Vermont work-based learning systems map

A causal map of the forces shaping work-based learning implementation in Vermont public schools. The stock being assessed is WBL coordinator capacity — the load-bearing variable that every other node either drains or replenishes. Click any node to see its connections, or use the loop chips to trace the four key feedback cycles.

Vermont WBL — systems map v5
Stock being assessed: WBL coordinator capacity. Every other node either drains or replenishes it. Click any node to reveal its connections; click loop chips to trace feedback cycles.
Trace loops
Governance & political layer External pressures and institutional support Resources & infrastructure Money, transport, knowledge access, perverse incentives Operational capacity Where the work happens Student access Awareness, value, structural filters Outcomes & feedback What feeds back into the system Internal political Administrative support Role legitimacy, resource priority External pressure Legislative pressure Act 77, no dedicated state funding Diffusion Peer admin networks Visibility of peer school success Structural finding CTE / comprehensive divide AOE oversight excludes general HS WBL Root constraint Reliable funding No state floor; temporary grants Structural pathology Temporary systems Built around individuals, not infrastructure Information friction Fragmented resources Exist but undiscoverable Perverse incentive Tuition-follows-student conflict Sending HS loses funding when student goes to CTE Equity bottleneck Transportation access Rural geography, no school transport KEY STOCK Coordinator capacity Time, bandwidth, manual workload Social capital Relational infrastructure Coordinator network, partner trust Catastrophic event Coordinator turnover Network and knowledge loss Supply willingness Partner willingness Consistently high — not the bottleneck Direct flex leverage Digital systems Spreadsheets only; no data layer Actual constraint Partner admin absorption Compliance, paperwork, mentorship load Cultural variable Institutional signal AP > CTE prestige hierarchy Surface knowledge Student awareness Knows WBL exists The harder problem Understood value Why WBL matters to them Access barrier Gatekeeping CTE essays, attendance screens Process variable PLP implementation Failing across most comprehensive HS Subsystem — TBD Program quality Roles, accountability, autonomy Failure mode Attendance Primary placement-failure cause Volume Students engaged in WBL Number actually placed Visibility & data Student outcomes Stories + data — currently absent
Click a node or trace a loop to reveal connections
Click any node to inspect
The stock being assessed is coordinator capacity — the load-bearing variable in the middle of the map. Every other node either drains it or replenishes it. The map shows five causal layers — governance, resources, operational capacity, student access, and outcomes — and how they feed back into it. Connections are hidden until you click. Use the loop chips above to trace the four key feedback cycles.

This is a living document. Last updated May 2026. Feedback welcome — cabot.sayles@uvm.edu