• The economic context of CTE 
• Opportunities for the business community to engage in CTE 
• Case studies and examples where CTE is part of a skill-attainment solution 
• Next steps and recommendations 
• Further resources for CTE information

Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-class Education a report by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve, Inc. provides states a roadmap for benchmarking their K-12 education systems against those of top-performing nations. The report explains the urgent need for action: in 2006, the U.S. had the second-highest college dropout rate of 27 countries. Below outlines what states and the federal government must do to ensure U.S. students receive a world-class education that provides expanded opportunities for college and career success.

• Common core of standards in math and language arts for K-12 at the international level
• Leverage states' collective influence to ensure that tools such as books, digital media, curricula and assessments are aligned to international benchmarks; draw on lessons from high-performing nations and states
• Use policies of top performing nations to address U.S. teacher issues
• Draw upon international best practices in the area of school accountability  
• Measure state level education performance globally by examining student achievement and attainment in an international context to evaluate how U.S. students are receiving the necessary education to compete effectively

Pathways to Boosting the Earnings of Low-Income Students by Increasing Their Educational Attainment, a paper by the Hudson Institute and CNA, a research and analysis organization, focuses on the effects of education on earnings and postsecondary outcomes. Findings include:

• Higher levels of post-secondary degrees are associated with higher earnings; but certificates from two-year colleges also lead to well-paying careers, particularly among low-performing students
• Among all degree programs, professional and health-related fields of academic concentration are associated with high earnings; STEM concentrations tend to be the most lucrative for students with credentials from 4-year colleges
• High school preparation and performance are key predictors of post-secondary persistence and credential attainment
• Although low-performing students are unlikely to remain in college for more than a year or receive a credential, due to remediation coursework, those who do persist beyond that first year who concentrate in health-related or professional fields at 2-year colleges have the greatest likelihood of attaining a credential

• Strand A: Clusters as a Model for Collaboration
• Strand B: Clusters as a Tool for School Reform and Improvement
• Strand C: Career Clusters and Programs of Study
• Strand D: Clusters-specific Instruction and Implementation