Invested dollars or diverted dreams: The effect of resources on vocational students' educational outcomes

Educational policy to address high school dropout rates has centered largely on two remedies: provide relevant vocational curriculum and invest increased resources in schooling. Critics argue, however, that vocational programs divert working-class students from higher educational attainment and that resources ultimately do not affect students' outcomes. The research presented here examined how the investment of resources affects the outcomes of vocational education programs. The results indicate that vocational programs in states with higher levels of resource investment significantly increase the likelihood of students graduating from high school, whereas vocational programs in states with low levels of investment increase the probability of students dropping out. Resources also affect postsecondary outcomes.