March 2025 Newsletter: Expanding CTE programs in WA state

Director’s Note

Amidst a time of economic uncertainty nationally, Washington state is dealing with its own economic turbulence. Recent budget forecasts show that our state is dealing with a budget deficit of nearly $15 billion over the next four years. State leaders are facing historic economic hurdles and will be forced to make tradeoffs as they work to balance our state budget while still funding critical programs for students, families, and communities.

While these are tough times and I won’t dance around that, there are several education programs in Washington state that are giving me hope. Here are two things that keep me optimistic about our state’s future.

As The Seattle Times highlighted last week, a recent state law made College in the High School (CiHS) free for all students in public high schools. Since its passage, CiHS enrollment has grown by 46%. That means more students are earning college credit for free without even leaving their high school campus.
According to the National College Attainment Network, Washington state has seen a 15.9% jump in FAFSA completion compared to this same point last year. State and community partners have done so much work to help students and families complete this form—and it’s showing.

Efforts like these will be all the more important as state leaders discuss tradeoffs without compromising the progress and promise we’re seeing on critical issues to the state’s future. As we explore in this newsletter, when we expand student pathways to college, they earn more and give back to their communities.

With gratitude,

Angela Jones
Director, WA State and US Charters

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Expanding CTE dual credit access

The Washington Legislature is currently having conversations about how they can make it easier for students to earn college credit while in high school through career and technical education (CTE) programs.

🔎 What’s happening: Dual credit courses incentivize students by exposing them to higher education early and giving them a head start toward a credential—at little or no cost. The legislature is exploring a bill that would remove barriers to dual credit participation, ensuring students don’t face financial or logistical hurdles.

CTE dual credit is one of the most accessible dual credit options in our state. In 2023, over 56,000 students were enrolled in CTE dual credit courses, and 52% of high school graduates completed a CTE graduation pathway.
However, administrative hurdles mean only about 3% of CTE dual credit courses are transcribed into a credit-bearing postsecondary credential, causing many students to miss cost-saving opportunities.
Take student leader Sienna Jarrard. She took Running Start while she was in high school. The only credit that didn’t transfer to her public four-year college was her CTE credit, which was a high school requirement.
“Stand for Children Washington sees this as a huge missed opportunity to ensure that students graduate high school with transferable college credit in hand,” director Liz Trautman shared with the Gates Foundation.
“Students face multiple hurdles in applying the CTE dual credits they’ve earned. They need support in understanding where they’re at in completing meaningful postsecondary coursework. Then, they need to know where they can go to finish a program and earn their credentials,” Washington STEM CEO Lynne Varner added.
House Bill 1273 aims to improve CTE credit transferability and ensure stronger coordination between high schools, community colleges, and apprenticeship programs.

💬 A few Gates Foundation grantees shared how they are working to improve CTE dual credit access:

Vickei Hrdina, director of K-12 workforce and higher ed partnerships at ESD 112, highlighted the unique challenges rural students face. Michael is a senior at Trout Lake High School currently taking IT fundamentals. It’s the first time his rural district has offered this course, which provides a computer programming credential and six CTE dual credits with Clark College. Michael only discovered recently that he could get college credit for these classes.
"Many students just like Michael missed the chance to accelerate their degrees and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on tuition for their families,” Vickei shared.
NWESD is leading a pilot program with four community colleges and regional high school CTE directors. So far, this pilot has streamlined processes, improved alignment with workforce needs, and created a community of practice for computer science educators. The state hopes to expand this pilot to other ESDs.
“By bolstering the CTE dual credit system, we ensure students can seamlessly transition from high school to college and high wage careers—strengthening both our communities and economy,” said Jenny Veltri, NWESD STEM administrator.

Why it matters: As both ESD leaders shared, providing aligned CTE courses and increasing capacity will help school districts increase access to dual credit programs and boost postsecondary enrollment and completion rates, especially for students in rural and underserved communities.

“Our students deserve a system that is set up for their postsecondary success, and we are excited about the work in the CTE dual credit space to align systems in service of that vision,” Trautman said.
“Our students have the keys. Let's make sure that the doors we are in charge of are open to provide these clear pathways that match students’ aspirations,” Washington STEM’s Jayme Shoun added.

Learn more about CTE dual credit: Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges

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New report: The rural college-going gap

Students in a line with their graduation caps and gowns and diplomas.

📊 A Harvard Strategic Data Project report that analyzed college and career pathways found that students in rural communities in Washington state are 10 percentage points less likely to complete postsecondary degrees than their urban and suburban peers.

This is primarily because rural students enroll in postsecondary programs at similar lower rates.
These findings mirror the results of a Gallup survey, which found that rural Gen Zers are 16 points less likely to say they can get a college degree.

That was just one of the findings the Strategic Data Project team found using longitudinal data from the Washington Education Research and Data Center (ERDC).

ERDC, which sits within the Office of Financial Management, compiles and analyzes education data to support research and help leaders better understand education systems in Washington state.
The Strategic Data Project leveraged ERDC’s data to follow Washington’s high school graduating classes of 2013 and 2014 for the first seven years after graduation.
In addition to exploring college access and completion, researchers compared job earnings for students seven years after graduation. They found that workers with a bachelor’s degree earn 40% more than those with a high school degree.
Having access to this kind of data is critical in helping local and state leaders identify gaps that should be addressed and successes that could be scaled.

Why it matters: As ERDC’s data highlights, rural students face unique barriers to college and career opportunities.

Through our Limitless Learning Network and Horizons Regional Grant Program, we are supporting partnerships that are working to address these gaps and help more rural students reach their goals, regardless of where they live.

Learn more: Examining student transitions into college and career pathways in Washington

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Leadership update: A new voice for Pathways

🎉 We’re excited to share that the Gates Foundation has named Cheryl Hyman as the new director of our Pathways strategy, focused on expanding postsecondary and career success for students in the United States.

Hyman brings extensive experience in education and workforce alignment.
As former chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago, she led major reforms that increased graduation rates and streamlined transfer pathways for students.
At Arizona State University, she led an initiative that has helped over 31,000 students plan seamless transitions from community colleges to four-year degrees.

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New insights: College Success Foundation alumni survey

Four students in graduation caps and gowns by stairways.

A new survey of College Success Foundation (CSF) alumni shows the long-term impact of mentorship and support in helping students believe in and prepare for college.

📊 Early interventions and strong support networks significantly boost college aspirations and success:

85% of alumni said CSF strengthened their belief that college was possible.
74% noted that CSF increased their general knowledge of higher education.
76% reported that CSF bolstered their desire to attend college.

Why it matters: Ensuring students have the confidence and resources to pursue higher education is critical for economic mobility.

As CSF found, 65% of alumni earn $60,000 or more annually, while 42% earn $80,000 or more.
Alumni also give back. More than 70% have volunteered or donated to nonprofits in the last year.

March 2025: Expanding CTE programs in Washington state

Expanding CTE dual credit access

New report: The rural college-going gap

Leadership update: A new voice for Pathways

New insights: College Success Foundation alumni survey

What we’re reading and watching