Insights to point your program in the right direction.

Expert thought-leadership, research, and analysis from the counselors, educators, and leaders behind Pathful — the thinking that makes career readiness and development make sense.

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Blog

From Iowa Tests to Interest Inventories: The History of Career Assessment and What It Means for Students Today

One hundred and sixteen years after Frank Parsons asked how young people find the work they're meant to do, the tools have changed. The obligation hasn't.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · August 4, 2026
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Blog

Back to school with confidence: how Pathful users can maximize first-month impact

Five research-backed ways Pathful users can activate Career Plans, WBL pipelines, and Course Planner data in the first 30 days of school.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · July 15, 2026
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From guidance office to career path: how career readiness platforms support undecided students

How CRD platforms give counselors scalable tools for undecided students — from static interest inventories to connected course planning.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · July 10, 2026
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Blog

Work that actually matters: how Industry-Led Projects are changing what career readiness looks like

Career days and job shadows reach a fraction of students. Here's how Pathful's Industry-Led Projects bring authentic, employer-designed work into every classroom.

Ryan Hagedorn · July 1, 2026
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28,458 Students. 891 Professionals. 100% Authentic.

Celebrating Pathful's 2025–2026 Professional Volunteer Impact.

Thera Pearce · Jun 23, 2026
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Blog

She came from industry. She built something extraordinary.

The career journey of Marcette Kilgore, from insurance agent to shop teacher to State Director of the largest CTE program in America.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · Jun 22, 2026
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Blog

From policy to classroom: how federal and state changes are helping students build a plan for life after high school

From Perkins V to statehouse diploma redesigns, the policy landscape is shifting fast — and states are leading the way.

Thera Pearce · Jun 16, 2026
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Press release

JobreadyCTE by Pathful named a 2026 SmartBrief on EdTech Readers' Choice Award winner

Recognized in the STEM & CTE category for impact and innovation in career and technical education technology.

Lindsay Hallam · Jun 8, 2026
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Press release

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests $17 million in Houston's skilled trades workforce

Expanding skilled trades career pathways for high school students and strengthening the region's workforce pipeline.

Lindsay Hallam · Jun 8, 2026
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Blog

What is Perkins V reporting for school districts?

The federal performance indicators, who has to report, and how career readiness platforms centralize the data compliance requires.

John Lohr · May 22, 2026
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Blog

Connecting career exploration in high schools to student ILPs

How school counselors and CTE leaders can turn exploration into a living, documented roadmap for every student.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · May 21, 2026
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7 counselor-friendly career readiness platform features

A practical evaluation checklist for comparing career readiness platforms by the features that genuinely support counselors.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · May 18, 2026
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Blog

IBC + Concentrator: why Texas districts are losing CCMR credit they already earned

What the IBC + Program of Study alignment requirement means for CTE directors before the June 26 deadline.

Avery Bond · May 16, 2026
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Blog

The students running CTSOs today are running companies tomorrow

The quiet pipeline that's producing America's most work-ready graduates.

Melinda Spivey, M.Ed. · May 14, 2026
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Playbook

From vision to verified

How state CTE leaders drive real career readiness — from policy intent to documented outcomes.

Melinda Spivey, M.Ed. · May 11, 2026
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Blog

How CTE career readiness platforms connect portfolios, credentials, and WBL

A practitioner's guide to Perkins V compliance and CTE program enrollment.

John Lohr · May 10, 2026
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Blog

What TEC §28.02121 requires

A Texas PGP field guide for CTE directors managing 300–500-student caseloads.

Avery Bond · May 9, 2026
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Blog

Informational interviews

Introducing the newest feature in Pathful's Back to School 2026 release, built to make this cornerstone of career readiness accessible to every student.

Ryan Hagedorn · May 6, 2026
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How CTE programs use WBL tracking data to grow enrollment

How administrators use WBL tracking data to build employer partnerships and align pathways to industry credentials.

John Lohr · May 3, 2026
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Blog

The Texas CCMR Tracker decoded

What the IBC-POS alignment view means for A-F scores, and what districts must do before the June 26 Working Submission deadline.

Avery Bond · May 2, 2026
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Blog

Work-based learning workflow in career readiness platforms

A coordinator's guide to employer partnerships, job shadowing, documentation, and supervisor sign-off.

John Lohr · Apr 26, 2026
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Blog

Every student deserves to see their future

Why language accessibility can't be an afterthought for the 5 million+ English Learner students in K–12.

Ryan Hagedorn · Apr 8, 2026
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Press release

Pathful earns three finalist nominations in The EdTech Awards 2026

Recognizing the Lifestyle Calculator, Experience Tracker, and Pathful as a company for innovation and learner engagement.

Lindsay Hallam · Apr 7, 2026
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Playbook

The complete Perkins V application toolkit

A step-by-step guide for CTE directors — CLNA templates for all five required elements, a budget worksheet, and the mistakes to avoid.

