About P-TECH
In 2010, the New York City Department of Education, the City University of New York, the New York City College of Technology, and IBM partnered to develop a new approach to secondary and postsecondary education. The result was P-TECH High School, which provides an enriched curriculum that is aligned with actual employment opportunities at IBM. P-TECH students have access to professional mentors, workplace experiences, and internships. The model enables students to earn both a high school diploma and a cost-free Associate in Applied Science degree in six years.
Since the first P-TECH Grades 9-14 school was launched, an additional six schools have opened in New York City, all with different sponsoring employers and themes (the model has also proliferated across New York State, nationally, and internationally). Employer partners support P-TECH schools in many ways, primarily by providing work-based learning experiences linked to real-world career opportunities. In addition, the high schools collaborate with local colleges to provide students with an opportunity to earn a college credential while simultaneously earning a high school diploma.
About the Study
MDRC is conducting a study of the NYC P-TECH Grades 9-14 school model, incorporating data from all seven of the New York City schools and a set of comparison schools. The Research Alliance is supporting MDRC’s work by advising on research design and analyses, helping identify appropriate samples of students for the study, and constructing longitudinal data files needed to evaluate P-TECH’s implementation and impact.
This study is supported by grants to MDRC from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Project Team
Rachel Rosen, MDRC, Principal Investigator
(See MDRC website for a complete list of project team members.)