CTE Research Opportunities

More and more researchers are investigating CTE implementation and outcomes, and they need the input of CTE professionals and students. Please see the ACTE Research and External Research tabs to learn more about opportunities to contribute and the Research Topics tab to learn more about ACTE’s research and data priorities.

If you have a CTE research opportunity to share, please contact ACTE Research and Content Director Catherine Imperatore at cimperatore@acteonline.org.

College & Career Planning Questionnaires

ACTE is excited to continue our partnership with myOptions® Encourage® for the 2024-25 academic year. Its College and Career Planning Program assists your students to explore life after high school while helping us understand how to make the association meaningful for all our members.

The free myOptions Encourage program, used by over 20,000 educators annually, helps students develop a clear plan for after high school. Using the Encourage app, students receive personalized college and scholarship matches, explore majors and careers, and receive manageable steps to progress. Educators gain an understanding of their students through simple reports and receive access to resources that can support their students in their college and career planning journeys.

Plus, you’ll understand how CTE programs have impacted your students’ development to advocate for your programs locally.

How to Get Started

We’ve made it easy for you to join us in this exciting program by delivering packages directly to your school!

To participate in the program, have your students complete short college and career planning forms. Each package of forms also includes an educator questionnaire that allows you to provide feedback to ACTE to inform future professional development and advocacy efforts. If you don’t receive a package or prefer to participate electronically, email acte@encourageme.com with the subject “ACTE Package Request.” Our partners at myOptions Encourage will provide a link to the online planning form or send you a package of paper forms—whichever works best for you!

Learn more with this FAQ.

Research Study Seeks High School CTE Apprenticeship Graduates

This study is exploring high school graduates’ perspectives of their CTE apprenticeship learning experiences and could help CTE educators, policy makers, and employers better understand how to support CTE apprenticeship students:

One 45-60 minute interview that will be audio recorded (no videorecording)
You will receive a $10 Visa gift card as a thank you
To participate, you must be a high school graduate who participated in a CTE apprenticeship from 2019 – 2023 and be at least 18 years old

Learn more!

Invitation to Participate in Doctoral Research on High School Career Technical Education Teachers’ Experiences Implementing a Standards-Based Grading Method

Are you a high school CTE teacher in the Western United States? Do you use standards-based grading? Help a CTE researcher learn about teachers’ experiences implementing a standards-based grading practice and the connection between grading practices and student skill development. Learn more!

ACTE sometimes submits suggestions about research and data that would help CTE practitioners and advocates, in response to requests for comment from the federal government. Read these responses below to learn more about ACTE’s research and data priorities and to generate ideas for your own research.

ACTE Response: Request for Information on Topics to Address via the National Center for Education Research’s Research & Development Centers (March 2023)