Practitioner Perspectives on Equity in Career and Technical Education

This policy brief summarizes the most common equity challenges that were raised in the discussion among practitioners from innovative career and technical education (CTE) programs, along with ideas that emerged for how to address them. While the bulk of the brief comes directly from this conversation, several examples also come from MDRC’s other research activities. The brief begins with a short overview of how the group defined equity and the main causes of inequity. It continues with discussions of inequity in access and outcomes, covering the challenges identified in both areas and some proposed solutions. It concludes with a discussion of how research can help practitioners address equity, and how policymakers can support equitable delivery and outcomes.