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The report examines how Perkins V influences the experiences of Black learners in CTE programs and offers legislative proposals as Congress considers reauthorization of the act, which committed $1.2 billion in annual funding to CTE programs when it was enacted in 2018 but expired in 2024.
Roughly 12 million students participate in CTE programs nationally at high schools, community colleges, and technical colleges, with Black students making up 13 percent of national secondary enrollment in the 2022-23 academic year.
However, Black students are overrepresented in service-oriented fields and have less access to programs in STEM and IT, according to the report. On average, Black CTE students earn more than $8,200 less than their white peers with similar credentials and are less likely to enroll in postsecondary programs after high school compared to all other races.
"Earlier this year, the administration moved the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor. This raises real concerns for the program's effectiveness and the efficiency of support services for state administrators," said co-author Dr. Kayla Elliott, the Joint Center's Workforce Policy Director. Some states have already reported waiting months for their Perkins funding with little communication or support from the administration.
The timing of the administrative transfer has added complexity to an already challenging reauthorization process. Last month, the administration started moving even more responsibilities and programs away from the Department of Education to the Departments of Labor, Interior, State, and Health and Human Services.
Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad noted the stakes.
