College and Career Readiness
To be prepared for success beyond high school, students need academic knowledge and skills in a variety of content areas. But they need more than academic preparation. They also must develop other skills, dispositions, and behaviors to succeed in a job, a certification program, or at a university. Learning these skills and competencies begins well before high school. We provide professional development, consulting, and research and evaluation services to support your efforts in college preparation, career and technical education, dropout prevention and re-engagement, alternative high schools, and secondary to postsecondary transitions.
What’s New in College and Career Readiness
K–12 And Higher Education Partnerships: The Time Is Now
K–12 and higher education are noticeably different structurally, operationally, fiscally, and in their governance. However, to achieve arguably their most fundamental, complementary purposes—development of an informed citizenry and [...]
Teaching Career Technical Education Remotely: It Starts with Choice
COVID-19 changed America’s perception of the importance of skilled workers. Rapid construction of medical centers, manufacturing of complex machinery, food preparation and provision, and healthcare support are seen [...]
Three Qualifications for Middle School Algebra I Teachers Associated with Student Success
Hiring teachers with the right qualifications can mean all the difference when working to ensure every student has an opportunity to succeed, especially in classes like Algebra I. [...]
Meet a Few of Our Experts
Anne Butterworth
Education Improvement Specialist
Marc Brodersen
Managing Senior Research
Doug Gagnon
Senior Researcher
John Lopez
Senior Education Improvement Specialist
Matt Eide
Senior Education Improvement Specialist
How We Can Help
We offer consulting, professional development, technical support, and rigorous research to help you develop, implement, and evaluate the programs and systems that will ensure students’ future success. We can help you
- Assess and improve your college and career readiness initiatives using rigorous, contextualized, and actionable program evaluation
- Facilitate strategic planning and consensus-building, such as the community’s vision for the skills and competencies of graduates
- Select and implement instructional approaches that develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve core competencies
- Assess student outcomes and provide indicators of readiness and success
- Develop and evaluate course pathways and standards
- Provide training and coaching on topics such as project- and work-based learning, dual and concurrent enrollment, facility design, Perkins V program alignment, and personalized learning models
Project Spotlight
Sharing Data to Examine CTE Course-Taking to Better Prepare Students for the Workforce
Three states are working with REL Central at Marzano Research to bolster their Career and Technical Education programs through cross-agency data sharing to fill gaps and better understand student outcomes.
College and Career Readiness Resources
- Toward the Development of a Program Quality Framework for Career and Technical Education Programs: A Researcher-Practitioner Collaborative Project (Report)
- Learning from CTE Research Partnerships: Building a Collaborative Data Culture in South Dakota (Article)
- Examining the Impact of Career and Technical Education Course-Taking in Two States (Report)
- K–12 And Higher Education Partnerships: The Time Is Now (Blog)
- Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs That Offer Differentiated Learning Options (Report)
- Measuring Student Progress and Teachers’ Assessment of Student Knowledge in a Competency-Based Education System (Report)
- Overview of Selected State Policies and Supports Related to K-12 Competency-Based Education (Report)
- Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs (Video)
- Associations Between the Qualifications of Middle School Algebra I Teachers and Student Math Achievement (Report)
- Assisting Struggling Students with Mathematics (Webinar)
- Teacher Qualifications Associated with Success in Algebra I (Webinar)
- Teacher Qualifications Associated with Success in Algebra I: Results (Video)