The Nebraska Department of Education supports a statewide CTE system designed to prepare students for learning, earning, and living. Nebraska’s CTE programs are organized into structured programs of study that connect academic instruction with technical skills, work-based learning, and career development opportunities aligned with workforce needs.
Turning State Education R&D Investments into Impact
A federally-supported evaluation of Nebraska’s CTE pathways helped state policymakers identify and invest in effective strategies to strengthen graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment, and credential attainment outcomes.
A portion of $ 24.2 milliion
A portion of $24.2 million in Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central funding
The impact of these investments is clear:
The findings of the REL Central study on CTE pathways helped inform statewide discussions and policy decisions related to:
- Dedicated categorical funding for CTE in Nebraska
- Stronger alignment between secondary and postsecondary CTE systems
- Expansion of access to high-quality CTE pathways across the state
How Federal R&D Investments Are Strengthening CTE Programs and Improving Student Outcomes in Nebraska
Career and technical education (CTE) courses are now offered in every public high school in Nebraska, creating life-changing opportunities for students across the state. This statewide expansion was driven by a research study that found Nebraska students who completed structured CTE pathways were 7 percentage points more likely to graduate on time and 10 percentage points more likely to enroll in postsecondary education within two years. Recognizing the power of these findings, the state scaled these programs to ensure every student has the opportunity to connect their classroom learning to a successful career.
As states work to strengthen pathways that connect classroom learning to future careers, there is growing interest in understanding which types of CTE experiences most effectively support students’ long-term success. The study that provided this critical evidence for Nebraska was made possible by federal research investments through the Institute of Education Sciences’s (IES) Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) network.
Structured CTE pathways are sequenced programs of study that integrate academic and technical instruction within career-aligned fields. Unlike standalone electives, this structure allows students to build skills over time within a chosen field. Through progressively advanced classes and applied learning experiences, students develop both academic and technical competencies while gaining sustained exposure to career options.
To determine if structured CTE pathways were improving postsecondary outcomes, the Nebraska Department of Education partnered with the South Dakota Department of Education and the federally-funded Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central. Using statewide student data, researchers compared outcomes for students who completed CTE course sequences with those of similar peers who did not.
This evaluation provided a definitive evidence base. In addition to revealing the initial 7- and 10-point increases in graduation and postsecondary enrollment, the study proved that these benefits were sustained over time, with postsecondary enrollment rates remaining 8 percentage points higher even five years after high school.
“This study reinforces what Educational Service Unit (ESU) 7 school districts see in their local data—Career and Technical Education makes a meaningful difference for students, from on-time graduation to postsecondary success. The support that makes this study possible provides valuable insights that strengthen our ability to expand and refine CTE pathways, ensuring students across our region have access to high-quality opportunities that lead to real outcomes beyond high school.”
The Impact
Backed by this data, alongside broader statewide workforce and education priorities, the Nebraska Legislature authorized the state’s first-ever dedicated appropriation for CTE. This historic investment of approximately $5 million was designed to scale the successes identified in the research by providing a stable funding floor per school district, ensuring that even small, rural districts have the resources to sustain high-quality CTE pathway programs.
Without the definitive evidence base established by the REL study, this appropriation would not have been possible, leaving students in disjointed electives instead of proven career pathways.
This evidence has continued to inform Nebraska’s approach to investing in and expanding career and technical education. By supplementing federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) funds with state resources, Nebraska has empowered local districts to move beyond basic program maintenance toward the strategic expansion of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand pathways. This investment is directly tied to the state’s reVISION process, a mandatory local needs assessment that requires districts to use student performance and labor market data to align their course offerings with actual economic opportunities.
Because the REL study demonstrated the positive impact of CTE concentration on graduation and postsecondary outcomes, the Nebraska State Board of Education included “Equip Learners for the Workforce” as one of its four core priorities in its new Strategic Plan, establishing a bold new target: “50% of students will concentrate in a CTE career cluster by 2030.”
The evaluation’s influence is also evident in how the state measures school success. Nebraska’s accountability system, AQuESTT, has updated its Postsecondary Readiness indicator to include career and technical education for the very first time. Specifically, they are now tracking CTE concentration and work-based learning participation.
Education R&D Playbook in Practice
Nebraska’s evidence-driven expansion of its CTE pathways serves as a powerful proof-point for two recommendations from ALI’s State Education R&D Playbook: 1) Provide Technical Support and 2) Empower Local Leaders. By partnering with REL Central, Nebraska successfully leveraged external R&D capacity to evaluate its statewide data and establish a rigorous evidence base. This strategic partnership provided the research infrastructure needed to demonstrate that structured pathways significantly improve graduation and postsecondary outcomes. Equipped with these actionable insights, Nebraska empowered local leaders to secure the state’s first-ever dedicated CTE appropriation. Through the reVISION (local needs assessment) process, districts are now equipped to pair these resources with local labor market data, moving beyond basic compliance to strategically build high-wage pathways tailored to their community’s unique economic needs.