Career and Technical Education has moved far beyond “shop class.” Today, CTE is a cornerstone of K-12 strategy nationwide—helping districts improve graduation rates, engage students, and align education with real career opportunities.
Federal policy through Perkins V and state-level funding have accelerated this shift, supporting programs that blend academics, industry credentials, and hands-on learning. Students who complete CTE pathways are not only graduating at higher rates, but entering high-demand sectors with job-ready skills.
Policy Support: Perkins V modernized funding, giving states flexibility to align programs with regional job markets.
Stronger Outcomes: Research shows CTE concentrators perform better academically and transition more smoothly into college or the workforce.
Work-Based Learning: Internships, apprenticeships, and community projects are redefining how students learn by doing.
STEM Focus: Science, technology, engineering, and math applications within CTE open doors to aviation, robotics, cybersecurity, and more.
STEMPilot.com has become one of the most engaging examples of how CTE and STEM intersect. Its classroom flight simulators and aviation curriculum immerse students in real-world physics, math, and teamwork.
Edustation Simulators: Durable, classroom-ready flight systems that teach navigation, lift, aerodynamics, and data literacy.
Curriculum Alignment: Lessons tied to NGSS and CTE standards make STEM concepts tangible and fun.
Scalable Packages: From middle-school exploration to high-school aerospace pathways, STEMPilot kits grow with student skill levels.
Translates math and physics into visible, real-time results.
Encourages procedural discipline, communication, and safety—skills valued in every industry.
Bridges to drone certification (FAA Part 107), aeronautics, engineering, and transportation careers.
STEMPilot doesn’t just inspire future pilots; it builds critical thinkers who understand data, systems, and accountability—exactly what employers seek.
Building or expanding CTE programs requires more than equipment. Districts, colleges, and vendors need to find each other efficiently—and that’s where K12 Data and College Leads come in.
K12 Data provides precise, verified contact information for CTE directors, STEM coordinators, principals, and district decision-makers nationwide.
Vendors like STEMPilot can reach the exact educators responsible for purchasing and implementation—no wasted effort.
College Leads connects two- and four-year institutions with high-school CTE programs, counselors, and WBL coordinators to promote dual-credit and career-ready enrollment.
Together, they close the gap between innovation and adoption—making sure schools hear from companies and colleges that can truly support their pathways.
When students experience real-world problem solving in high school, they carry that momentum forward. Districts investing in aviation, robotics, and healthcare pathways are already seeing:
Higher attendance and engagement
More students earning credentials or dual credit
Stronger local partnerships with employers
Renewed enthusiasm among teachers who see students thriving
CTE has become both an academic and economic development strategy—linking schools, colleges, and businesses into one coordinated system.
Using K12 Data and College Leads, education companies can:
Target CTE and STEM leadership roles directly
Segment lists by district size, region, and industry pathway
Personalize campaigns with current state funding data or Perkins V priorities
Track engagement to improve outreach timing and relevance
Precision data means fewer cold calls and more meaningful partnerships.
CTE represents the most practical education reform in decades—aligning purpose, policy, and outcomes. Companies like STEMPilot show what’s possible when technology meets curriculum. And data partners like K12 Data and College Leads make sure those innovations reach the schools and students who need them most.
U.S. Department of Education – Perkins V Implementation
Advance CTE – State Policies Impacting CTE
ACTE – Perkins 101
MDRC – Career and Technical Education: Evidence Summary
STEMPilot.com – Edustation & Classroom Packages
A decade ago, a lot of parents still pictured CTE as “shop class with a rebrand.” Today, superintendents and boards talk about CTE as a strategy to improve graduation, retain students who might otherwise disengage, and connect learning to local labor markets. At its best, CTE is not a track; it’s a set of purposeful on-ramps—health science, IT & cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, energy, transportation, construction trades, business/marketing, and more—tied to credentials that actually count.
