Xello Participating in MDRC Academic Research Study: "CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education"

News provided by

Jan 25, 2022, 10:00 ET

The study will measure the impact and implementation effectiveness of advising tools in helping students discover CTE pathways

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Xello, the award winning K-12 college, career and future readiness program, and MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization, today announced Xello's participation in an upcoming research project titled, "CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education." The study aims to measure the effectiveness of technology-based advising tools to understand whether and how they influence student thinking about career options, choice of relevant career and technical education (CTE) coursework and work-based learning options, and decisions about CTE concentration in available pathways and programs of study.

As popularity around CTE programming continues to grow in secondary schools, ensuring equitable outcomes requires that information about available career options is accessible to students of all backgrounds, abilities, and aspirations in a holistic and meaningful way. Technology-based advising tools are designed to empower schools and districts to expand the reach of their programming and drive student agency by helping students identify the interests, skills, and personality traits that could make them successful in a variety of careers, including those they may not have otherwise been aware of or identified as areas of interest.

The "CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education" study will focus on understanding how programs—like Xello—contribute to more equitable student outcomes by examining ninth-grade student outcomes at select schools using "Xello for High School." Tool effectiveness and outcomes will be assessed using de-identified student-level data collected from districts in the 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2024/25 school years, including:

Results from assessments that uncover students' interests, personalities, learning styles and career matches.
Student attendance, indicators of grade-progression and progress towards graduation, and course-taking data.
Demographic data such as race, gender, individualized educational program status, and English language learner status.
Student surveys and interviews, and any other reports or measures that provide students with advice about college and career opportunities.

"As a company dedicated to supporting all students, all pathways, we're honored to partner with MDRC and the schools participating in the study," said Matt McQuillen, Xello Co-Founder and CEO. "This provides an amazing opportunity to better understand the effectiveness of career development tools like ours in helping students identify and pursue CTE and career-based opportunities, particularly in schools with limited career counseling services. This is a longer-term study, with interim reports scheduled to be released, and we're looking forward to sharing the findings and taking the learnings to further enhance our program and practices."

Xello's participation in the study will be active over a three-year time-frame, but the evaluation of the schools participating in the study will continue—and is funded—through 2025. MDRC anticipates having their full list of participating schools confirmed by spring 2022. For more information on the study, please click here.

Xello is used in over 9,000 schools across North America, and has earned a reputation as a high-quality college and career planning solution for K-12 school districts. Xello has won numerous awards, including an EdTech Award for best career planning solution. To learn more about Xello's strategies and implementation options, districts can contact Xello's team of Education Consultants.

About Xello

Xello's mission is to help anyone, anywhere in the world create a successful future through self-knowledge, exploration and planning. With more than 20 years in the education software industry, the team at Xello has helped millions of educators and millions of students become future ready with its suite of online platforms. Based in Toronto, Canada, Xello's award-winning future readiness programs are used globally by nearly eight million students and educators. Learn more about Xello at www.xello.world.

About MDRC

MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, is committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation—from reducing poverty and bolstering economic mobility to improving public education and college graduation rates. MDRC designs promising new interventions, evaluates existing programs using the highest research standards, and provides technical assistance to build better programs and deliver effective interventions at scale. For more info: www.mdrc.org

SOURCE Xello Inc.