Doctoral student Jessica Goldstein has won a Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Research Fellowship from North Carolina State University.

Goldstein is a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow and research assistant in the U of A's Department of Education Reform. She studies predictors of success in higher education, career and technical education from high school through workforce, and understanding the link between school finance and student outcomes.

Her new fellowship project will evaluate the Arkansas Future Grant Program, a state-based financial aid initiative that funds eligible students enrolled in STEM or regional high-demand areas. The grant covers 100 percent of tuition and fees for qualifying certificate and associate degree programs at Arkansas' public institutions. Goldstein will study the impact of the grant related to student postsecondary and workforce outcomes.

"I am excited to participate in the fellowship program with ECMC Fooundation and NC State as it affords me the opportunity to network and collaborate with other researchers who are also interested in career and technical education, which I believe is a fruitful area for future education policy research," she said. "Career and technical education is especially relevant to the state of Arkansas, which is seeking to become a flagship state for CTE programming in the U.S."

The fellowship runs from August 2022 to August 2023.

Goldstein said requirements for the program are spread throughout the year and primarily consist of virtual networking and professional development opportunities. "The fellowship goals marry well with my dissertation work, so it should be manageable to balance both fellowships gracefully," she said.

Goldstein expects to graduate from the U of A with her doctorate in May 2023. Her research sponsor is Josh McGee, a U of A research professor in the Department of Education Reform and associate director of the Office for Education Policy.

"I am thrilled that Jessica has been selected for this prestigious fellowship. She is a promising researcher whose work is destined to have a big impact on the world," he said.

The ECMC Foundation sponsors the 11 fellowships. The national foundation's goal is to improve postsecondary outcomes for students from underserved backgrounds. It's based at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research at the North Carolina State College of Education.

Fellows will participate in two national research training institutes, research methods webinars, work with career and technical education research mentors and conduct postsecondary research.

Goldstein holds a bachelor's degree in international development and a master's in global development policy, both from Cornell University. In 2010, she worked at KIPP Bay Area Schools in California through Teach for America. She also served as an education consultant for the Stanford University School of Medicine, developing coursework around using the world's first virtual dissection table.

Goldstein has experience working within other large charter school networks, such as Summit Public Schools, and had the opportunity to serve as a lead school designer for Denver Public Schools, helping open Colorado's first competency-based high school in 2015.