Inequities in CTE Access in Washtenaw County
This report is a continuation of the Youth Policy Lab’s (YPL) examination of access to career and technical education (CTE) programming. Whereas our 2022 policy brief titled How Access to CTE Varies Across Michigan Schools and Students analyzed this topic throughout the entire state of Michigan, the analyses presented here focus on Washtenaw County.
Key findings
- Access to Career and Technical Education (CTE) is limited. All students in Washtenaw County, from every demographic group, have access to fewer programs on average when compared to the state.
- Access to CTE is inequitable. Economically disadvantaged, Black, and Hispanic students have less overall access to CTE programming compared to their more affluent and White peers.
- Access to any program is dependent on which district and building a student attends. Economically disadvantaged, Black, and Hispanic students are less likely to attend schools with at least one on-campus CTE program.
- Access to high skill, high wage, and in demand programs varies across districts and is inequitable.
- Strategies to address these inequities could include merging entities or systems, facilitating opportunities within comprehensive high schools and neutral site locations, addressing local transportation and scheduling issues, and funding models.