Cameron Kolick · Apr 6, 2026
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Playbook

The WBL Management System Playbook

The ultimate guide to WBL program management, covering the continuum, program planning, compliance tracking, and how JobreadyWBL by Pathful manages it all at scale.

Thera Pearce · Mar 31, 2026
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Playbook

The complete work-based learning partnership builder

Cold outreach templates, internship agreement forms, a workplace mentor guide, and a partnership tracking system for WBL coordinators.

John Lohr · Mar 30, 2026
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Press release

Pathful names Einat Ifrah as Chief Financial Officer

Finance and operations leader brings global experience and strategic growth expertise to the nation's leading career readiness and development company.

Lindsay Hallam · Mar 30, 2026
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Playbook

The complete New CTE Pathway Launch Playbook

A 12-month implementation guide from concept to first completers, with labor market analysis, curriculum mapping, and WBL partnership templates.

Cameron Kolick · Mar 22, 2026
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Blog

CTE & WBL resources built for every leader in the room

A free library of practitioner-first resources for WBL coordinators, CTE directors, and district leaders.

Melinda Spivey, Ed.S. · Mar 16, 2026
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Blog

Why is postsecondary success becoming harder to achieve?

Success is declining — not for lack of ambition, but because students reach the threshold without the skills and pathway knowledge they need.

Melinda Spivey, M.Ed. · March 12, 2026
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Blog

Addressing critical workforce shortages in skilled trades

America's skilled trades sector stands at a crossroads. What are we doing about it?

John Lohr · February 19, 2026
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Blog

What happened to apprenticeships?

The evolution of skilled-trades training in America — and what we lost along the way.

Cameron Kolick · February 12, 2026
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Blog

Why career readiness can't wait

MIT research on the urgent need for a new approach to preparing students for the workforce.

Matthew Alverson · December 3, 2025
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Blog

The teetering majority

Stanford research on why most students need structured development, not just more options to explore.

Brenda Solano, M.Ed. · November 21, 2025
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White paper

Why career readiness and development matters

Closing the gap between graduate preparation and employer expectations — the research case for moving from one-time exploration to continuous development.

Ryan Hagedorn · Nov 20, 2025
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Blog

How is America helping adult learners enter today's workforce?

The American workforce is changing rapidly, and millions of adults are racing to keep up.

Pathful Team · Nov 14, 2025
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Blog

Are today's students really less prepared for work?

“New graduates just aren't ready for the real world anymore.” Is that true — and what should schools do about it?

Ryan Hagedorn · Nov 14, 2025
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Press release

Pathful appoints Ryan Schwartzberg as Chief Commercial Officer

Veteran EdTech leader with deep career-readiness expertise joins to drive market expansion and customer success.

Lindsay Hallam · Nov 11, 2025
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Blog

How CTE is preparing students for the future of work

Career and Technical Education is in a renaissance across America's K–12 schools. But is it enough?

Melinda Spivey, M.Ed. · Nov 4, 2025
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White paper

The future they envision

What 41,840 students tell us about the lives they expect to build — what they'll earn, where they'll live, how they'll save.

Ryan Hagedorn · Sep 8, 2025
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Press release

SkillsUSA partners with Pathful to deliver work-based learning to members

Bringing virtual job shadows and career experiences to SkillsUSA student members nationwide.

Lindsay Hallam · Sep 2, 2025
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Blog

Breaking barriers: women pioneers in Career and Technical Education

Recognizing the pioneering educators whose determination and vision helped shape CTE in America.

Ryan Hagedorn · May 5, 2025
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Blog

Bridging education and careers: Pathful's Experience Tracker and FIRST Robotics Competition

Two complementary tools for meaningful career preparation through hands-on learning and guided reflection.

Matthew Alverson · Apr 25, 2025
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Blog

Martha Stewart is an icon

This Women's History Month, we celebrate Martha Stewart's entrepreneurial spirit and the valuable career readiness lessons her journey provides.

Ryan Hagedorn · Mar 11, 2025
Case study

Riverside Unified School District

California's largest CTE continuum mandate, met and exceeded, scaled across 42K students at 59 schools.

California · 42K students, 59 schools
Case study

Gwinnett County Public Schools

How a leading Georgia district transformed CTE, empowering teachers and redefining student futures, in partnership with Pathful since 2015.

Georgia · Partnered since 2015
Case study

Jefferson County Public Schools

How Kentucky's largest district tracks and meets state graduation standards for every middle and high schooler, district-wide.

Kentucky · #1 largest district
Case study

MSD Lawrence Township

Scaling dual-language, industry-led work-based learning across a large suburban district with minimal operational strain.

Indiana · 16K students, 21 schools
Case study

Colorado Dept. of Labor & Employment

How a state agency expanded workforce development, career evaluation, education, and training for all residents.

Colorado · 19,500+ served statewide
Case study

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System

A Tennessee district builds a custom Pathful curriculum that maps to state standards, and gives leaders the data behind it.

Tennessee · Grades 6–8, weekly lessons

From insight to everyday practice.

See how Pathful turns career-readiness research into tools your students use every week.