Two things accelerated CTE’s evolution. First, the policy foundation: Perkins V (the 2018 Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act) reframed and modernized federal expectations and gave states more flexibility to align programs to regional industry needs. That law undergirds roughly $1.2B in annual federal investment and has guided state planning since July 1, 2019. U.S. Department of Education
Second, the evidence base got a lot stronger. We now have large-scale studies showing that CTE concentrators (students who complete a sequence of related CTE courses) graduate at higher rates and post better near-term postsecondary outcomes compared to similar peers, with some differences in the kinds of credentials they earn. MDRC+1
The net effect: CTE shifted from “nice to have” to “must have” in district strategic plans. You can see it in the state policy activity—year-over-year changes to funding formulas, work-based learning (WBL) definitions, credential priorities, and accountability measures tracked by Advance CTE. Advance CTE
1) Stronger policy scaffolding. Perkins V intentionally tightened the connection between secondary and postsecondary programs, emphasized labor-market alignment, and gave states new levers (like reserve funds) to support rural and high-need areas. Many states now explicitly fund middle-grades career exploration and earlier skills exposure, creating healthier pipelines into high-school pathways. ICC Board+1
2) Clearer research signals. Syntheses from MDRC, the CTE Research Network, and others reinforce that well-designed CTE—especially when it includes WBL—can lift academic outcomes and completion. The conversation has matured from “does CTE work?” to “which models, in which sectors, with which WBL intensity, work best for which students?” MDRC+2CTE Research Network+2
3) Work-based learning momentum. Districts and intermediaries are building structured WBL ladders—career awareness, job shadowing, projects with industry partners, paid internships, pre-apprenticeships. Federal guidance and toolkits have standardized terminology and quality criteria, making it easier for states to scale. OCTAE+1
4) Better storytelling data. NCES and IES have published easy-to-reference stats—like differences in associate’s vs. bachelor’s attainment among concentrators—that help leaders explain tradeoffs and options to families. The nuance matters: CTE concentrators are more likely to earn sub-baccalaureate credentials (valuable in certain fields, often stackable), and only slightly less likely to reach a bachelor’s within five years—a pattern consistent with “earn-and-learn” choices rather than diminished ambition. National Center for Education Statistics+1
5) State and association muscle. Groups like ACTE and Advance CTE have nudged policy and practice forward; ACTE’s updates reflect membership growth and ongoing advocacy for incremental increases in federal funding. That sustained drumbeat helps local CTE directors win internal budget fights. ACTE Online+1
Clear pathways: Course sequences that culminate in recognized credentials (industry certs, dual credit, or pre-apprenticeship status).
Integrated academics: Math, science, and ELA embedded in authentic technical problems (not just added homework).
WBL that builds: Exposure in 9th–10th, experience in 11th, employment/placement support in 12th and beyond.
Real equipment and software: Hands-on platforms that approximate industry tools—CNC, cybersecurity ranges, energy systems, aviation simulators, etc.
Data and improvement cycles: Programs track concentrator rates, credential attainment, placement, and equity gaps; they regularly update equipment lists and employer partnerships to match local needs. (DOE/CTE resources and state dashboards have made this far easier than it was just five years ago.) OCTAE
If you’ve never seen a STEMPilot rig in a classroom, imagine a rugged, classroom-ready flight station with realistic controls and a calibrated display. Students sit down and—very quickly—stop “playing” and start solving problems: airspeed, altitude, headings, weather, weight and balance, navigation—all of which call on algebra, geometry, physics, and data literacy.
Product family (high level).
Edustation: A single-screen flight simulator designed for maneuverability and classroom durability—an approachable way to introduce aviation concepts with real-time application of STEM skills. STEMPilot
Edustation Pro / 3-screen variants: Adds immersion and peripheral vision, which matters for certain missions (pattern work, instrument scans, situational awareness). STEMPilot
Classroom packages: Typically bundle simulators with curriculum (aligned to NGSS-style science standards), tutored missions, FAA charts (including local airspace maps and NYC for the iconic Statue of Liberty route), animated learning videos, tech support, and warranty. These turnkey bundles reduce friction for schools starting an aviation pathway or aerospace engineering elective. STEMPilot
Broader scope: STEMPilot messaging highlights learning in drones, coding, and a video-game-like experience that still enforces real-world physics and procedures, which is why students find it fun and teachers find it rigorous. STEMPilot
Edustation detail page: Positions the simulator explicitly as a way to “transform classrooms into interactive cockpits,” emphasizing problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking in guided missions. STEMPilot
Why aviation works in CTE.
Math and physics in plain sight. Airspeed, pitch, bank angle, rate of climb—every moment is a data story. Students see that trigonometry and vectors aren’t abstractions; they’re how you avoid a CFIT mistake or fly a perfect approach.
Safety mindset and checklists. Aviation brings a just-culture routine into the room: briefings, checklists, CRM (crew resource management), debriefs. That maps beautifully to any safety-sensitive field (healthcare, energy, manufacturing) where procedural discipline matters.
Stackable options. An aviation unit can live inside a middle-school STEM exploratory, a high-school aerospace engineering course, a transportation pathway, or a JROTC partnership. In districts with drone programs, the bridge is obvious: aerodynamics, navigation, and airspace rules translate.
Career line-of-sight. Students can see multiple endpoints: pilot, A&P mechanic, avionics, UAS operations, aerospace manufacturing, air traffic, airport operations. That visibility is a known driver of persistence.
Implementation patterns we’ve seen succeed.
