SILVER SPRING, MD – August 29, 2023 – Today Advance CTE released a 50-state landscape report on state funding for secondary Career Technical Education (CTE). State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of State Secondary CTE Funding Models serves as the eighth 50-state report since 2013 for Advance CTE, the longest-standing national non-profit representing state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult CTE.
Providing high-quality CTE requires robust, sustained funding designed to be responsive to both the rapidly evolving needs of industry and the diverse needs of learners. Advance CTE’s 2023 State of CTE report website includes an interactive map, research report, case studies and more to provide an overview and state-by-state comparison of state secondary CTE funding models across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
CTE provides learners of all ages with the knowledge and skills they need to be prepared for college and careers. CTE gives purpose to learning by allowing learners to gain real-world skills through career exploration and taking specialized courses within a selected career focus. Learners in CTE often practice what they are learning through work-based, hands-on experience including internships, apprenticeships and mentorship.
The report’s findings reflect the growing focus and attention on CTE by policymakers across the country. In the past decade, 27 states have increased their funding of secondary CTE ranging from $76,300 to $2.9 billion, for a state average of $182 million.
Over 8 million secondary learners, or almost 17 percent of all public school learners, participated in a CTE program during the 2020-2021 academic year. However, Advance CTE’s research estimates state investments in secondary CTE total approximately $5.9 billion in FY2022, or less than one percent of total state K-12 education funding, This signals additional investments are necessary for CTE to align with learner participation and growing demand as a solution for the needs of both learners and industry.
“Adequate funding is critical to achieve more equitable CTE systems that value collaboration, equity and innovation and direct funding to where learners need it most,” stated Advance CTE Executive Director Kate Kreamer. “Our 2023 State of CTE Report gives us a lot to celebrate, in terms of the expansion of state investments in secondary CTE, as well as more states designing more innovative funding models to extend the reach of CTE in their state. This research serves as a promising starting point to empower state policymakers and CTE leaders to maximize CTE funding models towards access and success in CTE to truly serve all learners.”
The findings shared in this report are based on research conducted since 2022, including a survey of State CTE Directors and in-depth interviews with state CTE leaders. This work was supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
Visit ctek12funding.careertech.org to learn the basics of secondary state CTE funding and view the full suite of report resources.
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Advance CTE is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports state CTE leadership to advance high-quality and equitable CTE policies, programs and pathways that ensure career and college success without limits for each learner.
Media Contact: Stacy Whitehouse, swhitehouse@careertech.org
About the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
