Contract Closed

National Implementation Study of Career and Technical Education under Perkins V

NCEE Evaluation Division Postsecondary, Adult Education, and Choice Studies

Program: Perkins Act

Evaluation topic(s): Pathways to Career or College – Career, Technical and Adult Education

Award amount: $4,136,906

Awardee:

American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Year: 2019

Duration: 5 years 5 months (09/01/2019 - 02/10/2025)

Project type:

Implementation Study

Contract number: 919900-19-D-0002

Background

Even with constant change in the nature of work and the economy, the education decisions students make today will influence their later career direction and success. Helping secondary and postsecondary students develop skills that have value in the workplace is the key goal of career and technical education (CTE). Congress has supported CTE for over a century, most recently through the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in 2018 (Perkins V). Many provisions of the prior Perkins Act remain, but Perkins V includes some changes designed to: (1) expand access to and participation in CTE for all students, (2) enhance CTE program quality through new mechanisms for program improvement and labor market alignment, and (3) increase flexibility in Perkins funding and accountability. Perkins V requires IES to conduct a national evaluation to assess CTE programs under the new law. This study would have examined how key priorities in Perkins V were being implemented by states and districts.

Project Activities

Research question

To what extent were states and districts taking steps to expand access to and encourage greater participation in career and technical education as intended by Perkins V?
To what extent were states and districts using the new mechanisms for improvement and alignment emphasized in Perkins V to improve CTE program quality?
To what extent were states and districts taking advantage of the funding and accountability flexibilities in Perkins V that were intended to address their specific needs and priorities?

Structured Abstract

Design

National data were collected in fall 2023 to spring 2024. These data included surveys of all state coordinators of CTE and a nationally representative sample of 850 districts through their CTE district coordinators. Information from the surveys were to provide a snapshot of Perkins V implementation in program year 2022–23.