Techniques Feb 2013 - 17

At-risk Students

By Alisha Hyslop and Catherine Imperatore

E

ducation in the United States
is facing a crisis of completion
and performance, both at the
secondary and postsecondary
levels, with high dropout rates and a significant number of students ill-prepared
for further education and careers. These
problems are even more acute in America’s urban schools. Compared to national
averages, students from urban school
districts are more likely to perform at
below-basic proficiency levels on national
assessments and have lower high school
graduation rates.1 Those that are able to
move on to college are more likely to need
remediation and to eventually drop out.2

The Concerns
Urban school districts serve a diverse and
disadvantaged student population, and
these students have unique challenges that
urban schools have struggled to overcome.
For instance, urban school districts serve
approximately 30 percent of the nation’s
economically disadvantaged students,
with higher concentrations of students
eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
than in non-urban areas.3 These students
are more likely to struggle academically
throughout their schooling—with lower
achievement test scores, high school
graduation rates, and postsecondary
enrollment and completion rates—and
the gap between low- and high-income
students has grown in recent years.4
Interwoven with the challenges of the
low-income population are the challenges
faced by the large number of minority
students who are served by urban schools,
many of whom are not native English
speakers. A persistent minority achievement gap continues to exist despite many
years of work to address this issue.
Many urban schools also face the
tremendous challenge of operating with
inadequate resources while trying to serve
these high concentrations of students that
www.acteonline.org

have traditionally struggled academically.
The lack of resources often means teachers and career counselors are stretched
thin, straining positive relationship
development and meaningful interaction
between students and adults in schools.
Students in urban districts also face challenges in their communities that impact
their education. Factors like high unemployment can create disruptive forces in
urban students’ lives, increasing financial
demands and family responsibilities that
impede learning.
Given these challenges, it can be
difficult for urban students to connect
education with a future of high-wage,
high-demand and satisfying work,
leading many students to disengage
or drop out of school.

CTE Provides a Solution
Today’s CTE is on the cutting edge
of connecting students to their futures
through relevant education. These pro-

grams engage and prepare students for
postsecondary education and a range of
career opportunities by providing core
academic, employability and technical
skills through an integrated, applied and
connected curriculum.
CTE may be overlooked by urban
education leaders under pressure to
improve dismal academic results because
CTE programs are more readily associated with rural and suburban locales than
urban schools, and are at times typecast
as appropriate only for students not planning to pursue postsecondary education.
Urban school leaders who embrace these
stereotypes are doing their students a
disservice.
While CTE cannot claim to solve the
structural problems that exist in urban
schools, such as budget and staffing issues,
it can address the issue of student engagement and connect more urban students
to positive educational experiences. CTE
programs engage urban students by

2012 ACTE Issue Brief:
CTE’s Role in Urban Education
ACTE Issue Briefs are designed to
highlight the role of career and technical education (CTE) against the
backdrop of national interest. Each
brief is designed to strengthen the
voice of CTE related to the specific
issue and to draw more attention
to CTE activities and best practices
around the country. The briefs provide
background information, highlight
research, profile CTE programs and include numerous examples of how CTE
is tied to the broader issue. Issue Briefs
are designed in a concise, easy-to-read
format that is ideal for use in advocacy
and public awareness efforts with a
variety of audiences. CTE’s Role in

Urban Education
was released in
August 2012 to
emphasize the
importance of
CTE in addressing challenges
faced by urban
school systems
seeking to improve student
achievement. This article
is a condensed version of the brief,
but you can access the complete text,
including research, case studies and
examples, at www.acteonline.org/
issuebriefs.

February 2013  Techniques  
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Techniques Feb 2013

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