Access and Equity

Access and equity is one of 12 elements of high-quality CTE, defined in ACTE’s comprehensive, research-based Quality CTE Program of Study Framework. This element addresses program of study promotion, student recruitment and strategies that support access and equity for various student populations, including by gender, race and ethnicity, and special population status (such as individuals with disabilities, individuals from economically disadvantaged families and English learners). The following reports, articles, guides and toolkits can help you develop and support access and equity in high-quality CTE programs of study.

CTE Program Promotion

Up, Up and Away: Comic Books for CTE Program Promotion
Schutt, Washer and Conrad, ACTE Techniques Magazine, February 2018

Comic book design can be an effective tool to promote CTE programs and illustrate pathways to students.

Messaging Matters: Designing Communications Tools to Support CTE Data Use
Graham and Klein, ACTE Techniques Magazine, February 2018

Promoting CTE programs requires sharing CTE data effectively in concise, easy-to-understand formats tailored to users’ needs. Examples are provide from the Nevada Department of Education.

The Power of Micromessages in Marketing, Recruitment and Success in CTE
Williams, ACTE Techniques Magazine, February 2018

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity staff describe a model of change called the Micromessaging Culture Wheel. It was used as part of an inclusive messaging strategy by the Ohio Construction Advisory Council.

Communicating the Value and Promise of CTE With Parents and Students
Fitzgerald, ACTE Techniques Magazine, February 2018

Advance CTE, with support from the Siemens Foundation, commissioned focus groups and a national survey to explore the attitudes of parents and students currently involved in CTE, as well as prospective parents and students, to better understand how to communicate the value and promise of CTE.

Recruit Students into CTE
Advance CTE

  • Core Messages for Attracting Students to Career Technical Education
  • Making a Winning Case for CTE: How Local Leaders Can Put This Research to Work
  • Increasing Student Enrollment in CTE Programs: Parent Engagement Tool
  • Guides: Social Media, Focus Groups, Posters, Postcards and Videos

These tools and guides, developed out of research conducted by Advance CTE with support from the Siemens Foundation, can be used in CTE program communication and recruitment efforts.