Date of Degree
2026
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Summers, Kelly
Committee Members
López, Rodrigo; Creed, Benjamin
Keywords
Postsecondary Success, Career Readiness, College and Career Readiness, Secondary Education, Career and Technical Education, Work-Based Learning, Illinois PaCE Framework, Educational Leadership, Organizational Change, CTE
Abstract
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WHAT COMES NEXT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF DISTRICT APPROACHES TO POSTSECONDARY AND CAREER READINESS
This qualitative study examines how Illinois school districts support students’ readiness for postsecondary success and career planning and exploration. Despite longstanding state and federal efforts to improve college and career readiness, many students continue to face challenges after high school, including lack of workforce readiness, underpreparedness for postsecondary education, unclear career pathways, and difficulty navigating complex transitions. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explores how districts conceptualize and implement career readiness frameworks, the ways readiness work is embedded within district systems, and the barriers districts encounter in sustaining coherent and equitable supports. Findings highlight the importance of district context, including strategic planning, organizational capacity, and relationships across schools and community partners, in shaping students’ access to meaningful readiness opportunities. The study also identifies tensions between policy expectations and local implementation, as well as variability in how districts translate readiness goals into practice. By centering district-level perspectives, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how career readiness is operationalized in K–12 systems and offers implications for policy, leadership, and practice aimed at supporting students’ postsecondary persistence and long-term career sustainability.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Pelsor, Amanda C., "Preparing Students For What Comes Next: A Qualitative Study of District Approaches to Postsecondary and Career Readiness" (2026). Dissertations of Practice. 115.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/115
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