Intentional and early collaboration between state and local leaders and state coordinators for homeless education is vital to developing solutions that ensure success in Career Technical Education (CTE) programs for learners experiencing homelessness. As many states anticipate the growing rates of homelessness to continue in the coming years, the need for partnerships between state and local leaders and state coordinators for homeless education is far greater in order to increase success for these learners. Advance CTE in partnership with the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) has published Making Good on the Promise: Improving Equity in and Access to Quality CTE Programs for Students Experiencing Homelessness for state and local leaders to leverage as they begin this body of work.
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) expanded the definition of special populations to include individuals experiencing homelessness, as defined by Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. State leaders have before them a clear path for ensuring state supports increase equity and access to high-quality CTE programs for learners experiencing homelessness.
This new resource identifies common barriers to high-quality CTE for learners experiencing homelessness and suggests strategies for how CTE and homeless education leaders can work together to build new opportunities for learners experiencing homelessness in their state to access and succeed in CTE programs.
State leaders can start, today, building key partnerships by implementing these action steps:
- Reach out and connect with the appropriate CTE or homeless education counterpart.
- Focus on concrete efforts with mutual benefit to each other’s work.
- Start somewhere and build confidence in the partnership.
- Continue to invest over time.
This resource is part of the Making Good on the Promise series, which confronts the negative aspects of CTE’s legacy and defines the key challenges learners face today. The series provides promising solutions to help state leaders close equity gaps in CTE to ensure that each learner is able to attain the promise of CTE — a high-skill, high-wage, in-demand career.
