PPI - Radically Pragmatic
  • Donate
Skip to content
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Locations
    • Careers
  • People
  • Projects
  • Our Work
  • Events
  • Donate

Our Work

Manno for Education Next: Career and Technical Education Clears New Pathways to Opportunity

  • June 20, 2024
  • Bruno Manno

By Bruno Manno

Many Americans, including the last wave of Gen Z-ers now entering high schools, want schools to offer more education and training options for young people like career and technical education, or CTE. They broadly agree that the K–12 goal of “college for all” over the last several decades has not served all students well. It should be replaced with “opportunity pluralism,” or the recognition that a college degree is one of many pathways to post-secondary success.

School-based CTE programs (there are also programs for adults) typically prepare middle and high school students for a range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. These include fields like advanced manufacturing, health sciences, and information technology which often do not require a two- or four-year college degree. CTE programs award students recognized credentials like industry certifications and licenses. Some programs also provide continuing opportunities for individuals to sequence credentials so that they can pursue associate and bachelor’s degrees if they choose.

Keep reading in Education Next.

Related Work

Press Release  |  May 23, 2025

PPI Statement: Supreme Court Decision is a Victory for Public Education

  • Will Marshall
Podcast  |  May 20, 2025

Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce, ft. Hans Meeder

  • Bruno Manno
Op-Ed  |  May 20, 2025

Kahlenberg for American Affairs: Renewing the Democratic Party

  • Richard D. Kahlenberg
Op-Ed  |  May 18, 2025

Manno for Forbes: How Are Teachers Today Thinking About Education?

  • Bruno Manno
Feature  |  May 12, 2025

Kahlenberg Q&A with Bloomberg: Liberals Should Focus on Class, Not Race

  • Richard D. Kahlenberg
Op-Ed  |  May 9, 2025

Weinstein Jr. for Forbes: College Closures (And Mergers) Will Accelerate Under President Trump

  • Paul Weinstein Jr.
  • Never miss an update:

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
PPI Logo
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Donate
  • Careers
  • © 2025 Progressive Policy Institute. All Rights Reserved.
  • |
  • Privacy Policy
  • |
  • Privacy Settings