Abstract:
Research has found that Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation benefits
students with disabilities (Benz, Lindstron, & Yovanoff, 2000; Cobb & Alwell, 2009; Division
of Career Development and Transition, 2012; Wagner, Newman, & Javitz, 2016), yet some
people believe that CTE enrollment is not always appropriate for special populations (Smith &
Bell, 2015). This incongruity begs the question of whether school administrators limit the
opportunities afforded to students with disabilities. One purpose of this study was to document
the perceptions of high school administrators regarding special education placements within CTE
programs as compared to the participation rates of students with disabilities enrolled in
advanced-level CTE programs. Another purpose of this study is to determine whether
differences exist among enrollment rates given school administrators’ demographic
characteristics, such as age, gender, community type, and school location.
The theoretical framework for this study was developed primarily based on the work of
McKenzie and Scheurich (2004), and to a lesser degree, Schoener and McKenzie (2006) and
Bragg (2017). This study employed the Equity Trap construct within the theoretical framework
of Equity Gaps in education. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using data
collected from a researcher-created five-point, Likert-type scale survey and state-level student
enrollment data in Indiana. A stratified sample population among seven Indiana Council of
Administrators of Special Education (ICASE) districts was utilized consisting of CTE Directors
and Assistant CTE Directors, grade 9-12 Special Education Administrators, and high school
Guidance Directors. Inferential statistical analyses were performed to test the relationships
between administrator characteristics and perceptions and special education participation rates.
This research showed that administrators agree that advanced-level CTE programs provide
meaningful and appropriate opportunities for students with disabilities. However, students with
disabilities are consistently enrolled in advanced-level CTE programs at a lower rate than their
general education peers. These findings may serve as a catalyst for secondary school
administrators to consider, and address as necessary, the factors affecting the access that students
with disabilities have to advanced-level CTE programming.
