Can Technical Education in High School Smooth Postsecondary Transitions for Students With Disabilities?

This article examines the causal impact of attending stand-alone Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools within the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS) on educational and labor market outcomes for students with identified disabilities. Using a regression discontinuity design based on admissions thresholds, the study finds that male students with disabilities who attend CTE high schools experience significant improvements in on-time high school graduation, 10th-grade test scores, employment duration, and earnings, with effects persisting into early adulthood. Female students show smaller and less precise effects, partly due to a smaller sample size. The positive outcomes are broadly consistent across disability types and levels of prior inclusion with typically developing peers, and attending CTE schools also increases time spent with nondisabled peers. These findings suggest that comprehensive CTE programs combining coursework, work-based learning, and mentorship may support successful transitions to independence for students with disabilities, particularly males, and highlight implications for educational policy and inclusive practice.