Equitable Access to CTE in Massachusetts

Project name
Increasing Access to Career & Technical Education for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners in Massachusetts

Project Description

Students who participate in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are more likely to graduate from high school, participate in work-based learning experiences, and see increased earnings and college graduation rates (ACTE, 2024). And yet, certain populations of learners experience unique barriers to accessing and persisting in CTE programs. Across the country, and in Massachusetts, students with disabilities and multi-lingual learners continue to experience barriers in enrollment and completion that have long lasting impacts on earning outcomes. However, CTE programs designed with systemic equity interventions like Universal Design for Learning can have significant impacts on learners' outcomes.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has partnered with CAST to explore the barriers faced by students with disabilities and multi-lingual learners in CTE programs across the state and to work with educators and administrators to uncover and build equitable solutions that improve outcomes for these two populations. The team is using UDL as the lens through which they work with local CTE programs, building educators’ skills and knowledge and supporting systemic refinements and piloting new approaches.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) resonates with CTE teachers, the majority of whom arrive at a career in education from industry. To these educators, key concepts such as relevance, mentorship, and autonomy already align closely with the teaching strategies in CTE classrooms. UDL is also empowering for CTE educators because it equips them with the research-based strategies they can use to talk about learning and teaching whether or not they have the same pedagogical knowledge as their peers.

As one manufacturing teacher states:

UDL breaks down barriers for educators in CTE because it provides a common language that works across programs or content areas. Using UDL, CTE educators can discuss curriculum, lesson design, student engagement, and assessment strategies whether they teach the same subject or not.

David Oliveria is a first-generation Hispanic learner who attended Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical School in MA. He graduated last year from the CTE Electrical program.

Here is what he had to say about his experience in MA CTE:

"I would also say diversity is a big part of why CTE is amazing for kids who don’t speak English as a first language. There are lots of kids from different backgrounds and they all come together to work on a common goal - learning. Finding a friendly face wasn't hard for me because my teachers made every effort to communicate with my parents in their native language and one of the teachers in my shop spoke fluent Spanish. I don't know if all kids in CTE have this kind of supportive experience. But I hope they do, because I know that it can really help you feel understood, included, and ultimately it helps you learn better."

Additional Resources

• Did you know Perkins V, the federal legislation that funds CTE programs, identifies UDL as “a scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice” that supports all learners, in particular students with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency (20 U.S.C. § 1003(24)). Learn more about UDL in Public Policy.
• Learn more about how to add Universal Design for Learning to your CTE state plan.

Timeline

August 2024 – June 2025

Funder

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Project Leadership

Amanda Bastoni, Project Lead

Contact

For more information about this project, please contact mpascoa@cast.org