The national high school drop out rate is of concern to school faculty, parents, and students. Educational Testing Service released a report indicating that the high school dropout rate is on the rise with as many as 30% of high school students dropping out. In addition to the increase in rates, students are dropping out at younger ages, as early as ninth and tenth grades. The report points out that there is a declining opportunity for dropouts in a workplace that is requiring higher skill levels and this is an issue that needs to be addressed (ACTE, 2005).

There are some solutions and programs that do help increase retention. “Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effect of Career and Technical Education (CTE) on reducing high school dropout rates,” according to the National Dropout Prevention Center as quoted in a recent magazine article (Reese, 2005). The recent research shows that when students have a balanced course load between academics and CTE and these students are made more aware of the connection of school to work, they are more likely to stay in school.

There are several ongoing examples of how these career education and school-to-career programs are succeeding at reducing the dropout rate. In a recent issue of Career Tech Update (2004), an e-mail newsletter published by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), an article focuses on the success of at-risk students in a national school-to-career program. According to this article, ninety percent of students in the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program graduate with 80 percent of that group finding work or going on to college within a year of graduation. JAG’s goal is to help students with low grade point averages by offering a career-based curriculum that helps students develop their skills. Each state’s program offers counselors called career specialists that provide career development opportunities which include academic support.

According to a survey cited in the same ACTE newsletter, “a majority of high school teachers believe that experiental learning such as apprenticeships, internships, and job shadowing can academically motivate students, raise academic achievement, and curtail dropout rates.” The poll was conducted by Junior Achievement, (an organization which educates students about business and enterprise) and found that “nearly nine out of 10, or 88 percent believed that life skills and career development education was somewhat relevant or very relevant to their students, and more than 79 percent of respondents said they would like to see applied learning or life skills measures added to state standard requirements.”

Consistently, schools are finding that when curriculum is based on career education and linked to core academic subjects, their dropout rate declines. One example of curriculum that integrates career education throughout the academic curriculum is Career Responsive to Every Student (CERES). CERES is a full line of career education material for grades K-12 and also has a career education component for students with special needs. CERES is a flexible program designed to work within existing curriculum, to provide a means of infusing career education into basic skills instruction. CERES focuses on connecting academic abilities to the world of work while helping students develop knowledge about career options and the U.S. economic system. The cumulative career guidance goals measured by CERES are presented below.

Goals Measured by CERES