Improving Equity in and Access to Quality CTE Programs for Students Experiencing Homelessness

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra

Strategies for state Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders and homeless education stakeholders to improve equity in access to, full participation in, and successful completion of high-quality CTE for students experiencing homelessness. The brief links barriers such as unmet basic needs, admissions challenges, out-of-pocket expenses, mobility, limited early guidance, and scheduling conflicts to outcomes. It cites policy expansion under Perkins V (Perkins V) and research showing education’s protective effects, including higher graduation and lower dropout rates with increased CTE course participation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Value of Education in Preventing and Ending Homelessness

Barriers to CTE Access and Success for Learners Experiencing Homelessness

Improving Equity in and Access to Quality CTE Programs for Students Experiencing Homelessness Introduction State Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders have a critical responsibility to ensure that each learner has opportunities to achieve educational and career success and is supported in identifying and realizing their goals. To do so, state leaders must identify and dismantle historical barriers, and construct systems that support each learner in accessing, fully participating in, and successfully completing a high-quality CTE program of study. This brief suggests strategies for how CTE and homeless education leaders can work together to build opportunities for learners experiencing homelessness to access and succeed in high-quality CTE programs of study. Importantly, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) expanded its definition of special populations to include individuals experiencing homelessness, as defined by Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) [42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2)], which provides a clear path for state and local leaders to support these learners more intentionally through CTE programs of study. Given the United States’ continuing lack of affordable housing (Aurand, Emmanuel, Rafi, Threet, & Yentel, 2020), it is not surprising that the number of learners experiencing homeless has increased in recent years. During the 2017-2018 school year, U.S. public schools enrolled 1,508,265 children and youth in PreK through 12th grade experiencing homelessness, up 15% from 1,307,656 children and youth during the 2015-2016 school year ( National Center for Homeless Education, 2020) . In a 2019 survey of more than 100,000 students at two-year institutions of higher education, rates of homelessness among learners ranged from 12% to 18% in the previous year ( Baker-Smith et al., 2020). Today, it is more important than ever for State Coordinators for Homeless Education1 (State Coordinators) and state CTE leaders to collaborate to ensure access to high-quality CTE for learners experiencing homelessness. The Value of Education in Preventing and Ending Homelessness A longstanding research base establishes the value of what is known as “the education premium,”which essentially means that the more one learns, the more one earns (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). In addition to having higher levels of income, individuals with higher levels of education are both more likely to move up the socioeconomic ladder and have access to employer-provided benefits (e.g., health insurance and retirement) and less likely to be unemployed or receive public assistance (Ma et al., 2019) . 1 Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, State educational agencies (SEAs) must designate a State Coordinator for Homeless Education to serve as the key homeless education contact within the SEA, and oversee the implementation of the Act in school districts throughout the state [42 U.S.C. § 11432(d)(3)] . OCTOBER 2020 Looking specifically at the relationship between educational attainment and homelessness, a recent study by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago revealed that of the six subpopulations of youth identified as being at greater risk of experiencing homelessness, those lacking a high school credential had the highest risk. Young people without a high school diploma or graduate equivalency degree are 346% more likely than their peers who completed high school to experience homelessness. Other youth at a higher risk of homelessness include unmarried parenting youth, low-income youth, LGBT youth, and youth of color (Morton et al., 2017) . Further, a growing body of research associates CTE participation and completion with higher high school graduation rates, including for learners experiencing homelessness. Data from the state of Washington from the 2018-2019 school year found that learners experiencing homelessness who

FAQs

What responsibility do state CTE leaders have for students experiencing homelessness?

State CTE leaders must ensure each learner has opportunities to achieve educational and career success and is supported in identifying and realizing goals through access to high-quality CTE.

How does Perkins V relate to students experiencing homelessness and CTE?

Perkins V expanded the definition of special populations to include individuals experiencing homelessness, providing a clearer path for state and local leaders to support these learners through CTE programs of study.

What barriers commonly prevent students experiencing homelessness from succeeding in CTE?

Common barriers include unmet basic needs, difficult admissions requirements, out-of-pocket costs, high mobility affecting enrollment, lack of early guidance and engagement, and scheduling challenges such as conflicts with work or unpaid work-based learning.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra