursue four-year degrees.

• Key barriers to access include awareness gaps among families, scheduling and transportation challenges, and students having to commit to pathways before they’ve had enough exposure to different fields.

• Solutions include stronger advisement starting in middle school, earlier career exploration opportunities, and cross-enrollment models that let students access specialized programs at other schools.

• Demand is surging: NAF (National Academy Foundation) Academy enrollment jumped from under 400 students a decade ago to over 4,000 today, and city leaders are prioritizing expanding access.

Career and technical education are an invaluable option for some students to prep for life after high school. How can we help more find these pathways?

Insights from expert panel

On November 19, 2025, the D.C. State Board of Education convened a panel discussion on Career and Technical Education (CTE) in D.C. Schools. The panel explored current CTE options, how these programs connect to local workforce needs, and strategies for expanding access.

Three experts offered their perspectives: 

• Mr. William Massey, principal of H.D. Woodson High School, a District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) school in Ward 7 that operates multiple career academies in engineering, information technology, and finance; 
• Dr. Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw, director of the DC Education Research Collaborative, a research-practice partnership hosted by the Urban Institute that conducts research to inform local education policy; and 
• Mr. Glenn Starnes, senior deputy chief for Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) Strategy at DCPS, where he oversees student engagement, academics, and CTE programming.

The power of CTE

Career and technical education prepare students for the workforce by combining academic instruction with hands-on training in specific career fields. Through structured programs of study, students take sequenced courses, have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials, as well as gain real-world experience through internships and work-based learning. For those who thrive through doing rather than sitting, who learn best when lessons are tangible, or who simply want to explore career options while in school, CTE provides a pathway that meets them where they are and prepares them for what’s next.

What this looks like in practice is best illustrated in human terms. The pathway traveled by Syamyia Beach offers a great example. She graduated from Ballou High School in 2019, but her story really begins in the Hospitality NAF Academy, a small learning community within the larger school where coursework, mentorship, and real-world experience intertwine. Syamyia wasn’t just learning about hospitality in a classroom. She was immersed in the professional setting. A trip to Marriott Headquarters let her see the industry from the executive suite. Her teacher, Glenda Lee, pushed her to think of herself not as a student but as a professional in training. And Thomas Penny, a hospitality executive, took her on as a mentee, offering the kind of guidance that can reshape how a young person sees her own possibilities.

Then came the internships, first at the Holiday Inn at Capitol Hill, then at the Marriott Marquis, where abstract knowledge became embodied skill. Syamyia learned hotel operations from the inside: coordinating events, managing guest services, understanding the intricate choreography that keeps a large hotel running smoothly. By graduation, she had something valuable in addition to her diploma. She had a professional identity, a network, and credentials that employers recognized. Hotels weren’t just potential employers; they were recruiting her. She entered the industry immediately, and while working, completed her bachelor’s degree at George Washington University. Today she’s a senior manager at a hotel in Bethesda. “The experiences at Ballou and the skills she developed as part of the CTE program,” Starnes assessed, “laid a strong foundation for her success today.”

Syamyia’s trajectory (from classroom to internship to career) illustrates what research consistently finds. Advance CTE reports that students concentrating in CTE programs graduate at a 93% rate, approximately 10-15% more than the national average. Research conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research tracking CTE students into the workforce found that each year of upper-level CTE coursework correlates with a 1.8-2.0% increase in future wages, with the largest gains for students in technical fields who don’t pursue four-year degrees. These outcomes reflect something deeper about what CTE programs provide.

The advantage extends beyond graduation. CTE students don’t just learn technical content; they develop the professional fluencies that employers prize and that ease the transition into any postsecondary path. Through work-based learning, they practice navigating workplace expectations: arriving on time, communicating with supervisors, collaborating on teams, receiving and incorporating feedback. They build resumes with real experience. They sit for industry certifications that signal competence to hiring managers. They learn to present themselves in interviews. These aren’t abstract “soft skills” taught through a curriculum. They’re capabilities forged through genuine professional experience. Whether a student heads directly into the workforce or continues to college, these competencies provide a foundation that traditional academic preparation alone often lacks.

Businesses don’t just end up hiring graduates, either; they partner with schools, mentor students, host interns, and shape curricula to meet evolving industry needs. Principal Massey described how companies like Wells Fargo have hired students directly from H.D. Woodson’s finance academy. “We focus on both college and career,” he explained, working with employer partners to create “a good on-ramp or a good segue” for students pursuing either path. These partners invest their time and expertise without compensation, Massey noted, because they see it as “an investment in their field.” 

For the District, CTE pathways offer the possibility for success for more than any individual student. They can be genuine fuel for long-term economic development. When a city builds robust CTE infrastructure, it creates a virtuous cycle: strong CTE programs attract employer engagement, which strengthens programs further, which produces more prepared graduates, which deepens employer commitment to the local talent pipeline. 

