The College and Career Readines and Success Center closed on September 30,2019 because the grant cycle for the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Centers ended. The information on this website will no longer be updated. Visit www.air.org for updates on college and career readiness.
This fact sheet seeks to update the components that make up "career ready". The authors broaden career readiness to include: academic skills, employability skills, and technical skills to align with the needs of 21st century employers. The authors conclude that it requires all three of these skill sets for students to be career ready.
This fact sheet outlines important shifts in Career and Technical Education in terms of program inclusiveness, academic connectedness, "real-world" focus, and career clusters available to students. Data points from a wide variety of studies and assessments are provided.
This report details an Annenberg Institute for School Reform study in which leading indicators, as inspired by those used by economists, are explored at four school districts prominently utilizing leading indicators to discern student progress prior to the availability of high stakes testing data.
This paper from EPIC asserts that a new operational definition of college readiness is needed, proposing a shift from a focus on high school coursework, grades and scores on national exams, to a new and more comprehensive conceptualization of college readiness. The author suggests, based on the last two decades of research, that there are several other key components of college success.
This fact sheet published by Achieve examines which states require students to complete a college and career ready high school curriculum. The document details specific graduation requirements set by each of these states, recent changes in requirements and other policy specifics, such as whether or not students can opt out of curriculum requirements and which future graduating classes will be impacted.
This resource from the Center for American Progress discusses the results of a forum held in March 2008 that explored the question, "What is driving these poor results in higher education?" The results of this forum concluded with the Center for American Progress recommending that federal policy be enhanced with a stronger focus on postsecondary completion and student and college readiness. Specific recommendations focused on two key areas: (1) college-ready student strategies, and (2) student-ready college strategies.
This report describes an AYPF-hosted field trip to Indianapolis, Indiana in order to showcase cross-system linkages aimed at increasing the number of students prepared for, attending, and succeeding in postsecondary education and the world of work.
This resource from American Youth Policy Forum examines the impact that career academies have had over the past 40 years. The author discusses the need for action and the research that shows career academies improve educational and labor market outcomes. Additionally, the author suggests several policy issues that must be addressed in order for career academies to be expanded.
This resource from the ACT surveys teachers’ educational practices and expectations in English/writing, reading, mathematics, and science. The purpose of the survey is to determine the skills and knowledge that are currently being taught, in addition to those considered important for success for college readiness. It found that the skills rated most highly by postsecondary instructors across the content areas included reading, English and language arts, writing, communication skills, mathematics, science, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
