Navigating Our Way Resources

Building Trust to Promote Equity in CTE

equity report

Report link : Building Trust to Promote Equity in CTE

While CTE on its own cannot solve pervasive equity issues in the United States, it can play a key role in helping to promote equitable access and outcomes for learners by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and experiences needed for lifelong career success. However, the history of inequity in CTE, as covered in Making Good on the Promise: Understanding the Equity Challenge in CTE, may prevent learners and their families from trusting the value and promise of CTE. Through actions internal and external to the state agency, state CTE leaders can take concrete steps to build trust in communities that do not view CTE as a viable mechanism to help them achieve their college and career goals. To build trust, state CTE leaders should:

  1. Acknowledge that inequity is a problem;
  2. Promote a culture that values equity and diversity within the state agency and instructor
  3. workforce;
  4. Commit to transparency and advancing only high-quality CTE programs of study;
  5. Implement strategies to gain buy-in from communities and stakeholders; and
  6. Celebrate, lift up and replicate successful programs of study and practices.

The first step to building trust in communities is to acknowledge the history of CTE and the equity gaps that exist within CTE. As discussed in the first brief in this series, state leaders need to acknowledge CTE’s legacy and understand the equity gaps that exist in their state if they want to begin to address inequities.

Read more from the latest report from Advance CTE’s Making Good on the Promise: Building Trust to Promote Equity in CTE report, the third brief in Advance CTE’s Making Good on the Promise series. The brief maps out steps state leaders can take to rebuild trust in marginalized communities that CTE historically failed to serve equitably.

mindset characteristics
Dear Students
culture wheel

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Equity Action Guide

Link: www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/equity-action-guide
The Office of Health Equity, in partnership with community organizations and other state agencies, developed a Colorado Equity Action Guide that looks at the root causes of inequity across Colorado through an in-depth review of community characteristics, stories and data. It leverages cross-sector collaboration and promotes data-sharing for sustainable community informed decision-making to advance equity.

Gender Equity Position Statement

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Inclusive Teaching and Learning Equity Toolkit from CDHE

Download the Equity in Youth Apprenticeship Programs toolkit

Strategies for Special Population Success

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Talent Equity Agenda (CWDC)

Non-Traditional Careers for Perkins and Workplace Gender Balance

The Goal

To help men and women choose skilled careers that:

  • break through traditional gender stereotypes,

  • meet the needs for skilled employment in Colorado,

  • and are a good personal fit.

Our Belief

We believe that all levels of American society and business will benefit by having a better balance of men and women in the U.S. workplace. With the entrance of women into the workplace over the last forty years, many workplaces have already become fully integrated and women and men operate on a peer-to-peer basis. And while some occupations have been slower to become integrated, it has been proven that progress is possible.

The beginning of this process is to create a positive message about balance in the workplace, and to encourage and support Coloradans who enter education and training programs that still need to achieve balance in the workplace.

The Workplace Gender Balance Project

Five Strategic Objectives for the Workplace Gender Balance Project

  1. Create a compelling message and implement a communication plan
  2. Build buy-in and commitment from college leadership, student support services staff and faculty, and other stakeholders
  3. Develop effective assistance for both men and women to learn about and prepare for non-traditional careers.
  4. Engage employers, employer groups and other stakeholders to change the workplace culture
  5. Keep score to measure progress

Who Participates

  • Community Colleges

  • Technical Colleges

  • Secondary Schools

  • and even Correctional Facilities

The Outcome

To enhance equity and inclusivity in the classroom and workplace environments. To develop a talented, skilled and motivated pool of workers that enhance the competitiveness of Colorado’s workforce and economy. To help meet the program accountability objectives and metrics of the federal Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Improvement Act (specifically within the non-traditional careers metrics).

Bias Assessment Survey

Project Implicit website.  Instructions: Click ‘demonstration’ / Go to Test / Proceed to Test / Test: Gender-Career

Mindset Survey. Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success.