Career and Technical Education

Career and Technical Education is an example of Civic Consulting's ability to pick an issue and stick with it over time in order to achieve improvements.

Starting in February of 2006, Civic Consulting began working with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to define a strategy for career and technical education, or what used to be known as “vocational education.”  Over 25,000 students a year participate in CTE programs.  Their outcomes are no better than students completing a general course of study, despite evidence that well-executed CTE programs can increase long-term wages and education outcomes for participating students.

Civic Consulting recommended that CPS develop a new approach to career education, based on a network of dedicated career academies, geographically dispersed across the City. 

In the summer of 2008, Civic Consulting refreshed the strategy, and then worked with new leadership at CPS to begin implementation of the plan. 

Mayor Richard M. Daley unveiled the new strategy on January 4, 2010.  It will lead to the creation of 35 College and Career Academies by 2016 that deliver business-relevant education to Chicago's high school students in order to prepare them for long-term career success.