Middle-grades exploration feeding a 9–12 pathway. Use a small set of Edustations for broad exposure in grade 7–8 career exploration, then scale up in grades 10–12 for advanced coursework and WBL (airport ops projects, air-museum partnerships, local FBO visits). This aligns with the growing flexibility to use CTE dollars in the middle grades. ACTE Online
Cross-credit math/science tie-ins. Co-plan missions with math and physics teachers (e.g., a unit on lift and Bernoulli for science, vector components and wind correction angles for math). The simulator becomes a living lab rather than a standalone gadget.
Assessment that mirrors real ops. Score not just “winning the scenario,” but pre-flight planning quality, communication, and post-flight reflection—exactly the behaviors industry values.
Costs and purchasing realities. Aviation hardware and displays are tangible; principals can see them, board members can visit the lab, and community donors can put their name on the space. STEMPilot’s classroom packages and warranty reduce IT lift and training time—key factors when a district is piloting a new pathway and doesn’t want to assemble a lab from scratch. STEMPilot
The aviation example checks several boxes the research literature highlights:
Engagement + persistence: Students are more likely to stay in a pathway when the work feels authentic and physically embodied. Flight missions do that. Observational and quasi-experimental studies consistently link CTE concentration to higher graduation probabilities. MDRC+1
WBL readiness: Simulators build confidence before a student’s first airport site visit or internship. That matters because WBL intensity—hours, responsibility, paid vs. unpaid—correlates with stronger effects. CTE Research Network
Credential pathways: Programs that articulate to industry or postsecondary credentials tend to deliver better near-term returns (especially sub-baccalaureate). Aviation stacks nicely into FAA Part 107 (for UAS), A&P exploration, or community-college certificates. The federal data picture supports the value of associate-level outcomes for many concentrators. Institute of Education Sciences
Start with labor-market intel. Before you buy anything, confirm regional demand: airport operations, UAS surveying in construction/ag, aerospace manufacturing, emergency services. Use your regional workforce board data plus state CTE “in-demand” lists to justify the pathway.
Choose the right scale. One to three Edustations is perfect for an exploratory course or a physics plug-in. A full lab (e.g., multiple simulator stations plus a 3-screen unit) suits a dedicated pathway.
Map the sequence.
Grade 7–8: Career exploration modules; short “missions” linked to math/science.
Grade 9–10: Foundations—principles of flight, instrumentation, weather, navigation; intro drones.
Grade 11: Advanced missions; Part 107 prep; airport/industry shadow days.
Grade 12: Capstone + WBL; dual credit with a community college partner.
Integrate academics. Set up co-teaching days: physics labs inside the simulator room, math classes using real flight data logs.
Layer in WBL. Begin with job shadowing at the local airport or air museum; move to project-based WBL (mapping with drones for the facilities department); then internships (airport ops, FBOs, municipal GIS). Federal toolkits can help formalize your definitions and data collection. OCTAE+1
Measure what matters. Track concentrator counts, mission mastery, credential attainment (e.g., Part 107 pass rates), attendance, GPA shifts, internship hours, and postsecondary placement. Use the Perkins Explorer to benchmark against state goals. OCTAE
Fund smartly. Mix local CTE allocations, Perkins V formula funds, reserve/leadership funds (especially for rural access), and community donations. Your board will ask “what happens when the grant ends?”—so plan a sustainable refresh cycle for devices and displays up front. U.S. Department of Education+1
Standing up a pathway is only half the job. You also need the right ecosystem around it—vendors who can deliver, higher-ed partners who can articulate credit, and employers who will host students.
For vendors (edtech and lab providers):
K12 Data lets you laser-target district roles that steward CTE decisions: CTE directors and coordinators, high-school principals and assistant principals for instruction, STEM/CTE department chairs, WBL coordinators, curriculum & instruction leaders, and district finance officers who approve purchases. When you’re launching or scaling offerings like STEMPilot, that precision is the difference between a month of unanswered outreach and a calendar full of demos.
For postsecondary partners:
College Leads helps two-year colleges (aviation maintenance, UAS, aerospace tech) and four-year programs with aviation/aerospace minors reach the right high-school counselors, CTE leads, and principals. If your articulation agreements exist but students aren’t enrolling, the outreach is misfiring. The fix is not “more volume”—it’s better fit and timing.
For districts themselves:
You can use vendor outreach (backed by these lists) to structure your market scan: collect pricing, warranty, training time, curriculum alignment, and credential pathways from two or three finalist providers—not twelve. That keeps the focus on quality fit, not inbox management.
For community-facing storytelling:
Both datasets can support communications: targeted emails to families of juniors/seniors about new CTE pathways, career nights, and internship fairs; outreach to local employers for WBL commitments; and coordinated messages to school boards showing early impact measures.
