Using Technology Enabled Career-Technical Education to Enhance American Education
by Isabella He
Category: Humanities
Abstract – Recent data has determined that American teenagers have been performing at stagnant levels for decades. Comparative analyses of education systems around the world determine that the absence of educational improvements are due to a lack of demand to learn. This study determines that career-focused education and personalized learning are two major factors that contribute to the academic successes of top education systems. Career-technical education (CTE) has shown to improve student engagement in secondary and post-secondary education. Furthermore, research supports that career-technical education is most effective in middle school, an optimal time for career exploration with less of an emphasis on core academic courses than high school. Barriers to CTE implementation in middle school include a lack of career counseling and funding. This paper explores an approach that allows CTE to reach more students in the American education system by using technology-enhanced learning to alleviate such barriers. Personalized e-learning allows for student choice, maximizing learning effectiveness and improving motivation to learn. This study concludes the merits of such an approach to enhance the American education system.