Barriers to CTE enrollment

Career and technical education in the District have undergone remarkable growth in recent years. In her remarks to the State Board at its November public meeting, State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Mitchell highlighted the scope of developments. According to the data, DC has expanded from just two vertically aligned CTE pathways five years ago to over 40 today; secondary CTE enrollment has more than doubled from 3,400 to approximately 8,000 students; and more than 1,800 students now sit for industry-recognized credentials annually, up from 300 students before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this momentum, participation can be improved further. The panelists identified several barriers that hold some interested students back from accessing CTE opportunities.

Awareness gaps. Many families simply don’t know what’s available. State Board Vice President Ben Williams noted that in conversations with families, “they’re consistently unaware of how to access” CTE programs. There’s a real gap between what the District offers and what students and parents understand they can pursue. Dr. Shaw pointed to related factors: uncertainty about program quality, lack of familiarity with specific pathways, and perceptions (accurate or not) about what CTE is and who it’s for. These informational barriers can be just as limiting as structural ones.

Scheduling and transportation. Even motivated students face logistical hurdles. Dr. Shaw explained that internships often take place during the school day, requiring schedule flexibility that not all students have. Employer sites may be distant or hard to reach: “Some of the employers may have transportation, some of them may not. Some of the employers may be prohibitively far, or the employment opportunities take place at a time that is simply inconvenient.” When work-based learning conflicts with required courses, or when students lack reliable transportation, opportunities slip away. Not for lack of interest, but for lack of infrastructure.

Uncertainty about fit. Committing to a CTE pathway requires students to make consequential decisions about their futures, often before they’ve had sufficient exposure to different fields. Dr. Shaw emphasized that “career development opportunities have to align with student goals and perspectives” and match “industries that students are interested in going into.” Some students may hesitate to commit when they’re still exploring and would benefit from more exploratory opportunities before selecting a specific program of study.

How we might expand CTE access

Addressing these barriers requires action on multiple fronts.

Strengthening advisement can close the awareness gap. Too often, students and families simply aren’t told about CTE options during the moments that matter most: course selection, school choice fairs, and conversations with counselors. Proactive outreach, beginning in middle school and continuing through high school, could ensure families learn not just that CTE exists, but how to access it, which programs align with their student’s interests, and what steps to take to enroll. When students hear about CTE only by chance, or not at all, we lose them before they ever have a chance to benefit. 

Exposure before high school can help students make more informed choices. DCPS now hosts an annual middle school CTE expo (in its third year) where eighth graders visit UDC for hands-on experiences across career pathways. The District also offers 21 middle school CTE courses across 17 schools, including options like Medical Detectives, which introduces biomedical sciences through project-based learning. Dr. Shaw underscored the value of this approach: “If you let students explore their career options prior to committing to a major or a CTE program, then they are more likely to enroll in a CTE program that will then benefit them.” Research from ACTE confirms that middle school is a particularly ripe time for career exploration.

Not every school can offer every CTE program. The specialized equipment and trained instructors required for trades like automotive technology or construction simply can’t be replicated everywhere. Cross-enrollment offers a solution: students remain enrolled at their home school but travel to another site for specialized coursework. Currently, OSSE operates two Advanced Technical Centers (ATCs), one in Ward 5 and one in Ward 8, that offer dual-enrollment pathways in cybersecurity, nursing, clinical medical assisting, and emergency medical technology. These centers serve students from 25 high schools across the city, with transportation support provided.

Additionally, DCPS is piloting a CTE course hub model at Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School, allowing students citywide to access specialized trade programs. “We’re using the lessons learned from the Phelps model to think about other programs of study that are in fact high-demand, high-skill, high-interest that we could replicate for cross-enrollment,” Starnes explained, noting the automotive program at Ballou as a candidate for expansion. But transportation remains the sticking point: “Transportation is in fact a factor and in some instances could be a barrier.” Scaling cross-enrollment will require solving the logistics of moving students across the city. It’s a challenge that demands coordination and investment, but one that could dramatically expand access for students whose neighborhood schools lack specific programs.

Conclusion

The demand for career and technical education is unmistakable. The growth from fewer than 400 students in NAF Academies a decade ago to more than 4,000 students in 38 academies at 15 schools today speaks for itself. Principal Massey observed that “CTE has become a major draw for families” choosing schools, and “students consistently tell us that CTE opportunities are a big reason why.” This appetite reflects a broader recognition: career-focused learning isn’t a second-tier option. It’s a legitimate, powerful pathway to success.

State Board President Jacque Patterson noted that CTE came up repeatedly during the Board’s recent legislative breakfast with the DC Council, demonstrating “how important this work is for a lot of our students and how many city leaders want to make sure that this program is done right.” Doing it “right” starts with expanding access. And that requires us to tackle those barriers that keep interested students from fully engaging.