This year, more than a million students will graduate from high school and most will go on to college, but a significant proportion will never earn their degree and may accrue heavy student loan debt without getting any closer to a career. Career and technical education, or CTE programs, allow high school students to gain technical skills in a variety of career fields while also taking traditional classes like English and math. Many students graduate from high school equipped to enter the workforce. Proponents of CTE like Principal Dave Wheeler of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in Massachusetts say these programs allow students to follow a different path than the traditional college path. Some educators disagree with vocational education replacing traditional schooling. Former high school principal Carol Burris said she worries many schools will send students with behavioral issues or learning disabilities and to technical programs rather than give them the focus and help they need. Asking students to decide their careers in high school may also be too soon for some, according to Burris. “I have seen so many kids who have been academic late bloomers, who all of sudden they mature and they buckle down and they do their studies and they go on to college,” said Burris.