Exploring Ethnic and Gender Equity Enrollment and Achievement Patterns in High School CTE Career Pathways in Mississippi

Cliff Thames,Sean Owen, Ph.D.*,Dustin D. Finch,Ben Alexander

doi:10.33642/ijbass.v7n11p5

Abstract

This study, a post hoc observational one, attempted to understand how to continue promoting equitable opportunities in career and technical education (CTE) for the state of Mississippi. We explored the enrollment patterns of Mississippi secondary CTE students by career cluster and career pathways associated with STEM careers over the last five years. Additionally, the enrollment patterns were compared to statewide enrollment patterns by gender and ethnicity. Also, we examined the proficiency results of students on the statewide CTE assessment by gender and ethnicity. Our secondary CTE student enrollment results are like previous reports of underrepresentation of nontraditional students in STEM-related career fields. Additionally, similar results were found when looking at the statewide CTE assessment data. However, there is an indication that CTE and non-CTE leaders effectively recruit underrepresented populations to STEM-related career pathways in the state of Mississippi, but more work is needed to allow access to all students.

Highlights

This study, a post hoc observational one, attempted to understand how to continue promoting equitable opportunities in career and technical education (CTE) for the state of Mississippi
We explored the enrollment patterns of Mississippi secondary CTE students by career cluster and career pathways associated with STEM careers over the last five years
The and non-STEM career cluster areas? (2) what are Mississippi population of this study was 132,476 students who were students' CTE enrollment patterns, by race/ethnicity, in both enrolled in secondary CTE pathways

Summary

Introduction

This study, a post hoc observational one, attempted to understand how to continue promoting equitable opportunities in career and technical education (CTE) for the state of Mississippi. In the early that met the overall goal of creating workforces that fulfilled days of the civil rights movement, cases like Brown v Board of business and industry needs These problems of inequity in regular among resources for minority students in the segregated school academic subjects have been the primary focus of advocates system. These disparities at first were the result of systematic and activists for years, lesser-known disparities, such as those efforts to curtail or deny access to various groups based on the in career and technical education (CTE), have been (and racial biases that had long been entrenched in American continue to be) areas of concern. Even as these disparities vocational education reinforced inequality by placing some have been addressed, there likely remain inherent issues of students on paths for more prestigious leadership and higherinequality and equity in the educational system due to the https://ijbassnet.com/

Results

Discussion

Conclusion