Overview

MDRC is conducting a multistate study to examine the postsecondary and early workforce outcomes of students who attend P‑TECH schools. Originating in New York City, P-TECH is a career and technical education model designed to integrate high school, college, and career preparation. P‑TECH schools aim to provide high school students with work-based learning experiences and opportunities to earn college credits and industry-relevant credentials, all aligned with a specific career pathway. The model has expanded rapidly across states, often with adaptations in structure, but it is still relatively young and little evidence yet exists about the long-term educational and economic outcomes of its students.

This project uses administrative data (records collected in the normal course of administering public programs) from multiple states to track students’ trajectories from high school into postsecondary education and the labor market. MDRC’s analyses focus on milestones such as high school graduation, college enrollment, and associate’s degree completion, along with earnings in a person’s first years of employment. The study draws on longitudinal state data systems (ones that link K-12, postsecondary, and workforce records for the same individual) to provide a comprehensive picture of outcomes for students who enrolled in P‑TECH schools that have operated long enough for participants to reach these benchmarks. Findings will inform states, districts, and funders about how P‑TECH is performing on a large scale and contribute to broader evidence on career-connected learning models intended to widen pathways from school to college and good jobs.