A few months ago, the nonpartisan research organization RAND released a report focused on career-connected learning in K–12 public schools. To determine how well schools are preparing students for what comes after graduation, researchers leveraged a trio of nationally representative surveys conducted during the 2025–26 school year. Survey questions focused on how district and school leaders structure career-connected learning and how high schoolers describe their experiences.
Although the RAND results aren’t Ohio-specific, they contain plenty of important lessons for policymakers and advocates who have been working toward improving career-connected learning in the Buckeye State. In this piece, we’ll take a closer look at the RAND report’s key takeaways from both educators and students. Then, we’ll examine the lessons Ohio should learn from these findings.
Career-connected learning from the perspective of an educator
Most district leaders reported that students have their first career-connected learning experiences in middle school. The most common opportunities were career exploration courses or electives, which were offered in 79 percent of districts. Rural locales were significantly more likely to offer these courses than their suburban and urban counterparts. A majority (67 percent) of district leaders said that some or all of their middle schools expect students to create written plans that identify their academic, career, and personal goals. Just over half reported that their middle schools administer career interest or aptitude assessments.
At the high school level, 96 percent of principals report that all students are required or have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a counselor about college or career plans. Most schools also connect students with local employers, although there’s some variation in access: 63 percent offer employer connections to all students, while 21 percent reserve them for certain students.
District leaders were asked to report whether their schools provided career-connected learning in 14 industries. The most commonly identified industries were health care and human services; agriculture; digital technology; education; construction; and arts, entertainment, and design. CTE pathways and credit-bearing courses were the most common offerings. Nearly three-fourths of district leaders said that one or more of their schools offered at least one complete CTE pathway. A majority also reported offering other credit-bearing courses. Work-based learning opportunities were far less common. During the 2025–26 school year, only 37 percent of districts offered internships and 21 percent offered apprenticeships. Urban locales were more likely to offer these opportunities than their counterparts.
Career-connected learning from the perspective of a high school student
As noted above, the vast majority of principals report that all their students are offered the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a counselor about college or career plans. According to students, though, many of these meetings aren’t taking place until the end of high school. In the spring of the 2025–26 school year, just 23 percent of ninth graders reported meeting one-on-one with a counselor or advisor to talk about their options after high school. The share was higher in other grades—34 percent of tenth, 53 percent of eleventh, and 72 percent of twelfth graders reported meetings. But it’s concerning that so many students still hadn’t discussed their post-graduation options with a counselor by spring of their senior year.
The content of these meetings matters, too. Less than a fourth (22 percent) of surveyed high schoolers reported that the information they received from their schools about planning for their future “very much” matched their interests, compared to 71 percent that said the information “somewhat” matched. Roughly two-thirds of students reported “heavy emphasis on four-year college” while relatively few said there was an emphasis on other pathways like two-year community colleges or technical training.
There’s also a worrisome disconnect between students’ expectation of engaging in work-based learning and actual participation. Only 22 percent of high school seniors participated in an apprenticeship or internship despite 66 percent indicating that they had planned to do so. RAND notes that “student interest is not the limiting factor” in participation and that these findings “could reflect the level of supports that schools provide for these activities, the degree of commitment by students and families in following through on work-related learning plans, or some combination of both.”
Lessons for Ohio
The RAND report sheds some much-needed light on what career-connected learning looks like in schools across the nation. But what does it mean for Ohio, specifically? Here are four takeaways.
- Ohio needs to do more for middle schoolers. RAND’s findings indicate that most districts nationwide offer career exploration courses in middle school and require middle school students to create plans that identify their academic, career, and personal goals (79 and 67 percent, respectively). There are districts in Ohio that already do these things. But there are also plenty that don’t, and that needs to change. Fortunately, a solution is already on the table. Senate Bill 328, which was passed unanimously by the Senate and is currently in the House, would require Ohio districts to provide career exploration instruction to middle schoolers and require students to create academic and career plans by the end of eighth grade. Lawmakers should pass it as soon as possible.
- Students need more support throughout high school. RAND researchers found that by the spring of their junior year, more than 40 percent of students hadn’t discussed college or career plans with a guidance counselor or developed a post-high school plan. Ninth graders who create plans and receive support have more than three years to ensure their high school courses and activities align with their interests and future goals. Students approaching their senior year have just one. Ohio should do whatever it takes to boost the capacity of counselors and advisors to ensure that students are creating plans and receiving support as early as possible.
- Ohio schools should give students information on all their options. According to RAND, students report “heavy emphasis” on four-year degrees. That’s understandable, given that the college wage premium is alive and well. Students who are both prepared for and interested in enrolling at a four-year college or university should be encouraged to do so. High-achieving, low-income students, in particular, deserve more opportunities and better support. But higher education isn’t the only meaningful path into a stable career, and sending students to college when they’re unprepared for the academic rigor increases the likelihood that they’ll drop out with student loan debt and no degree. Ohio schools should ensure that students are aware of all their options—including two-year community colleges and technical centers—and not just four-year institutions. Lawmakers, meanwhile, need to address the academic readiness issue by doubling down on reading and math improvement efforts.
- Students need more opportunities to access work-based learning. Although a “substantial majority” of students planned to participate in work-based learning opportunities like internships and apprenticeships, many didn’t end up doing so. The RAND data suggest that “schools are not doing enough to encourage take-up of the opportunities that do exist and that many schools may lack the employer connections that are needed to expand those opportunities.” To tackle this problem in Ohio, lawmakers should champion initiatives that would improve awareness of CTE and increase access to work-based learning.
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Ohio leaders deserve credit for their efforts to expand and improve career-connected learning. But there’s still plenty of work to be done, and the RAND report offers several paths forward. Policymakers who are committed to ensuring every Ohio graduate is ready for life after high school would be wise to take a closer look at these findings.
