The superintendent of the Butler Tech District of high schools in Ohio is a leader in the growing movement to revive public education, marred by low test scores and high absenteeism, through a hands-on approach to learning that prepares students for careers in today's tech-driven economy. Traditionally a means of funneling disadvantaged kids into outdated shop classes and dead-end jobs, vocational education is being reimagined by Graft and others in sophisticated career and technical education (CTE) programs nationwide, offering high school students of all academic abilities training in healthcare, computer science, engineering, skilled trades, and even the arts.

Butler Tech and other state-of-the-art CTE programs strive to keep students engaged with career-relevant coursework, apprenticeships, and internships, giving them direction and excitement about their futures. "We are changing the mindset of our communities," Graft said. "They see that CTE is the way public education should be delivered to all high school students, not just a narrow demographic. It leads to a much higher trajectory in life, whether they go off to university or directly into the workforce."

Big ideas to improve public education come and go like the flu, but CTE has established a notable track record, boosting student engagement, graduation rates, employment outcomes, and income, according to several studies. Butler Tech's graduation rate of 98% is well above the average for Ohio and the nation, with 64% of graduates enrolling in two- and four-year colleges and other training.

As a new school year begins, the results explain why Butler Tech and programs in Connecticut and other states have waitlists while many traditional schools struggle to fill seats. Despite the demand, advocates say, programs are struggling to expand because the traditional school system continues to underfund CTE. Parrticularly in many wealthier districts, school leaders still consider career training as a less worthy Plan B for students who can't handle the rigors of college. 

The views of families, however, are changing. CTE is part of an ongoing sea change in education, which has seen a decade-long decline in college enrollment, particularly in the liberal arts. Some education scholars question the wisdom of having high schoolers focus on careers rather than the fundamental truths found in Great Books. But families that are switching to CTE say there's no greater truth than a good job.