Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of the P-TECH 9-14 model on education outcomes.
- The study was a randomized controlled trial in New York City schools. Using administrative data and American Community Survey data, the authors conducted statistical models to compare the outcomes of the treatment and control groups
- The study found that P-TECH students had significantly higher rates of college degree receipt than students in the control group by the end of postsecondary year one.
- This study received a high evidence rating for the high school graduation rate outcome. This means we would be confident that the estimated effects were attributable to P-TECH 9-14 model, and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any significant findings for this outcome. This study receives a moderate evidence rating for degree receipt outcomes. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the P-TECH 9-14 model, but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
P-TECH 9-14 Model
Features of the Intervention
The P-TECH 9-14 model was created in 2010 and included components of career and technical education (CTE) and early college programs. The model included a private-public partnership of secondary education, a community college, and one or more local employers. It also included a six-year, integrated education program of high school and college courses, as well as internships and work-based learning opportunities.
The P-TECH 9-14 high school experience included an accelerated high school schedule where many students complete their high school requirements before grade 12. Students also received advice and guidance on high school course work. Incoming ninth graders were enrolled in a summer preparatory program before high school began. Students were encouraged to take college readiness exams before or during tenth grade, after which they could start early college course work at no cost. Additionally, students received resume and interview guidance. Students engaged in work-based learning (WBL) including internships and job shadowing. Finally, students were exposed to mentorship opportunities and received help from the school's employer partners and school staff in exploring their career interests and options.
The central offices at New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) and the City University of New York (CUNY) provided support, including identifying employers, assisting with school launch, and offering professional development opportunities for school staff members. Each P-TECH 9-14 school tailored their program to a specific science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) subject and career, such as health careers. Variation in programs across schools was due to the different relationships between schools and their partners, requirements for participation in college and career activities, and varying interests in certain industries or career pathways among students.
The program model targeted historically underrepresented students. The student body was comprised of students who selected a P-TECH 9-14 school in their list of high school choices in eighth grade (as part of NYC high school lottery process). P-TECH 9-14 schools do not have academic admissions requirements so students who live in the same borough as the school or have contacted the school previously to express interest were prioritized. After these categories of students were admitted, all other interested students gained admission through a lottery.
Features of the Study
This study was a randomized controlled trial in New York City public schools. The study sample were 9th grade cohorts of students admitted between 2013 and 2017. Using the NYC high school lottery system, the treatment sample were students who gained admission to one of the seven P-TECH 9-14 schools via lottery (i.e., they were not in a priority category). The control sample were students who expressed interest in P-TECH schools but were admitted to another school (one of 399 other high schools across New York City) based on the lottery process. The total study sample was 3,161 students, with 1,479 in the treatment group and 1,682 in the control group. Less than half of the student sample were female (40%), the majority were racially and ethnically diverse (46% Hispanic and 40% Black), and a small proportion were English Language Learners (10%).
The primary data sources were the High School Application Processing System, the NYCPS state test data for eighth graders in the 2012-2017 school years, NYCPS enrollment files for 2012-2020 school years, American Community Survey data for median household income in 2012-2017, and CUNY enrollment and degree attainment data for 2013-2020 school years. The authors used statistical models to compare the differences in high school graduation rates and college degrees earned between treatment and control group members.
Study Sites
The seven P-TECH 9-14 schools were:
- P-TECH High School in Brooklyn
- Energy Tech High School in Queens
- HERO High School in the Bronx
- Inwood Early College for Health and Information Technologies in Manhattan
- MECA High School in Manhattan
- B-TECH High School in Queens
- City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology in Brooklyn
Findings
Education and skill gains
- The study found no significant differences in high school graduation rates between the P-TECH students and control group students.
- The study found that P-TECH students had significantly higher rates of earning any college degree by the end of postsecondary year one (2.2%) than the control group students (0.1%). However, the study did not find significant differences at the end of postsecondary year two and year three.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Although the study was a randomized controlled trial, the study had high attrition for the college degree receipt outcomes. However, the authors accounted for baseline differences between the treatment and control groups, so the study is eligible for a moderate evidence rating. Also, the cohorts of students who began ninth grade in 2016 and 2017 were considered “COVID-affected” as they were in high school during the spring of 2020 when NYC public schools closed due to COVID-19. The pandemic likely introduced circumstances that may have affected the students' outcomes.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high for the high school graduation rate outcome because it was based on a randomized controlled trial with low attrition. This means we would be confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the P-TECH 9-14 model, and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects for this outcome. For the college degree receipt outcomes, the quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a randomized controlled trial with high attrition, but the authors ensured that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the P-TECH 9-14 model, but other factors might also have contributed.