Bottom line: if you believe in CTE’s ROI but you’re still sending generic emails to “info@district,” you’re leaving outcomes on the table. The same goes for colleges hoping to boost aviation or UAS enrollment without ever speaking to the CTE lead at their feeder high schools.
Curriculum and missions. The bundle approach (simulators + NGSS-style lessons + missions + charts) means a new CTE teacher or a veteran math/science teacher can stand up a unit without writing everything from scratch. That matters in districts facing staffing churn. STEMPilot
Hardware design choices. The single-screen Edustation is light enough to rotate between rooms or park against a wall; multi-screen setups create an anchor station for advanced students. In both cases, the controls and displays hew close to authentic, which supports transfer when students meet real-world avionics. STEMPilot
Student engagement. STEMPilot leans on a video-game-like hook, but the win condition is correct procedure, not just spectacle. Missions give immediate, actionable feedback—exactly what cognitive science says builds skill. STEMPilot+1
Where districts sometimes stumble (and how to avoid it).
Stumble: Treating the simulator as a toy.
Fix: Tie every mission to a standard, an assessment, and a reflection protocol.
Stumble: Buying too few seats for the enrollment ambition.
Fix: Use a rotation model (pre-brief → sim → debrief → written calc) so four seats can serve a class of 24 efficiently.
Stumble: Skipping WBL.
Fix: Lock in airport, museum, or municipal GIS partners before the PO. Sim time + site time is the winning combo the research highlights. CTE Research Network
More concentrators, fewer “floaters.” Students choose and stick with a pathway because they see progress and purpose.
Credential momentum. A handful of Part 107 passes; dual-credit hours earned; capstone teams presenting drone mapping to facilities or the parks department.
Attendance and GPA lift among previously disengaged students. Anecdotes become data when you track it.
First internship cohort. Even five paid placements can change the culture of a school.
Community visibility. Board members and local media can photograph a real lab; that support matters come budget season.
Research doesn’t promise miracles—but well-built CTE consistently moves the needle on graduation and near-term postsecondary success. MDRC+1
Segment precisely. Build micro-audiences: “Large suburban districts with airport access within 20 miles,” “Rural districts eligible for Perkins reserve funds,” “Districts with existing drone clubs but no formal UAS pathway.” Then target CTE directors + principals + WBL coordinators with role-specific value props.
Sequence your outreach.
Touch 1: A short “why now” note tied to a state policy update (e.g., WBL rule change).
Touch 2: A 12-minute demo invite with two time slots (make booking frictionless).
Touch 3: A case mini-study with clear classroom metrics (mission mastery, credential attempts).
Touch 4: Pricing with training hours, warranty, and implementation timeline on one page.
Use credential-language, not jargon. “Here’s how our missions map to your state’s aviation or engineering standards” beats “gamified STEM” every time.
Close the articulation loop. If you’re a college aviation program, target the CTE leads in your feeder districts and propose a one-page dual-credit MOU with your course codes and instructor-of-record options. College Leads helps you pinpoint those decision makers.
Measure outreach quality. Using K12 Data/College Leads, track opens, replies, demo rates, and wins by role and district type. Roll that back into your audience definitions.
CTE isn’t a consolation prize for students “not bound for college.” It’s a strategy that gives every student more options: yes to college, yes to credentials that pay, and yes to skills that make academic learning feel purposeful. Aviation simulators like STEMPilot show how quickly a classroom can move from abstract equations to practiced judgment; they make it obvious, even to skeptics, why CTE resonates with today’s students.
If you’re a district leader, the task is to assemble the pieces—policy, equipment, curriculum, WBL, and data—into one clean sequence. If you’re a vendor or a college partner, your task is to find the right people and speak their language. That’s where K12 Data and College Leads earn their keep.
U.S. Department of Education. Perkins V overview and implementation timeline; approximately $1.2B annual federal investment. U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Work-Based Learning resources and initiatives (definitions, grants, toolkits). OCTAE
U.S. Department of Education, WBL Data Toolkit (how to define and collect quality WBL data). OCTAE
Advance CTE & partners. State Policies Impacting CTE: 2024 Year in Review. Advance CTE
ACTE. Perkins 101: Funding (middle-grades flexibility, state adoption). ACTE Online
NCES/IES. CTE outcomes and attainment (associates vs. bachelors patterns; state and national data). National Center for Education Statistics+1
MDRC. Career and Technical Education: A Summary of the Evidence (graduation and wage associations, pathway models). MDRC
CTE Research Network / AIR. Evidence on WBL and CTE outcomes (syntheses and recent impact work). CTE Research Network+1
STEMPilot (official). Company overview, Edustation product pages, and classroom packages. STEMPilot+3STEMPilot+3STEMPilot+3
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